Freezer Canning

I had the most ridiculous crop of roma tomatoes this year. I just had 2 plants but I’ve probably pulled 100 tomatoes off the plant and there’s another 50 on them. So, I got to making pasta sauce. Some people can but I prefer to freeze. It’s way easier…. way easier.

Freezer Tomato Sauce

12 cups chopped tomatoes (supplant fresh with canned if necessary)
1 onion or equivalent shallots
1 Tbs minced Garlic
2-4 Bell or Sweet Peppers
Seasonings – I just take a pair of scissors into the yard and go to town. Usually Basil and rosemary with some Oregano.

– Chop onions and garlic and saute in large skillet until clear and yummy smelling
– transfer to large pot and add tomatoes and chopped herbs.
– Saute chopped Bell peppers until soft, add to pot.
– stir and cook for a couple hours.
– Cool, transfer to baggies, freeze.

The next freezer canning trick is pesto.

Freezer Canned Pesto Cubes

1/2 Tbs Pine Nuts
1 1/2 Cu basil leaves
1/2 Cu parmesean Cheese
Olive Oil to Thin

– Chop Pine nuts in food processor
– add basil leaves and chop until it refuses to chop finer
– add parmesean cheese and pour in the Olive Oil – 1/4 Cu to start
– Chop for a while. Add more olive Oil if it isn’t flowing well.
– Spoon into ice cube trays
– Drizzle olive oil over cubes to keep basil from browning in the freezer
– Cover with Saran Wrap and freeze

and my final freezer meal trick is breaded frozen chicken breast.

Breaded Frozen Chicken Breast

4 Chicken Breast (I usually double this recipie)
2 Eggs, whisked
Flour for drenching
Bread Crumbs for Drenching (I use Italian Bread Crumbs)
Salt Shaker
Canola Oil for frying

– pound chicken breast to 3/4 inch thick
– lightly salt each side
– Dredge in flower
– Dredge in whisked eggs
– Dredge in Bread Crumbs
– repeat dredging for all breasts
– heat about 1/4 In of canola oil in the bottom of large frying pan (cast iron works great)
– pre-heat oven to 350 F
– Fry each chicken breast for about 3 min on each side and set onto cookie sheet
– Once you have a full cookie sheet, cook in oven for 6-10 min or until internal temperature reads 165 F
– Cool and Freeze

Tools I use:

This meat pounder is heavy with a flat and a zig-zaggy side but the best part – Dishwasher Safe and holds up well!

If you need a toy, this $100 meat thermometer is it. It’s super fast and easy to use but at $100, it’s def a bit pricey. If you buy from Thermapen directly, there are tons of other colors. We have the green one.

This little food processor is all you need for things like pesto and chopping nuts. If you’re planning on making your own baby food, perhaps you need a larger one but I’ve never felt the need for one.

I would really like to get into the legit canning hobby and next year I hope to have so many cucumbers I can do nothing but pickle them but for now, freezer canning is perfect. And, since I’m unemployed, I’ve been stocking the freezer with all sorts of wonderful things so that come this winter when I’m busy again, I’ll have tons saved up to cook on a whim.

What do you make in bulk and freeze? Anything else I should try? Also, at what point do I need a chest freezer? I have a friend that makes all his own stocks and needs the freezer to keep his bones and frozen stock but I think I’d just have too much freezer space and things would get lost in the depths. That being said, our freezer right now is so full that I have to practically empty it to find anything. Thoughts?

Sarah