RAW Sausage - Time Saver?

[Officially Retired]

first hit of on google of many articles
http://www.eatingwell.com/nutrition_...p_nutrition_fo

It seems to be a self-contradictory article.

A good point was made that fruits/vegetables chosen for freezing are typically picked ripe, whereas vegetables chosen for market are typically picked just before they're ripe, but then the article admits that the initial heating devalues the water-soluble vitamins in the ripe fruits/vegetables. And, although it claims freezing "locks-in" the remaining nutrients, the truth is (if you really research the subject of freezing) all the cells in the item get destroyed by standard freezing. [For example, this is why you cannot just "freeze" live semen; it has to be frozen using special liquid nitrogen techniques; otherwise, the sperm cells are ruptured and die through standard freezing. For the same reason, you cannot just "freeze" a DNA sample in the freezer for cloning; those cells likewise will be destroyed, which again is why special liquid nitrogen techniques need to be used.]

Further, if the fruits/vegetables that get transported to market lose some value in the "picked-before-ripe" / "shipped-to-market" process, then it sure isn't doing them any more good to be freezing these vegetables on top of that!

As the article said, "Bottom line: When vegetables are in-season, buy them fresh and ripe."

And, as regards to frozen, it said: "... over many months, nutrients in frozen vegetables do inevitably degrade."

Well, again, the freezing process itself degrades, and a way around buying mass-produced bulk fruits/vegetables that were picked before they were ripe at the store, is to buy your fruits/vegetables locally from local farmers. You don't necessarily have to have your own farm; you can just buy from your local farmers directly.

i often catch myself wanting to feed my dogs healthier them myself, but i dont think freezing makes big difference. if you want to feed perfect raw you need to start your own animal farm and feed those prey animals only what you grow on your other farm

Well, you can think what you want, but try freezing your dog's semen by conventional means and see if it doesn't make a "big difference" as to the likelihood of conception

At the end of the day, it is exactly as I said back in the beginning: feeding truly raw vegetables is BEST. There is no knowledgeable person who will disagree with this. However, freezing is more convenient, and while it degrades the food item a bit (and will continue to do so the longer it is frozen), freezing will retain more nutrients than "kibbling" will. But it will never have the same nutritive value as it did fresh and raw.

Jack

[R2L]

you can just buy from your local farmers directly

that would be best
can't discourage any extra work to make the food of best quality, but i can encourage making the sausages as a time saver

[SGC]

Some very good and interesting points in this thread.

I remember when we lived in New England, we often would go down to the docks and buy a whole fish from the fishing boats, put it in the cooler on ice, take it home and clean and eat it that night. It was much better than fish from the store, it had been swimming a few hours earlier. Now with modern fishing, they often process and freeze the fish right on the boats.

With fresh vegetables, I have a question. I understand and agree with what Jack is saying, about the fresher and riper the better. But say you process or grind up your vegetables in a food processor, how long do they keep as far as the nutrients?

For example, if you process them in the morning, then put them in the fridge until late afternoon and then add the puree mix to the dogs food, how much have they lost? I know garlic will lose its beneficial properties if it is not fed within about 20 minutes after it is minced up.

And although freezing veggies is not the best, it is convenient and better than nothing. As a time saver, freezing them can help a lot.

Speaking of freezing, what about the raw meats? Do they lose nutrients when frozen and for how long can one keep frozen meats?

[R2L]

pre mixed raw brands can be frozen for 12 months(they say). i never keep more then for 2 months tho and then buy new stock. every time i order they got new manufacturing data

what i do know is that you shouldnt freeze harder then -18, max -20 degrees celcius cause that will touch the quality of all ingredients. the way you pack the meet is important too, as less air as possible.