Eating Local Year-Round?

It’s Possible and Easy with Frozen Vegetables!

Let's Celebrate Frozen Veggie Week!

A week dedicated to the versatility, convenience, and freshness of locally produced frozen vegetables that elevate your everyday meals. Carefully harvested from our fields and quickly frozen to preserve their flavours and essential nutrients, these homegrown vegetables are available all year round—supporting a healthy, sustainable diet and proudly backing our local farmers.

Why choose frozen vegetables?

• They are convenient and save time with meal prep!
• They store well in the freezer and offer exceptional nutritional value.
• They are an economical choice as prices stay stable throughout the year, and they help to reduce food waste as we only use what we need.
• They offer superb freshness (harvested at their peak, green peas are flash-frozen within two hours of picking!)
• Choosing frozen veggies supports local farmers, as most are grown in Canada, particularly in Quebec, Ontario, and Alberta.

Recipes

Looking for inspiration? Discover a host of delicious, original recipes and enjoy the many benefits of eating frozen vegetables during Frozen Veggie Week, and all year round.

FROZEN & FLAVOURFUL

Tips for cooking with frozen veggies:

1. Do not thaw frozen vegetables prior to cooking; use straight from the freezer. Frozen vegetables must always be cooked; and should reach an internal temperature of 74°C.
2. Avoid overcooking: Frozen vegetables are already partially cooked, so they need less time than fresh vegetables. For example, small vegetables like peas, corn and green beans only need 2 to 5 minutes of cooking.
3. Use frozen veggies in soups, stews, curries, pasta and rice dishes, etc.  for a boost of colour and nutrition! 
4. Roast, sauté or steam frozen veggies for best results (avoid boiling). Here's how:

Sauté – Heat a wide pan over medium high heat, add frozen vegetables and a little oil or butter, stir and cook (uncovered) for five to seven minutes. Top with your favourite herbs and spices, Parmesan cheese, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, fried breadcrumbs, or sauce.

Roast – Preheat oven and sheet pan to 205°C (400°F). Coat frozen veggies with olive oil and favourite seasoning and roast for 15 to 25 minutes, stirring halfway through. This gives you that crispy texture you're looking for.

Steam – Place steam basket in pot with water, making sure the vegetables won’t touch the water. Bring to boil, then add veggies, cover and continue boiling as below.
•    2 to 5 minutes for peas or corn
•    5 to 7 minutes for asparagus, broccoli, green beans, cauliflower
•    8 to 12 minutes for large pieces of hard vegetables like squash, beets, sweet potatoes and carrots.

Source: https://lovefoodhatewaste.ca/blogs/top-tips-for-cooking-frozen-vegetables/