How to properly store strawberries at home for the winter
In winter, when there are so few vitamins, you want to enjoy fresh berries from your garden. But they often do not know how to preserve strawberries for the winter so that useful vitamins and minerals remain in it. The fruits of the horticultural culture are so tender that within a few hours after harvesting they give juice, and their flesh creeps. But there are recipes that will help preserve the berry in winter.
How to choose or harvest strawberries correctly
Before laying garden strawberries for storage, you must select it correctly by sorting out the spoiled specimens. You should definitely choose such fruits that are distinguished by their hardness and density. Overripe with dark red, almost brown flesh will not last long.
When harvesting during periods of high humidity, make sure that there are no mold particles on the surface of the berries. After all, the rest will be infected from the spoiled fruit, the whole harvest will spoil.
Purchased strawberries are taken out of the store container. If there are pieces of pulp left on the walls, then it is better to use such a berry immediately for culinary processing. It cannot be preserved for a long time.
How to keep fruit for the winter
To keep your strawberries fresh, you need to:
- do not wash the berries before laying;
- prepare containers with holes;
- spray with a vinegar solution to exclude crop mold;
- dry the fruits by spreading them out on paper towels or napkins.
Put the berries in 1 layer so that they do not touch each other in barrels.
How to store fresh strawberries in the refrigerator
In the lower compartment of the refrigerator, where the air temperature reaches +2 degrees Celsius, garden strawberries can remain fresh for up to 2-7 days.
Before storage, it is necessary to spread the dense berries at a distance of 0.5-1 centimeters from each other. It is better to take containers from wood, cardboard or plastic. From above, the berries are covered with a cotton cloth or gauze in 2 layers. So the air will circulate, not stagnate.
Remember to monitor the condition of the fruit every 2 days. If mold appears, it is better to eat healthy fruits or for making desserts.
Freezing
Freezing has long been used as an effective way to preserve the harvest of berries. They pick up whole specimens of fruits, put them in a container in one row, after drying them. Cover with cling film on top. Once the berries are frozen, they can be put into bags and left in the freezer.
Frozen fresh immediately after harvest. Strawberries are placed in containers with the stalks up, placing them in the chamber.
Better to freeze the strawberries in sugar. For this, the whole fruits laid out in a container are sprinkled with granulated sugar. In winter, such strawberries will decorate desserts and drinks.
It is worth pouring syrup over whole berries or their halves. To do this, prepare a fill of 300 grams of sugar per liter of water. When the syrup boils, add 5 grams of citric acid or a tablespoon of freshly squeezed lemon juice. After the syrup has cooled, they are poured with strawberries in a container, put in the freezer.
Strawberry puree will also be delicious. Prepare it by grinding strawberries in a blender. Then the berry mass is mixed with sugar in a 1: 1 ratio. Put the puree in a container and freeze. In winter, you can cut off pieces of the product, adding to porridge, cottage cheese, drinks. A cocktail made from kefir, banana and 2-3 tablespoons of frozen puree is also tasty.
Candying
The color and aroma of garden strawberries can be preserved throughout the year if candied fruits are cooked. For cooking:
- pick up fruits of the same size;
- washed under running water;
- put in a colander, leave for better drainage of water;
- the berries are placed in a saucepan, covered with sugar in layers (400 grams per 1 kilogram of berries);
- keep under the lid for a day;
- the resulting juice is drained by adding sugar to it;
- bring the syrup to a boil and put the berries there for 7 minutes;
- make sure that the pulp is not boiled.
Now it remains to get the fruits with a slotted spoon, free them from excess syrup by holding them in a colander. It is necessary to dry the finished product in a dryer or oven at a temperature of 50 degrees. To do this, lay out the berries on a wire rack or baking sheet covered with parchment paper. The finished products are put in dry jars, sterilized in advance. Store under a lid in a refrigerator or cabinet.
They use candied berries instead of sweets, add them to pastries, muffins, pastries, cakes. And the syrup left over from cooking can be poured into jars and refrigerated.
Storing dried strawberries
The easiest way to dry the berries is in the oven. To do this, take whole fruits or cut them into 2 parts. For tea, you can cut into cubes, slices. The product is washed, laid out on a towel to dry. Heat the cabinet to 45 degrees, put a baking sheet with strawberry slices laid out in 1 layer. You can put parchment paper on a baking sheet. During the drying period, the berries are turned over several times. At the end of the procedure, you can increase the air temperature to 60-70 degrees. If, when squeezed, the fruits do not stick to the fingers, then they are ready for storage.
The temperature regime in the strawberry dryer is set at 50-55 degrees. Slices with a thickness of 4 millimeters dry faster. Fruits should be placed on the wire rack in 1 layer so that they do not come into contact with each other.
In the airfryer, the process is faster. The berries are ready in 1-2 hours. They do not need to be turned over, as the process runs smoothly.
The finished product is cooled, folded in cloth bags or dry glass jars. You can store it for 2 years at room temperature.
How to store strawberry products
Many preparations for the winter are prepared from garden culture. This is jam, and jam, and compotes. But to preserve the benefits of strawberry products, you need to store them properly.
Strawberry jam is often moldy. The reasons for this may be a low-quality berry, a small amount of sugar. The penetration of air into the workpiece depends on the covers and their density. It is recommended to roll up jars of jam with metal lids.
It is better to put the jars in a refrigerator or cellar, then they will have to be used within a year. Strawberries cannot be kept longer.
Mashed berries retain their freshness only in the refrigerator for 3-6 months.You can freeze the puree, but its taste will change after thawing. It will not be so aromatic and tasty.
Strawberry compotes are stored in the refrigerator. If they are twisted, then you can go to the basement or cellar, where it is dark and cool. You need to use the blank during the year.
Berry wine is often made. Store the drink in dark glass bottles. If the wine is not strong, then it cannot be kept for a long time.
All strawberry-based desserts and drinks are sold in 1 month - six months. If mold appears on top, then you need to hurry up with the use, carefully removing the film.
How to properly store strawberries for sale
When they plan to sell garden strawberries, they observe the storage rules especially clearly. Fresh fruits should be kept in a plastic container with holes at a temperature of plus 1-2 degrees. Choose solid, high-quality specimens for storage.
Greenhouse strawberries do not need to be washed before selling. A lot of liquid will remain in it, and the berry will spoil faster. And so you can keep it fresh for 7-12 days. Give shine, bright appearance to the fruit, if you wipe them with a cloth dipped in a solution of vinegar.
