I too blanch a lot of veggies and freeze them.

I also freeze some fruit.

Jim, I remember Blanch!

This snippet from an article (link below) explains perfectly why Greens need to be blanched before freezing.

Greens must be blanched, or heated, before
freezing. This is a very important step because
if greens are not blanched properly, they will
lose their fresh flavor quickly in frozen storage.
Heating is necessary to destroy the action of
natural enzymes found in vegetables. Enzymes
help vegetables grow and mature. If their
action is not stopped before freezing, however,
they continue to be active and cause vegetables
to develop off-flavors, undesirable odors,
discoloration and toughness. Another
important reason to blanch is that it wilts the
greens, making them easier to pack.

http://www.lsuagcenter.com/NR/rdonly...afygreens4.pdf

I know Whole Foods sells it now, and I've even seen it at Publix. They have a lot of different products made with quinoa. Since Lucy doesn't get any gluten products, I get her the quinoa spiral noodles and mix in stir-fry veggies. She LOVES it!

well there it is!! Now I get to add blanching to my list of things to do.

I didn't know all this about blanching either, thanks.

Regarding it being a lot of work - everything looks like that until you try it a few times. After a while you can almost do it in your sleep.


For those of us who hate measuring
Lots of rice/barley/quinoa type grains can be rinsed & then covered with enough water so that when you put your index finger in the water & just touching the grain, the water comes to your first joint. Bring to a boil, & then cover & cook at the lowest setting for the remaining 20 minutes [I usually turn the heat off at the end & let it rest for 5 minutes before taking the lid off, then all the moisture is absorbed & it also comes away from the sauce pan side easier]

Another 'fool' proof way to cook them all is to toss any amount [say a handful up to 5 handfulls] in a 'large' pot of already rapidly boiling water. Cook for the 20 minutes, then drain quickly & toss back into the pot & close for a 5 minutes. Perfect every time & no measuring. A bachelor friend of mine adored this method - I found it in one of my cook books.

You just have to remember that all this stuff will enlarge & soak up the water - covering the pot is critical & turning the burner down & off!

Every recipe I make for the birds ends up with me looking for a bigger pot to put it all in!

in reality I rarely ever use a measuring cup when making things for the fids. Which is why I too end up with huge quantities most the time. Whhen I do the grains and rice I do the guess work thing. You know? "Yep, that LOOKS like twiceas much water........" hehehe

The 'water up to your index finger' works every time, as does the 'pot of boiling water' technique.

I use a grab of grain for those who aren't keen on them & 2 grabs of grain for people like me who love the stuff - when trying to cook for a group. For my wee lads - what they eat, wouldn't be missed from the dinner.