Stop buying fresh vegetables (so often).
Are your veggies going bad before you eat them? Do you feel like a failure?
Housekeeping (please read)
Initially, this was supposed to be an essay about why cruciferous vegetables are good for you. It only took me about 2000 words to realize that it was a dumb idea. Everyone knows vegetables are good for you. The specific claims I would have to make to differentiate the benefits of most vegetables from a subset of vegetables would be cumbersome. I would have to add a disclaimer (I should probably add a disclaimer anyway) and change the central idea of these newsletters. It might help if I clarified that now.
The central idea of these newsletters
I want to help you cook and eat better food and create a working-class community built on the foundations of compassion and solidarity.
The disclaimer I have to do
In so far as I discuss the health benefits of a particular food or recipe, I will do so in a way that aligns with the scientific consensus. For example: “too much sodium is bad” or “protein ought to be a central part of any diet”. If I ever say something wild, I’ll cite sources. However, by and large, this newsletter will brook no fad diet or cleanse. I will not talk about toxins or discuss e-meters. And while I have a great deal of respect for all expressions of faith, I will completely avoid every interloping idea between science and religion.
Whew, that was fun.
So, this isn’t about how good veggies are for you. Instead, we’re gonna talk about frozen vegetables vs. fresh vegetables. Make ready.
Frozen Self-Indulgence
There was a time when I was a fool. And, like the fool that I was, I would strut confidently around the fresh produce section of my local grocery store, selecting the choicest bits of fruit and veg. The squeaky wheel supporting my shopping cart was no match for the sheer weight of the asparagus I was transporting. My fellow patrons would stand impatiently behind me as I manually typed out the produce codes (which I had memorized) into the self-scanner because the brussels sprouts I had chosen were far too sophisticated for a barcode.
For days afterward I could visit my refrigerator and open a crisper drawer filled with good intentions and false pride. But as the days turned to weeks, I slowly came to realize my hubris. The once fresh and crisp sugar snap peas were turning soft and odorous. I would lie in bed at night, hearing the soft hum of the refrigerator until it filled my ears like a low roar. I knew what that sound meant. It was a herald of grim death.
But I am a fool no more. You will no longer find me pushing a wagon of lies around the market. Instead look to the east, to the rows of illuminated freezers, bursting with perfectly preserved, flash-frozen vegetables. Now I am a wise man, pushing two carts down the aisle piled so high with bags of frozen Stir Fry Vegetables that I can’t see over them. Frozen spinach? To be sure. Frozen peas? Say no more. I deny myself nothing and I return home, a conqueror, clad in glory.
“A fine night for vegetable stew!” my partner might say. No longer will I dash to the Kroger to scavenge. Instead, I will calmly stroll to my freezer, wherein lay a world of possibility.
Wouldn’t it be cool if I wrote like that all the time? Anyway.
Vegetables, frozen
Frozen stuff gets a bad rap. Maybe it’s because of the physical proximity to boxed frozen dinners (which deserve a bad rap) or maybe it’s because we tend to associate freshness with healthiness. Thanks, marketing.
The truth is that frozen vegetables are typically blanched (cooked a little bit in boiling water) and flash-frozen at their peak freshness. This allows the food to be “locked-in” at the point where it retains its flavor and nutrients. The ability to have access to vegetables in this state is extremely important. And not only because fresh vegetables go off if you don’t use them relatively soon after buying. Whether or not you can even find fresh vegetables in the first place is a function of location and resources.
Frozen can’t be cheaper than fresh, you plead, ice is expensive. Well, get ready for my trap card. At my local supermarket, I can buy 52 oz of frozen broccoli florets for $6.99 (before tax). That same amount of broccoli, fresh, would cost me $19.44. Depending on sales and availability, I can’t guarantee that every vegetable will always be cheaper frozen. But in the vast majority of situations, frozen vegetables are going to be far less expensive than their fresh counterpart.
I can hear you saying: cheaper, sure, but frozen isn’t as healthy. Well, first of all, healthy doesn’t mean a damn thing if Capital One ever decides to collect on your credit card debt with Pinkertons in tow. You’ve got to spend less money to have more money, as the old saying goes. When it comes to vegetables, you can have the best of both worlds. It works with fruit as well. Do you want to always have fruit on hand to make a salad or a smoothie? Buy it frozen. You can get bags of frozen banana and varieties of berries far cheaper than fresh fruit (and they won’t go moldy on your countertop). Furthermore, your smoothie will be perfectly frosty, even without ice.
If you do keep some fresh fruit and veg in your home and you want to keep it alive and kicking a bit longer, check out this useful chart from Produce for Better Health Foundation.
A 2013 study found that in many cases, antioxidants can be higher in frozen produce compared with fresh produce.
See, produce starts down the road to rotten when you pull it out of the ground. It's a relatively slow process, but let's say the farm that grew your green beans is hundreds of miles from the store you where you bought them. Those vegetables have likely been subjected to long periods of refrigeration in transport. All the while, degradation, and potential cold damage are occurring.
Of course, the best thing you can do is pluck fresh fruit and veg from the garden in your backyard. But on the off chance that you don’t have one of those, frozen veggies are a great alternative. Sure, they might be a little lower in certain vitamins but you’re an adult and you already take a gummy multivitamin.
Fine you may say, clutching your tote bag made from recycled plastic straws, frozen vegetables may be cheaper and just as healthy but they can’t possibly taste good. Strike three, champ. They taste awesome. When thawed and prepared well, it’s difficult to tell the difference. I will admit that if you just grab a bag of frozen peas out of the freezer and microwave them for five minutes, they’ll probably taste like cardboard that’s been rained on. But why would you want to do that?
In a future newsletter, I’ll talk about getting the most out of frozen vegetables but, in many cases, the process is simple. As long as the veggies were cooked (blanched) before freezing, you can usually just thaw them under cool water and they will be ready to toss in a salad or stir fry.
Every vegetable is different though and you will need to adjust depending on how you want to cook them. Frozen veg might not be the best choice for a long roast in the oven (unless you don’t mind mushy veggies). But you can minimize the chances of subpar veg by allowing them to thaw and drain completely in a colander, tossing them in canola oil, and seasoning well.
Planet of Ice
So frozen veg is cheaper, healthier and just as delicious. What’s the point of getting anything fresh then, you wonder. Save the fresh stuff for when it’s warranted. If I’m making a vegan chili, a bag of peeled, chopped frozen sweet potatoes would be a wonderful ingredient. However, sometimes I like to roast the sweet potato whole, with the skin on, slice it down the middle and fill it with loads of toppings. It’s about context and resources.
You should eat vegetables every day and they should be a regular part of your diet. And frozen vegetables are a great way to consistently get quality veg when you aren’t prepared (or able) to buy fresh ingredients and chef it up.
Looking ahead (and a little behind)
In my last newsletter, I laid out the general topic for this month’s letters. You can pretty much toss that. I already blew the first one and there’s a good chance I’m going to sit down to write about kale and end up with 4000 words about soup. Kale soup. So, in the future, I think I’ll tease the next issue at the end of every letter. Planning too far in advance gets me in trouble.
Next Friday, look forward to an easy reference guide on common cooking oils and how you can save millions of dollars by not using so much goddamned olive oil.
Eat well among friends,
Will
evenwhile@gmail.com