How to keep cauliflower from turning brown when freezing it.

[bobbi-j]

Hello! It's been a busy summer, and I've been away from my computer for most of it. As stated above, I would like to know how to keep my cauliflower from turning brown when I freeze it. It looks good when I pick it, OK when I blanch it, and then turns kind of a light golden brown when I freeze it. What am I doing wrong?

 

[Lavender2]

We usually don't freeze cauliflower, but used to add about a cup of milk to the water when we boiled it. Now we steam or roast, for cooking.

I didn't know if this would help when blanching/freezing, or if lemon juice would be better to try (we use that for apples) ... so I looked it up for some tips ...

Recipe tips.com - down at the bottom of the page is several tips.

Over cooking can cause it to lose it's color, but I have read anywhere from 90 seconds to 3 minutes for blanching, so ??

 

[so lucky]

I wonder if adding a little lemon juice to the blanching water would help. Or white vinegar.

 

[Ridgerunner]

What are you freezing it in? Zip-loc's, containers, or vacuum seal? I cut mine into fairly small florets (looking carefully for caterpillars or cocoons), blanch it for 3 minutes, and vacuum seal it. It hold its color pretty well.

 

[catjac1975]

Are you blanching the cauliflower? The only ones I have seen turn brown were actually a bit over grown to start with.

 

[digitS']

@bobbi-j

You are the one who likes fresh veggies best.

See, you sell your cauliflower. Keep the $ to buy cauliflower in the winter ...

Steve

 

[bobbi-j]

Thank you all for your replies. I blanch it, put it on parchment paper on a cookie sheet, freeze it then vacuum seal it. It turns colors during initial freezing. DigitS', I think I like your solution the best! It probably was over ripe when I froze it. I have also recently read that once the heads start growing, to take a clothespin and kind of shield the head by closing some of the leaves over it. It's supposed "blanch" them that way?

 

[valley ranch]

Greetings bobbi-j, Zone 3/4. Can you tell us, well just kinda in what part of the country you grow cauliflower?
Never grown a cauliflower, sure would like to, maybe next year.

Richard

 

[bobbi-j]

I'm in the Upper Midwest. The weather can be all over the board here in the summer. Usually in the 70's - 80's in June when the cauliflower is growing. It cam be humid or not so humid, temps getting into the 90's or higher at times. Last year was a little dry, this year was beautiful. The cauliflower in my greenhouse was the size of a volleyball by the end of June. Admittedly, I don't know when the ones out in my garden ripened or how big they got because DH and I were on vacation. Family and friends were asked to come help themselves to the garden so it didn't go to waste. I think my mother grabbed the cauliflower. I'll have to ask her. You should try growing it. The worst that can happen is, it won't grow.

 

[catjac1975]

Many cauliflowers are self blanching. I have found that initial seed selection is the secret to great cauliflower. I could not grow it for years until I starting using seed recommended for the northeast. 2 great years in a row. Next year try a couple different varieties and see what works best.