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[Clansgian AT wmconnect.com]

> Three usually.

That is a lot of time...I suppose it is worth it?


If one made a career of it, or a penance.  When the garden basket comes to 
the kitchen with enough broccoli crowns to cover two cookie sheets, the lot 
is 
steamed slightly, placed on the sheets, and then put in the kitchen freezer.  
At the same time a bowl of salt water is set in the coldest part of the 
refrigerator.  While flitting about the kitchen doing this or that, someone 
will, 
during Kipling's "unforgiving minute", slide out the cookie sheets and the 
bowl 
and dipping all and sundry takes, well, about a minute.  One needn't be neat. 
 
A broccoli crown exposes a lot of surface area and so freezes solid quickly.  
 
By that evening three or four pounds of broccoli is headed for long term 
storage in the freezer in the basement.  During the season it gets to be an 
afterthought.

> 
> >Ok, so explain to me about the olive oil and the meat..are you using the
> oil to avoid freezer burn or are you adding seasonings or what?  I have
> made a marinade using oil and soy and such and then frozen the meat in
> the marinade..is that what you are doing?

As you know, venison, goat (surplus diary goat), and rabbit are notoriously 
lean and dry.  Just wrapped and put into the freezer the ouside of the meat 
shrinks and toughens and makes it so it has to be overcooked to be tender 
enough 
to eat.  By adding olive oil, it makes a barrier to that freezer dehydration 
and also penetrates the meat somewhat making it less lean and dry.  NO SALT!  
That will make matters worse.  Salt water on frozen veggies makes them all 
the 
more tender but on meat it can dehydrate and toughen them.  I've never put 
anything but oil in with the meat, olive oil mostly but I've used grapeseed 
oil 
and others with good results.  With the price of olive oil, substitutes are 
looking attractive.  But I don't see why some rosemary or  such couldn't be 
added 
then.

You don't need to do this to most beef or pork, they have enough fat in them 
to prevent much freezer dehydration.

James