Freezing Broccoli

I cut broccoli tonight for the first time this year. It really is growing well this year; one of the heads was at least a foot across!

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Last fall I bought a FoodSaver vacuum sealer and it is really going to come in handy with freezing vegetables. I have already used it to freeze meats, and did some pea pods with it a couple of weeks ago.
The first thing that you need to do before you freeze broccoli (and many other veggies) is to blanch it. This is simply dipping it into boiling water for 3 minutes, then plunging it into a clean sink full of very cold water. The cold water stops the cooking process immediately. Blanching stops the action of the natural enzymes in the vegetables, enzymes that could cause discoloration, off-flavors and toughening of the vegetables.
The vacuum sealer is fun and easy to use too. The bags come in rolls and you cut off the amount that you need. Then you have to seal one end of it:

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Then I place the amount that I will use in one or two meals, any more will probably end up being wasted.

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Then the remaining open end of the bag is placed over the sealing strip of the sealing unit.

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Then close the lid and turn it on.

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In just about 20-30 seconds it sucks all of the air out of the bag and seals the open end with heat.

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I always mark the bags before I freeze them with the date and contents.

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Without much air in the bag, the contents will last much longer and without much danger of freezer burn.