I often get asked about the quality of fresh veggies over frozen, which are better, which do I prefer, etc. Well the bottom line is I tend to use both but frozen are always on hand and definitely the easier way to go. I tend to make big salads and throw on broiled veggies (1/4 of the time fresh and 3/4 of the time frozen. With my big deep freezer, it is much easier to stock up on the frozen veggies than worry about always going to the store to stock up on freshies. I must say, unlike other people, my fresh veggies never go bad. Once they are in the fridge, I do not have to worry about them losing too many nutrients and going bad because with the amount of veggies I eat, they do get eaten up pretty quickly! My typical Costco trip includes about 5-10 bags of Organic Frozen green beans and then I do buy fresh asparagus, mushrooms, lettuce, onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, and bell peppers. I tend to always have frozen green beans on hand and since I eat a ton of those, they do make up the majority of my veggies. I will also take a special trip, here and there, to purchase fresh zucchini, cabbage and eggplant. I will say, people think frozen are not as great but the reality is,
A. They are convenient and
B. Belive it or not, the nutritional content does not change much… if anything may be better.
It’s the truth that fresh fruits and vegetables start losing nutrients the moment they are picked. But it’s shocking to learn just how fast those vitamins dissipate. According to the USDA, up to half of the nutritional value may be lost in just two days of room temperature storage. Again, for me, this isn’t much of an issue because I go through my veggies quick, but for those of you that don’t go through your veggies at that rate, you may be eating less nutrient dense veggies than going for the frozen!
That’s why frozen vegetables can be even more nutritious than so-called fresh produce from the grocery store. Freezing vegetables, ideally within hours of harvest, locks in valuable nutrients. Frozen vegetables are also convenient and cost-effective!
Again remember, any veggies are better than none!
My tip and suggestion is to always have frozen on hand and then go to the farmers market weekly to spice up those frozen with freshly picked organic produce! You can’t go wrong with that mix!
Excellent post Ginal! Thank you!
Would you say the same thing about frozen fruits? (blueberries, rasperries etc) Sometimes, they are so expense (during winter per exemple) that I am flirting with the idea of frozen…but never bought them.
absolutely, I would say the same thing about frozen fruits! Unlike the veggies, when I do buy fresh, I only buy a few otherwise they WILL go bad, since I do not go through them quite as fast. Frozen are always better, for me, as far as fruits go. When I do get my fruit that is when I love to get it at the farmers market. Nothing like an organic apple!! yummy!! 🙂
FYI– one thing I do is when my fruit is about to kick the bucket, they get thrown in with my muffins or make into sauces, hence my apple sauce! I love the frozen mixed berries from Costco!! Not only are they great to throw in your oatmeal or make frozen shakes but they work really well with the baking!