Preserving The Harvest - Freezing Eggplant Parmesan

One day of harvest this season yielded us 12 Icheban Eggplants. These are Japanese Eggplants that grow longer and skinnier than the large Black Beauty Eggplants. I have some Black Beauty in the garden but they are slower to produce than these Icheban. I have found no difference in the flavor of these two types of eggplant, only a difference in the way I need to slice them in order to cook them properly.

With this many eggplants coming ripe at once, I prefer to prepare what some people call, "make ahead meals" or "freezer meals" for future use. Eggplant Parmesan is one of our favorites. We eat this dish on pizza night and also on the nights we have spaghetti served up with a side salad.

Preparation isn't anymore time consuming than making say, fried squash but by growing them and making them ahead, I am saving the cost of purchasing eggplant from my local grocer.

Following are the instructions for preparing Eggplant Parmesan for the freezer, my way:

These are the dozen or so eggplants I harvested from the garden. I probably should have washed them prior to taking the picture but I just wasn't thinking ahead.



Wash the eggplants then cut off the ends, peel and slice them. If I am processing Icheban Eggplants I cut the in half, then I slice them lengthwise for elongated slices. If I am processing the larger, rounder Black Beauty Eggplants, I slice them the other way for round slices.



I prepare my frying pan with olive oil and set it on medium heat. Once the oil is hot, then I begin cooking the slices. First I roll them in beaten eggs.



Then I roll them in bread crumbs blended with Parmesan cheese. This can be you favorite type of bread crumbs, seasoned or not.



Fry these in hot oil until crispy and brown on both sides. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels.



Once all of the slices have been fried and cooled completely, I begin the layering process. For storing away in the freezer I use the 8" x 8" x 1 1/2" aluminum pans that come with plastic lids which snap on. Here is a picture of the two pieces:



Using my favorite spaghetti sauce as the first layer, I smooth a few tablespoons around in the bottom of the pan. This is mainly to prevent the eggplant from sticking to the pan during the baking process later on.



The next layer is the fried eggplant.



Then I spread another layer of the spaghetti sauce on top of the slices.



Then I top the spaghetti sauce with shredded Mozzarella Cheese.



Then a layer of eggplant slices and continue repeating this process, ending with the cheese on top. In my case, I was able to get 2 layers of eggplant in my container.



Snap the lid on top and place in the freezer.



When I am planning this dish for one of my meals, I remove it from the freezer, thaw completely then bake in a preheated 350 degree oven until hot all the way through.

I hope some of you find this to be helpful this season.

Preserving The Harvest - Freezing Zucchini Squash

I recently posted instructions for freezing yellow summer squash. While the instructions are the same for both vegetables, I am posting them separately because the size to harvest is different.

You will need the following items:

Knife & Cutting Board
1 large empty Bowl
1 large Pot of water
1 Colander
1 large Bowl of very cold water
Large Cookie Sheet lined with Paper Towels
Freezer bags in the size of your choice (I use quarts for squash)
Marker for recording the date on the bag

I harvest Zucchini Squash at between 8 and 10 inches long but no bigger around than my fist.

The first thing I do is wash the zucchini in cold water, removing any dead blossoms which are still clinging to the blossom end and scrubbing lightly to remove any stubborn dirt particles.



I cut the ends off, cutting at least 3/8" of the blossom end off because this is where the enzymes are stored which begin the rotting process of the zucchini. Then I cut the entire zucchini into 1/4" to 1/2" slices, placing them into the empty bowl. I believe this is a personal preference as to how thick or thin you'd like your squash to be. Also, if you plan to fry it you may want it a bit thinner than if you plan to stew it or cook it in a casserole. This is your call.




I bring the water to a boil as I slice the last few zucchini. Once it is boiling I place part of the zucchini slices into the water and blanch (boil) them for 1 minute. This kills any remaining enzymes which may be working to rot the vegetable and kills any other germs which may be hanging around. This is the best way to prepare some vegetables for long term storage in the freezer.



After the 1 minute blanching period I use my colander to remove the zucchini from the boiling water, shake them a bit and drain the excess hot water off for only a few second.



Then I immediately plunge them into the bowl of very cold water (or ice water) to shock the vegetable and stop the cooking process immediately.



Once I am satisfied the vegetable slices have cooled to my desire, I remove them with the colander, draining them again and spread them out on the paper lined cookie sheet to drain further and to cool down completely.



I repeat this process in portions until all of the sliced zucchini squash has been blanched, cooled and drained. You may find it necessary to add ice to the shocking water in order to keep it cool, depending on how many batches you have to blanch.

The final step is to pack the squash for the freezer. I use quart size freezer bags, marking on the front what the bag contains and the year that I prepared it. I don't necessarily pack the bag full, I simply estimate how much my family needs for one meal and pack accordingly. Zucchini Yellow Summer Squash should keep in the freezer for up to one year.


I hope some of you found this to be helpful in one way or another.

Have a blessed day!

Preserving The Harvest - Freezing Yellow Summer Squash

Last year, I did a post similar to this with instructions for freezing yellow crook neck or straight neck squash, only without pictures. This year I am posting new instructions on how to freeze summer squash with a few pictures as well.

You will need the following items:

Knife & Cutting Board
1 large empty Bowl
1 large Pot of water
1 Colander
1 large Bowl of very cold water
Large Cookie Sheet lined with Paper Towels
Freezer bags in the size of your choice (I use quarts for squash)
Marker for recording the date on the bag


Below is today's harvest of Yellow Crookneck Squash from our garden in the back. I harvested 9 squash which averaged about 6" long.



I rarely allow yellow squash to grow any larger than 6" because I prefer them young and tender. Zucchini Squash is handled differently, which I will address in another post in a couple of days or so.



The first thing I do is wash the squash in cold water, removing any dead blossoms which are still clinging to the blossom end and scrubbing lightly to remove any stubborn dirt particles.



I cut the ends off, cutting at least 3/8" of the blossom end off because this is where the enzymes are stored which begin the rotting process of the squash. Then I cut the entire squash into 1/4" to 1/2" slices, placing them into the empty bowl. I believe this is a personal preference as to how thick or thin you'd like your squash to be. Also, if you plan to fry it you may want it a bit thinner than if you plan to stew it or cook it in a casserole. This is your call.



I bring the water to a boil as I slice the last few squash. Once it is boiling I place part of the squash slices into the water and blanch (boil) them for 1 minute. This kills any remaining enzymes which may be working to rot the vegetable and kills any other germs which may be hanging around. This is the best way to prepare some vegetables for long term storage in the freezer.



After the 1 minute blanching period I use my colander to remove the squash from the boiling water, shake them a bit and drain the excess hot water off for only a few second.



Then I immediately plunge them into the bowl of very cold water (or ice water) to shock the vegetable and stop the cooking process immediately.



Once I am satisfied the vegetable slices have cooled to my desire, I remove them with the colander, draining them again and spread them out on the paper lined cookie sheet to drain further and to cool down completely.



I repeat this process in portions until all of the sliced squash has been blanched, cooled and drained. You may find it necessary to add ice to the shocking water in order to keep it cool, depending on how many batches you have to blanch.

The final step is to pack the squash for the freezer. I use quart size freezer bags, marking on the front what the bag contains and the year that I prepared it. I don't necessarily pack the bag full, I simply estimate how much my family needs for one meal and pack accordingly. Preparing 15 squash I yielded 5 packages this morning. Yellow Summer Squash should keep in the freezer for up to one year.



By Summer's end I will have frozen up at least 40 quarts of Yellow Summer Squash, Pickled several pints and given away even more to friends and family.

I hope some of you found this to be helpful in one way or another.

Have a blessed day!

Family Cook Books

I have always kept my own little handwritten cook book of recipes my family enjoys at dinner time and for dessert. Most of them are recipes which have been tweaked to please them and their taste. The majority of those come from another cook book I have which actually belonged to my grandmother.

After my adventures in canning and preserving I have come to the realization that this is something I love and it will be ongoing. Therefore, I am finding myself collecting up a few recipes in that area. I have also been tweaking these for personal taste as well. I will keep the recipes which have been tried and approved by various family members in our home and in the mountains.

So, now I guess I'll find a pretty little book somewhere and begin recording my canning and preserving recipes, methods and little tidbits I have learned along the way.

I think my daughter will enjoy this when she grows up and starts her own family. I know how young ladies like to bring things from their family into their new home, especially cooking methods so I'll be sure to make a copy of this for her.

My sons will receive one only if they request it. When they marry off I don't want to offend their young wives by shoving my recipe books into their faces. It is difficult enough for young ladies to feel like they are pleasing their new husbands without being made to feel like they have to do everything "just like mom".

Just having these things recorded and accessible to the next generation is what matters, not how many want to pick up the books and repeat the process.

What I would find most pleasing would be if one of my daughter-in-laws did request the book and began tweaking it in a way to blend her family's methods with our family's methods. I think that's what family is all about anyway.