Why and How to Blanch

After harvesting your garden and washing your bounty the last thing you want is another step before freezing but blanching is more than worth it.

Blanching the vegetables inactivates the enzymes that allow your vegetable to mature. By inactivating these enzymes, you are eliminating faster nutrient loss, toughening, and flavor/color loss. This brief boiling also reduces the number of microorganisms on the food and wilts leafy veggies, like swiss chard, so they pack better.

A great printout regarding how to blanch, including time per vegetable, from the University of Minnesota Extension