The Joy of Freezing

It's late January and we're expecting another six inches of snow tomorrow. But last night I had pesto for dinner, bringing a welcome taste of summer basil into the kitchen--straight from the freezer. The further along I get in my efforts to keep as much of my food local as I can through the winter, the more grateful I am that we bought a chest freezer in the fall. Last summer and fall I bought or harvested basil, peppers, hot peppers, carrots, green beans, corn, fennel, peaches, and tomatoes and froze them, and I have been gratefully drawing on that store ever since. Without a good sized freezer, the whole endeavor would be much more challenging. Of course, this means that if you live in a small apartment, say, it's going to be harder. But chest freezers come in sizes down to 5 cubic feet (and up to at least 20), so unless you are extremely pressed for space you don't have to give up on the idea entirely. Our freezer in 10 cubic feet--we don't have room for something larger--and so far it has provided more than enough space. Chest freezers are not really all that expensive, either, and they are generally very energy efficient.