Freezing the Harvest: A New Zealand Guide

A chest freezer and a pot of boiling water keep beans, peas, sweetcorn and berries better than any other home method. The step that matters is blanching each vegetable for the right number of minutes.

Blanching times

From the National Center for Home Food Preservation, in boiling water:

• Green and runner beans: 3 minutes
• Peas: 1½ minutes
• Broccoli in 4 cm florets: 3 minutes
• Cauliflower in 2.5 cm florets: 3 minutes
• Sliced or diced carrots: 2 minutes
• Sweetcorn cobs: 7, 9 or 11 minutes for small, medium or large
• Courgette slices: 3 minutes
• Silverbeet and spinach: 2 minutes

Use plenty of water, about 4 litres for each 500 g, and start the clock when it comes back to the boil. Cool in iced water for the same time, drain well, then freeze. Too short a blanch is worse than none.

Straight into the freezer

Berries, feijoa pulp and stewed fruit, chillies, capsicum for salads, and peeled tomatoes for cooking. Spread berries on a tray first so they freeze loose. Kūmara and pumpkin are best cooked before freezing.

Freezer settings and storage

Keep the freezer at -18°C or colder and use frozen produce within 8 to 12 months. Label every bag with the date, press out the air to prevent freezer burn, and do not refreeze thawed vegetables. Herbs or garlic in oil must be frozen or kept in the fridge (2 to 5°C) and used within 4 days.

Sources we checked (October 2026): National Center for Home Food Preservation: Blanching Times, Blanching Vegetables, Freezer Management, How Long Can I Store Frozen Foods, Dry or Tray Packing, Freezing Peppers, Hot Peppers, Tomatoes, Garlic-in-Oil; New Zealand Food Safety (MPI), Safe food preparation, cooking and storage at home.