[ringmaster]

How low long do frozen vegetables and fruits stay good for? I buy them sometimes because it's cheaper and easier, and they are fine if I eat them within a couple of weeks. When they are left in the freezer awhile they get that icky freezer burn taste. Any tips to prevent that or how can I tell if they are no good anymore before cooking with them?

[JulieJ08]

Some ways to help would be to do as much as you can to keep them from thawing a little before you get them home and into your freezer; keep your freezer very cold (buy an inexpensive freezer thermometer), so they don't go through cycles of partial thawing; and keep them very well sealed with minimal air in the packaging.

[kaplods]

Mine last two to three months in my current freezer, but I agree that it's a matter of storage practices and freezer temperature and consistency of temperature.

I miss my food vaccuum sealer, because I would use it to remove air and reseal the package. Those puppies make food last indefinitely in the freezer, and last much longer in the fridge. Of course they carry a hefty price tag (I paid $3 for mine at a garage sale, still in the original packaging, never been used. Makes it that much harder for me to think of replacing it at nearly $100).

[kiramira]

You can try rebagging the vegetables in freezer zip lock baggies --put the veggies in a bag, then suck all the air out of the bag with a straw (aka "burping the baggie"), then put in a second bag and repeat. Freezer burn is caused by dehydration of the veggies and is generally considered inevitable...
Kira

[tdiprincess]

Kaplods: I've never had one of those ones. But there is the Reynolds Vacuum sealer and Glad has one now that has a pump. These both do great jobs at keeping food fresh in the freezer. The pumps cost about 7-10. The only thing are the bags have to be a specific bag. But I only use the bags for freezing certain things, like fruits, veggies and meat. And I reuse the bags, even though you're not really supposed to. They work just as good over and over. A box of them is about 2-3. You can also check out Ebay.
This summer I'm going to be freezing a bunch of fresh fruits and veggies. When I go to the farmers market and if I have my own garden, I'll be buying/picking extra to freeze. It's easy to do and they taste better than store frozen ones..