What Vegetables Should be Frozen Versus Canned

Posted in Food Safety,Our Blog on July 30, 2026

With produce coming out of people’s ears this time of year it is so important to know what vegetables should be frozen versus canned. The safety aspects as well as texture preservation and flavor factor in greatly depending on what your end goal is. Some of us want sauce bases, some want the whole vegetable while others are happy to just devour the fresh garden goodies right at harvest.

Basic Canning Steps

The idea behind canning is to store your fruits and vegetables in a clean, airtight jar. If done properly, you can preserve the freshness of your foods for one to five years — assuming you do not open the jar prematurely.

• First, clean the jars and sterilized them in boiling water.
• Next, fill the jars with the food you want to preserve and sprinkle with citric acid.
• Make sure the jar is packed to the brim with no air bubbles in between.
• Then, submerge the jars in a pressure canner filled with water.
• Wait 24 hours, remove from water, and your canned fruits and veggies are good to go!

The pros of canning include being able to save freezer space, its more energy efficient and you can showcase your jars inside your pantry for onlookers to admire. The long-term storage options are better with canning.

Cons include many people do not know how to can. They are just learning from scratch and didn’t have a family member pass on age old information. Glass jars can break creating not only a mess but loss of product.

Freezing Food

Freezing vegetables is a bit easier compared to canning.

• First, blanch the veggies. This helps seal in the flavors to ensure they don’t go stale in the freezer.
• Next, lay the veggies out on a clean baking pan and freeze solid.
• Afterward, remove from the freezer, store in airtight bags, pop back in the freezer, and you’re done!

Pros include being easy to learn. You can do less work for the same amount of reward.

Cons include the storage being more short term because the foods break down. You consume more household energy and more freezer space. Power outages from storms or scheduled maintenance can cause food loss. The reward of the frozen goods can be a lot more expensive than canning after looking into the cost of a Food Saver and other materials needed. Bags and containers are not reusable in the way that glass jars are.

It Is All About Preference

At the end of the day a lot of the preferences come down to what you like, how much storage space you have and how much time you can devote to food preservation. Regardless of which method you choose be sure to use the freshest ingredients, keep any rotten produce away from the fresh and most of all have fun. There is no better feeling than knowing you are providing lasting sources of nourishment for your family than processing and preserving food.

For more fun canning tips and food safety information please be sure to follow Make Food Safe.