There is nothing like fresh, succulent berries to jazz up a smoothie or dessert during the summer months. But what do you do when you long for that flavor come January? The produce aisles have an abundance of berries during the summer months, why not take advantage of the fresh fruit at a great price and freeze them to use for later? Freezing berries is extremely simple and leaves you with a supply of summer’s goodness to get you through a long winter.
Washing and Preparing the Berries
To start, berries need to be thoroughly washed to remove dirt, debris, and bugs. Place them in a colander and rinse under a cold tap, turning the berries to make sure every surface has been rinsed. For a more delicate berry, like raspberries, it may be a good idea to fill a colander with them and dunk them in a sink of clean, cold water.
You may prefer to use a produce wash to make sure pesticides and bacteria are thoroughly removed from the berries. Try placing the berries in a clean sink filled with cold water, add a small amount of produce wash, soaking the berries momentarily, and then transferring to a colander for a cold water rinse.
When preparing strawberries, remove the hull, leaves, and any spoiled spots that look brown or mushy. Remove any stems from blueberries. Make sure to pick out any blueberries or raspberries that have mold, are mushy, or are not ripe.
Freezing the Berries
Once the berries have been washed, place them in a single layer on a flat tray, like a cookie sheet. Pat the berries dry, taking care with the more delicate raspberries. Once they are sufficiently dried, place the tray on a flat surface in the freezer and allow berries to freeze, up to 24 hours.
Storing the Berries
After the berries are frozen, they will need to be placed in an airtight freezer container. Freezer bags that can be resealed work wonderfully. Using a permanent marker you can make a label right on the bag so you know what the bag contains and on what date you froze it. Berries can also be frozen in plastic freezer containers or glass jars. Just make sure to label them so you know how old they are.
Using Frozen Berries
Berries do tend to change texture after being frozen so it is usually best to use them from their frozen state. They can easily be thrown in the blender with some yogurt and juice to make a smoothie. If you are using them in muffins or other baked goods, toss the frozen berries in with the dry ingredients to coat them and they will not clump together in the batter.
Freezing Berries: Simple and Economical
Freezing your own berries takes very little time and effort. They will keep in the freezer up to a year so you can buy them when they are in abundance and the price is low, and pull them out during the winter for a delicious berry dessert. While you can likely buy commercial frozen berries during the winter months, the money you save freezing your own will be well worth it. Plus, the satisfaction of doing it yourself can’t be beat!
