Daily Dish the Sonoma Market blog
Big Chill: The Best Frozen Fruits and Veggies
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Missing fresh summertime produce like sweet berries and peaches or crisp, nutrient-packed zucchini and corn? Good news! You can find these fruits, veggies and more right in the freezer aisle!
Missing fresh summertime produce like sweet berries and peaches or crisp, nutrient-packed zucchini and corn? Good news! You can find these fruits, veggies and more right in the freezer aisle!
Thanks to the quick processing techniques of flash freezing after rinsing and minimal prep, farm fresh to frozen produce offers the same good nutrition as fresh. In some cases frozen produce can be even better, as it doesn’t spend days unprotected in transport or long periods exposed to air in the produce section, both of which can lead to nutrient loss.
Here are the top five produce picks from the freezer:
- Blueberries: Loaded with anthocyanidins—phytonutrients known to protect heart health and ward off cancer—blueberries can go straight from the freezer into a smoothie, on top of yogurt or swirled into hot oatmeal.
- Broccoli and Cauliflower: This dynamic duo from the cruciferous vegetable family comes packed with vitamin C—about 130% of your daily needs per 1-cup serving! They’re also rich in potent cancer-fighting compounds called glucosinolates and carotenes. Steam in the microwave for a quick side dish, add to a stir-fry or stew, or simply thaw and use as a dipper in hummus for a power-packed snack.
- Mixed berries (Strawberries, Blackberries and Raspberries): If only we could get such a great mix of berries in the same container fresh! These berries come packed with vitamin C, fiber and health-boosting/heart protecting compounds that make this combo a “must have” in your home freezer. Add to smoothies, cereal, yogurt or oatmeal!
- Peaches: It always seems like the summer season for this luscious fruit breezes by too quickly, but you can keep a bag of frozen peach slices handy to power up your diet with vitamin C, carotenes and the type of fiber that lowers blood cholesterol levels.
- Spinach: Picked farm fresh, then steamed and flash frozen, spinach from the freezer section supplies more folate (a B vitamin vital for healthy pregnancy and circulation) and carotenes (cancer fighters) than fresh. The quick processing makes these valuable nutrients more available to the body. Use in soups, casseroles or toss frozen into your smoothies for green goodness!