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!

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Julie Hancher is Editor-in-Chief of Green Philly, sharing her expertise of all things sustainable in the city of brotherly love. She enjoys long walks in the park with local beer and greening her travels, cooking & cat, Sir Floofus Drake. View all posts by Julie Hancher