If you freeze garden produce in the summer and fall, spring is a great time to clean out your freezer to get ready to store the upcoming season’s harvest.
If you have a manual-defrost freezer, defrost it at least once a year, or when there is more than a quarter inch of frost over a large area of the freezer surface.
A frost-free freezer does not need defrosting, but it still should be cleaned once a year or more often if dirt or food residues are visible. To clean, turn off the power source (unplug), empty the freezer and wipe it with a cleaning solution of one tablespoon of baking soda per quart of water. Rinse it with a cloth dipped in clean water, towel it dry and replace the food.
Use a refrigerator or freezer thermometer, and check it often to ensure that the freezer temperature stays at or below zero degrees F. Foods lose quality much more quickly at higher temperatures.
Frozen fruits and vegetables are best when used within eight to 12 months of storage at zero degrees F. After these times, the foods should be safe, though lower in quality. Place foods in the freezer into food groups for ease in locating, so you don’t forget the products you have in the freezer and can enjoy the fruits of your labor at their best quality.
MOST VIEWED STORIES
Holton man killed in Jackson Co crash
Morrill pair arrested on drug, child endangerment charges
Falls City man sentenced to Federal Prison
Ground Broken for new Sac and Fox Trad'n Post
Local residents avoid injury in chain reaction crash
Jackson Co traffic stop leads to arrest
90 mph+ downburst winds blamed for Thursday damage
One held for past Atchison shooting
Horton City Clerk's resignation accepted Monday
Inmate dies at Lansing Correctional Facility
Wamego man sentenced in second fentanyl-related death
Early Thursday storms leave damage, outages, locally
Stolen trailer, 4-wheeler, recovered in Atchison
Mayetta pair arrested on meth, child endangerment charges
Mound City Mayor Duane Nauman remembered
Juveniles face charges following Atchison break-in
Brown Co Planning Commission established
LATEST STORIES
McLouth man injured in Monday wreck
Horton City Clerk's resignation accepted Monday
Atchison Co's Oswald named honorary bailiff for KS Court
Juveniles face charges following Atchison break-in
Richardson County accepted into managed call handling program
No injuries in early Sunday morning house fire in Falls City
Sabetha annual citywide cleanup Wednesday
Mayetta pair arrested on meth, child endangerment charges