Make your own freezer treats; You'll enjoy peak-season produce long after summer comes to an end

Shape, Sept, 2008

If you do one thing this month ...

You can head to the grocery store for fruits and veggies all year long, but the tastiest produce usually is locally grown--and available only in certain seasons. To savor summer favorites like berries, corn, tomatoes, and peaches for up to eight months after your final trip to the farmers' market, put your freezer to work. "When you freeze fresh fruits and vegetables, you lock in nutrients and flavor," says Tara Gidus, R.D., a nutritionist in Orlando, Florida. That's because freezing slows the chemical compounds that cause browning, vitamin loss, and changes in taste and texture.

To keep that just-picked flavor, choose firm, ripe produce; slice it into bite-size chunks; and pack it in freezer-safe containers or zip-top bags with a bit of headspace. (Water, which makes up more than 90 percent of most produce, expands by about 10 percent when it freezes.)

Toss frozen vegetables into soups and sauces and blend fruit into smoothies. And when you get a craving for something sweet, skip the sugary ice cream and snack on berries and melon straight from the freezer instead.