For many people, the space in the vegetable garden is very expensive. That is why many people decide not to grow pumpkins or buy cabbages in the (organic) market. Do you want to eat from your own garden all year round? Then plan the right quantities before you start your vegetable garden year. In an earlier article that I wrote a while ago, I already talked about ' How much to sow and plant for my family '. In the article you will find quantities that you can expect in a good cultivation per crop. If you want to easily draw up your vegetable garden plan, use the Vegetable Garden Planner that I made last winter. I am working hard on an improved version by the end of this year, but the current one works fine too. All data that you enter in the current version will remain in the next version, so you do not have to start over.

Tip 1: Steam - blanch your vegetables before freezing

Before freezing your vegetables, it is important to blanch them. Many articles and books also give you the option to blanch your vegetables in boiling or near-boiling water. I would definitely not recommend it. Steaming is the best way to blanch your vegetables before storing them in the freezer. Not only does steaming use less water and energy, steaming also preserves the shape and color of your vegetables much better than if you let them swim in boiling water. For people who do not have a steamer or steamer basket, I also include blanching times in boiling water. The principle is that you do not cook your garden vegetables completely. Half is more than enough. Once the steaming time is up, pour your vegetables onto ice to cool for the same amount of time as the blanching time. This way they will keep their color.

Tip 2: 2 ways to freeze your vegetables

Immediately freeze in bags and vegetables

This is probably what most people do. Once your vegetables have drained, we put them in a freezer bag, press or suck out the air and freeze the bags at a temperature of -18°C to -20°C. The result of this method, especially with vegetables blanched in water, is that the vegetables often come out of the freezer in 1 block. This is not a problem with vegetables that you freeze for soup, but it does not make it easy with a stir-fry dish. Stir-frying an ice block of vegetables is not so nice.

Freezing vegetables on a baking tray

To be able to use your vegetables or pieces of vegetables nicely separately or to use a small part of your freezer bag afterwards, it is better to freeze your vegetables on a plate. An iron baking tray or dish works well for this. Put the baking tray in the freezer on the highest setting some time in advance, some freezers have a 'turbo' or 'boost' button. Sprinkle your cooled and drained vegetables on the tray or plate and place the baking tray in the freezer. Now freeze your vegetables or pieces of vegetables separately. A good freezer chest or freezer takes half an hour to do this. Pour the dish into a freezer bag, push or suck out the air and put the bag back in the freezer. In both ways, you can easily store your vegetables for 8 to 12 months. If you freeze your vegetables raw, know that the storage time is much shorter. But if you freeze summer leeks to make soup in the fall, you can freeze them raw. Or even smarter, you grow the fall crop of leeks ;)

Tip 3: Freeze your mixed vegetables and herbs

Of course it depends on the harvest of the day but you can freeze different crops together. Go through your favorite one-pot recipes and see what goes together. For example, you can steam your carrots for 4 minutes and then add your peas with some finely chopped spring onion and some thyme. After 2 minutes of further steaming you actually have a nibble dish ready. All that's left is a sauce and some seasoning and "Dinner is ready!!". A few more examples of combinations:

• carrots, onion, celery, leek and parsley (basic vegetable stock or soup)
• cauliflower , bell pepper , snow peas and a red pepper (wok mix)
• Onions, red pepper , garlic, peas and lemon zest (paella mix)
• Onions, garlic, celery, carrot, red pepper , red chilli , cumin powder, paprika powder, sprig of thyme and coriander (chili con carne)
• Onions, garlic, parsnips , carrots, leek , celery,Savoy cabbage, sprouts, potatoes , sprig of thyme (hutsepot)
• Carrot, parsnip , zucchini, onion, garlic and leek (Moroccan tagine mix)

You can always choose to leave onions and garlic out of your mix and cut them fresh. These vegetables also store well outside of the freezer in the cellar or a cool storage place. You can also add herbs fresh from the garden or dried when cooking your dish. But I hope you understand the principle that with a good frozen mix from your own garden you can get started very quickly. So go through your favorite recipes and combine.

4. Steaming times for blanching

VEGETABLES		COOKING TIME (in minutes)	STEAM TIME (in minutes)
potatoes	depending on size	3 to 5	5 to 8
Endive		2	3
Asparagus	big	4	6
Asparagus	small	2	3
Asparagus	average	3	5
eggplant	In 2 cm cubes	4	6
cauliflower	In roses	3	5
kale		2	3
beans	princess, green, string or butter beans	3	5
Broccoli	in florets of 3 to 6 cm	3	5
Mushrooms	small whole or large cubed	-	9
Mushrooms	in slices	-	5
Garden peas		2	3
celeriac		3	4
fennel bulb		4	5
Kohlrabi		4	5
Kohlrabi	in cubes 1cm	1	2
corn	Small	7	10
corn	Average	9	13
corn	Big	11	16
Okra	small	3	5
Okra	big	5	8
paprika	in strips	2	3
parsnip		3	4
pumpkin		3	5
leek		3	5
Beetroot		3	4
red cabbage	grated	1.5	2.5
savoy cabbage		1	2
Celery		1	1
Shallots	coarsely chopped	3	5
Salad	for soup	2	3
Sleeping peas		3	4
Swiss chard - kale		3	5
spinach		2	3
Brussels sprouts	small	3	5
Brussels sprouts	average	4	6
Brussels sprouts	big	5	7
Broad beans		3	5
Onions	coarsely chopped	3	5
White cabbage	grated	1.5	2.5
carrots	small whole carrots	5	8
carrots	in cubes (1cm)	2	3

Finally

Well, gardening friends. I hope you learned something new. What could be more fun than going into winter with a huge amount of home-grown vegetables, fruits and herbs. Dried, sterilized, fermented, frozen, ... If you find this information interesting, please share it with your friends and acquaintances. You can support the operation of the site by purchasing your vegetable garden supplies in our webshop . With the DISCOUNT CODE biomoestuin you get 5 euros discount on your first purchase. Enjoy the abundance of vegetables coming from your garden and hopefully you can save a lot of the harvest for the winter. Tom

Myself in my vegetable garden