Freezing veggies?

[alittleFREE]

Okay, I know absolutely nothing about cooking/freezing/vegetables or anything like that. I just know how to eat them lol.

Anyway, since I only have one beardie.. I'm having a lot of trouble with the greens going bad really fast. I was wondering if I could chop them up and put them in like portion-sized baggies and then freeze them, then thaw them out one by one to feed to her, if that makes sense.

Would that work? Like I said I have no clue if that will make them lose nutrients or something or if they won't thaw correctly or something.

Alternatively, if anyone knows of any tips or tricks that I could use to keep my veggies fresh (she mainly eats collards and squash as staples) longer I would really appreciate it. I feel like I throw out more greens than she eats.

[Beardedragon]

I think that freezing them looses too many Nutriants, so id stick to fresh. Any luck with them staying fresher longer in the fridge?

[alittleFREE]

That's what I currently do, and they still seem to get slimy and gross after a few days. :/

And yeah, I was afraid of that with the freezing.

[BPelizabeth]

This is what I am doing and it currently helps my veggies to last about 1 1/2 weeks to 2 weeks.

Bring them home...wash them really well. Be sure to cut out all bad spots. If it is really a huge leaf....I cut it length wise at the stem. Then (as the stuff is still a little wet, wrap them in papertowels and then stick that in a big plastic zip lock. Sounds crazy but for some reason it works!! I do this to everything veggies, leafy greens, and fruits. For the squash I go ahead and cut it up and put it in the food processor and then put it in the fridge in a tupperware bowl. That will last about 2 weeks. This makes it really easy to grab in the AM and chop up as it is all clean it is just a matter of cutting off the other viens that are larger and chopping.

[Foschi Exotic Serpents]

I found a freeze dried mixed veggie dragon food at the pet store. This stuff is awesome! Its freeze dried so it lasts forever. It comes in a big container and for some strange reason, my Lucious is actually eating it You just add water til its soft. Just a couple minutes. I mix a tiny amount of pellets and put his pheonix worms in the mix to make it move. Add a bit of calcium and vitamins and its great for him. It has different veggies in it and grasshopper pieces. So now my guy gets this mixture everyday along with his crickets and silkworms. Its a buffet!

Greens do go bad fast. I keep them in a veggie bag. The ziplock type thats full of holes. I do not cut it up prior to feeding. Cutting it will make it wilt faster. I always end up throwing away some due to getting slimy and wilty. If you live in an area where you have dandylions just pick those greens and flowers for your dragon. Rinse them well and tear into small pieces. They are good for them and they love them.

[Action Reptiles]

I dont recommend freezing the greens lose nutrients and veggies still become slimy. What I do is take the greens I am using (collard, mustard,turnip, ect..) I wash them and dry them good. I cut them up to appropriate size and fill up ziplock storage bag. I put a couple layers of paper towels on each side of ziplock bag between the bag and greens. I make enough greens that they usually last a 7-10 days before they start to go bad. If the paper towels start to get really soak just change out for new ones. Best way I found to keep them without them going bad. Also I like it because dont have to cut up greens everyday for all my dragons. That is what I do for the base greens of the salad anything else is cut up sepertly and stored in tupperware to be added as needed(squash,carrots,fruits, ect..).

[BPelizabeth]

I dont recommend freezing the greens lose nutrients and veggies still become slimy. What I do is take the greens I am using (collard, mustard,turnip, ect..) I wash them and dry them good. I cut them up to appropriate size and fill up ziplock storage bag. I put a couple layers of paper towels on each side of ziplock bag between the bag and greens. I make enough greens that they usually last a 7-10 days before they start to go bad. If the paper towels start to get really soak just change out for new ones. Best way I found to keep them without them going bad. Also I like it because dont have to cut up greens everyday for all my dragons. That is what I do for the base greens of the salad anything else is cut up sepertly and stored in tupperware to be added as needed(squash,carrots,fruits, ect..).

Sounds like we do the exact same thing but you cut them up. I was going to try the cutting up but was worried it wouldn't work. So it still stays crisp huh??

[Action Reptiles]

Sounds like we do the exact same thing but you cut them up. I was going to try the cutting up but was worried it wouldn't work. So it still stays crisp huh??

Yeah it does, I cut them with no problems. I have soo many dragons especially during this time of year that I don't have time to cut up greens every morning. Always looking for better ideas but so far this way has kept them fresher the longest. Although I am going to look into the freeze dried veggies Foschi was talking about.

[Jason Bowden]

My wife and I are actually looking into getting a dragon. A herping buddy in town breeds dragons and he will be the source when we get one. My wife and I both had iguanas when we were growing up. I also already have caging, lights, etc. Just doing the rest of the research before taking the plunge.

Anyway, what I was going to suggest is to grow a garden. Which I'm sure would be alot different in northern states, etc. In Louisiana we have a garden growing year round. The greens, mustard, collards, etc. are grown in the cooler/cold months, but there is plenty to grow in the summer. My iguana loved cut okra, squash flowers, squash, young chopped green beans, corn cut off the cob, etc. I've read that dragons will eat hibiscus leaves and flowers. Also dandelion flowers.

If it's picked right off the plant it's fresh.