Broken Jars in the Freezer: Green Problems

We talk about what to do in order to be more sustainable here, but we also try to be honest about our flaws, too.

I made the ultimate amateur hour mistake when freezing a jar of soup. It cracked in the freezer, and this was a huge jar. So imagine my disappointment of dealing with broken glass like this:

OK, maybe I didn’t break into song.  But let’s back up with how this happened.

Many people get overwhelmed by CSAs. To combat the veggie overload, I’ve realized that making soup is a great way to use the vegetables. Plus, I freeze the leftovers in jars so I can defrost and take to work with me. Currently, there’s like 10 jars of frozen soup in my freezer – I look like a hoarder or apocalypse prepper.

Full disclosure: I don’t like using plastic for food storage and have switched to 90% glass to store leftovers & bulk bin purchases. Recently, studies have said even BPA-free plastics still have synthetic estrogens that can lead to breast cancer, infertility, and other crappy ailments. Regardless, I don’t want to risk my health. #NotWorthIt.

My Frozen Soup Mistake

When I removed a jar to take a gander, I realized there was something on the outside of the jar, so I rinsed it off with warm water. A few minutes later, I totally forgot about this temperature change and put the jar back in my freezer.

A few hours later, I opened the freezer to see the cracked jar.

I debated trying to savage some of the soup inside, and then pictured myself in the ER with a fleck of broken glass in my esophagus. Instead, I emptied the carrot soup down my garbage disposal. The ultimate sadness for a green girl like me is this combination: breaking jars and wasting food.

So how can you avoid my fatal error?

How to Freeze Food in Jars (the Proper Way):

• Leave headroom (at least an inch at the top) in order to allow the contents to expand. (They will when frozen.) This is crucial.
• Beware of extreme temperature changes. If you’re freezing soup, pour it onto a jar on your counter and allow to cool to room temperature before sealing & putting in your freezer. Same goes for when you remove it – I recommend taking it out of the freezer and placing it on your counter (or fridge) the night before/morning to allow a slow warmup.
• Thaw by a slow boil if you need the contents fast. Here’s advice how to do that – although I go for the “slow & steady” route.
• Make labels with contents & dates. Otherwise, you may defrost an amazing “meal” that’s freezerburn due to a lost track of time.

Readers, do you freeze meals for later? What are your best practices? Or did you make a green mistake you’re ready to admit? Tell us in the comments!