FROM FARM TO FREEZER Freezing food — what’s not to love about it? Not only does it save time and reduce food waste, it also retains nutrients and keeps your favorites on hand and ready to use. Let’s dive into the many benefits of freezing your food and how it stacks up nutritionally. cases, they might even retain nutrients better than fresh foods stored for several days. What happens to food in the freezing process? Freezing Food Locks in Freshness and Nutrients
When you freeze food, tiny ice crystals form. The quicker the freezing process, the smaller these crystals, which is important because smaller ice crystals cause less damage to cell structures. This helps to preserve the food’s texture, flavor, and nutritional content. Fast freezing processes like those used commercially minimize nutrient losses and help preserve food close to its original state. Which foods freeze best? Almost any food can be frozen, but some handle the process better than others. Fruits and vegetables with high water content, such as watermelon and lettuce, can become mushy when thawed because the large ice crystals rupture cells. However, berries, peas, corn, carrots, and greens like
Understand the cold, hard facts of nutrient retention.
Did you know that, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, freezing food doesn’t change its nutritional value? Instead, it’s like hitting the pause button, especially for fruits and vegetables. The moment these foods are picked, they start losing nutrients. However, freezing them shortly after harvest (often done at the peak of ripeness) helps lock in vitamins and minerals. According to a study published in the Journal of Food Composition and Analysis, frozen fruits and vegetables can be just as nutritious as their fresh counterparts, and, in some
spinach freeze well. Meats and fish are also great options for freezing. Are there any nutritional downsides? While freezing does an excellent job at preserving nutrients, water-soluble vitamins like B and C can be slightly reduced during the blanching process (a quick boil used primarily for vegetables before commercial freezing to inactivate enzymes that degrade quality). However, this loss is often minor compared to the losses during refrigeration over several days.
Price Is King
WHAT BUYERS NOTICE FIRST
If there’s one thing I’ve learned in real estate over the years, it’s that the asking price is the single most important factor of any property. We can clean, paint, and install every bell and whistle, but if the list price is not realistic, it won’t matter. I’ve had many conversations where sellers wanted to “test the market” and aim high to see what happens. When you do that, you automatically detour most of the buyers who might actually offer a price you would consider selling for. Most buyers are hesitant to offer below the asking price unless the property has been listed for an extended period of time. So, if we list at 650K when really the market is 620K and we would be okay with 620K, we are just wasting our time listing at a price that we know is a little high and the educated buyer (any buyer with a
smartphone and an app called Zillow) is willing to pay. And it’s important to remember they’re not looking at your home in isolation. They’re comparing it to every other listing that checks the same boxes. If everything else in your category is selling in the $350K to $400K range, and yours is sitting at $450K — even with extra upgrades — most buyers won’t even bother. They’ll keep scrolling. That doesn’t mean we have to undercut ourselves or leave money on the table, but we have to think like a buyer. 80% of the population will pay for a good value. So if homes in your home’s price range have sold 450–500K and yours is on the nicer end, even “the nicest,” start at the top of the range and let the market decide if it’s willing to pay above the top of the price range for it. A compelling price will
still attract multiple interested parties in almost every price point. Price is king in real estate; that’s why we need to carefully walk through the numbers. We look at comps and buyer behavior to get a good idea of what’s actually happening in the neighborhood. Timing and seasonality also play a big role. Pricing a home right at the right time helps keep negotiations in your favor and can result in a faster sale. If we get the price right, it sets the seller up for a strong negotiation prior to the transaction.
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