Freezer Supplies for Home Food Preservation

Gardening season is here and it is time to inventory and purchase packaging materials needed for home freezing. Foods for the freezer must have proper packaging to protect their flavor, color, moisture content, and nutritive value from the dry conditions of the home freezer. Selecting proper containers will depend on the type of food to be frozen, personal preference, and packaging available in the local markets. <br /> <br /> When purchasing packaging items choose those which are moisture-vapor resistant, durable, leak proof, flexible and crack resistant at low temperatures, resistant to oil, grease, and water, will protect foods from absorbing off-flavors or odors, easy to seal and mark. Seals should be taped over with freezer tape when there is not a tight fit. Freezer tape is especially designed to stick at freezing temperatures. <br /> <br /> There are two types of packaging materials for home use: rigid containers and flexible bags or wrappings. Rigid containers are suitable for all packs, especially liquids. Rigid containers can be made of plastic or glass and are often reusable and stackable. Choose straight sides to make the frozen food easier to remove from the container. Select wide mouth dual purpose jars made for freezing and canning, since glass can break easily at freezer temperatures. These jars are tempered to withstand extreme temperatures. Be sure to leave adequate headspace for expansion during freezing in standard canning jars to avoid breakage at the neck of the jars. Do not freeze fruits and vegetables in containers with a capacity of over one-half gallon. Foods in larger containers freeze too slowly to result in a satisfactory product. <br /> <br /> Flexible freezer bags and moisture-vapor resistant wrapping materials such as plastic freezer wrap, freezer paper, and heavy-weight aluminum foil are suitable for dry packed products that contain little or no liquid. Plastic zippered or press-to-seal bags with a plastic channel come in a variety of sizes and can be in short supply during the high demand summer season. Vacuum packaging is also best for dry packs. Vacuum packaging removes more air from the packages than can be pressed out of regular plastic bags, extracting the air with a home vacuum sealer machine. It helps prevent the oxidation which can lead to off-flavors. <br /> <br /> During the peak of summer gardening season, inventories of freezer packaging supplies can be difficult to find in some locations. Be sure to check local sources before the last minute in order have the proper packaging materials. Take care to protect the peak flavor and appearance of your garden bounty. It is well worth the effort!<br /> <br /> The University of Georgia Cooperative Extension serves as the online source for the National Center for Home Food Preservation. If you would like up-to-date tested methods and recipes go to www.uga.edu/nchfp You can find information on freezing, canning, drying, jams and jellies and pickle making.<br /> <br /> <I>Debbie Wilburn is County Agent/Family and Consumer Science Agent with Hall County Cooperative Extension (770)535-8290.</I>

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