Freezing fruit and veg

[mothhawk]

Rootling in the freezer today, I was struck by the fact that everything in there is sealed in plastic bags or polythene boxes. I'm trying to reduce the amount of plastics I use, but can't come up with an alternative for the freezer. Glass is not really very practical. I'm at a loss..

What does everyone else freeze their produce in?

[veggiechicken]

Plastic boxes, bought from Lakeland when I first had a freezer 30+ years ago. They last forever. I also wash out plastic bags for reuse.
The lady on the Morries salad bar gives me the empty plastic boxes that the takeaway salads are supplied in. Its worth asking in these stores if you can have some of the packaging they throw away.

Recycling plastic is OK in my view - buying new not so good.

[mothhawk]

I wash out bags too. Asking at the salad bar is a good idea as boxes last longer than bags. They also stack more neatly in the freezer.
I guess there's no realistic alternative to plastic, except to bottle fruit and veg instead of freezing. But then I'd have to get rid of the freezer in order to put shelves in its place to store the bottles

I've never actually tried bottling stuff, except for jams. I've always been put off by having to put jars in a water bath etc. and all that faffing.

[greenishfing]

I have never bottled anything that needed a water bath. Some scare stories about Clostridium Botulinum seem to be lurking in the back of my brain from helping someone revise for a public health exam back in the seventies. Freezing, barring power cuts, seems much safer. I also find I have acres of plastic in the freezer. I do re-use plastic cartons, but can't really think of a viable alternative.

[veggiechicken]

I've never bottled either! There's a memory, lurking, of a cupboard in my childhood home. The shelves were stacked with bottled "things" that, with hindsight, looked like lab specimens. Its put me off "bottling" for life.

[Bren In Pots]

I've never bottled either! There's a memory, lurking, of a cupboard in my childhood home. The shelves were stacked with bottled "things" that, with hindsight, looked like lab specimens. Its put me off "bottling" for life.

Me to as well VC, and thinking about it I'm sure that we were eating mince pies and turkey at Easter that had been kept on the stone slab in the pantry, or maybe it just seemed like they lasted forever.

[veggiechicken]

The lady on the Morries salad bar gives me the empty plastic boxes that the takeaway salads are supplied in. Its worth asking in these stores if you can have some of the packaging they throw away.

The Morries lady asked me today if I wanted some boxes. There are 2 sizes. the smaller ones have transparent lids and are the best for the freezer as you can see what's inside.
Just finished taking the labels off another 14 small boxes.
I'm using them for seed packet storage too. Soon I'll be so organised I won't be able to find anything

[bikermike]

A possibly pedantic point pertaining to pots.

Using plastic again and again is (in recycling terms) re-using. Which is one r further up the virtuous list (reduce, re-use, re-cycle).

Recycling is when the material gets squished and re-formed. Which takes energy, which is why it's less good than re-using.

Most of our freezer stuff is in re-used takeaway boxes.

[Nicos]

Yeh...this isn't a difficult one isn't it?
I do preserve in jars in a waterbath- probably about 20 - 30 one litre jars per year. Mostly various flavours /combinations of homegrown ratatouille .
Fruit I try to freeze in reused plastic freezer bags. Whole fruit gets put in one large freezer bag and I can take out what I need. Cooked fruit -like stewed apple- really needs new bags cos I've had a few leaking problems in the past.
Veggies again in large freezer bags -preferably reused.
Ready cooked dishes I freeze in Pyrex dishes with lids, then remove and stack (with greaseproof paper between them ) again in large freezer bags.
I remember my mom getting her first freezer in the early 60s and even then it was tupperwear which was the 'go to' vessel for freezing things in. She also used to save massive ice cream tubs and I do the same with smaller ones.
My kids save takeaway tubs for me too.

Always up for new ideas...so keep them coming please!

[veggiechicken]

A possibly pedantic point pertaining to pots.

Using plastic again and again is (in recycling terms) re-using. Which is one r further up the virtuous list (reduce, re-use, re-cycle).

Recycling is when the material gets squished and re-formed. Which takes energy, which is why it's less good than re-using.

Most of our freezer stuff is in re-used takeaway boxes.

Pedant

My "recycling" of Morries plastic boxes uses energy too. I have to wash them out and remove the sticky labels - believe me, that's takes a lot of energy! I do it once I've finished dish washing, so it doesn't use any more hot water - so I'm reusing that.

[Bren In Pots]

I'm another one who freezes in takeout boxes they're handy, stackable and free. well given free to me from a friend.

[SarrissUK]

Since I live on my own, I find that I use not only the takeaway boxes for freezing, but also butter and spread tubs - perfect size for one portion of a lot of things!

If I get tempted to buy salad at work, and they do a fantastic salad bar there, I take the box home and wash it out and use it to bring my own salads to work, as well as for freezing in

[Dynamite]

Re-using or even better still, Re-purposing ANYTHING has got to be the best For the environment out of the usual “R’s”.

Kind Regards.............Rob

[veggiechicken]

Re-using or even better still, Re-purposing ANYTHING has got to be the best For the environment out of the usual “R’s”.

Kind Regards.............Rob

Re-fusing in the first place has to be best!