3 best recipes for freezing blackberries in the refrigerator for the winter
Blackberries are considered to be a source of various vitamins and minerals. You can get them by eating the berry not only in the summer, during the ripening season, but also in the cold season. The fruits tolerate low temperatures well and do not lose their taste and composition. However, you need to know how to properly freeze blackberries for the winter. We will talk about this below.
Can blackberries be frozen for the winter?
Freezing fresh blackberries is similar to harvesting raspberries. This must be done carefully, observing some rules. Better to use the quick freeze method. This feature is found in any modern refrigerator.
Freezing tips:
- Do not rinse the fruit. Water, freezing, will break the pulp and turn the workpiece into a lump.
- Choose ripe berries without signs of damage.
- Use food-grade plastic containers for packing.
- Close container tightly.
It is not recommended to put garden fruits in bags - you can mash soft berries. It is allowed to freeze slightly on a tray and then pour into a bag. The air from the polyethylene must be expelled, tightly tied.
How to prepare food for freezing?
It is better to use blackberries collected from your own garden for freezing. If the fruit is purchased from a store, it will need to be rinsed. It is not recommended to process the fruits with water, since then it is difficult to dry them.
The berry for harvesting is large, dense, dark blue.
Preparing for freezing:
- Go through the harvest, remove twigs, leaves, soft and rotten fruits.
- If necessary, rinse under a thin stream of water, lay on paper towels to dry.
- Choose a container for storage, rinse with water, dry.
When choosing storage containers, keep in mind that you cannot re-freeze the product. Therefore, it is better to use small containers.
How to freeze blackberries at home?
It will take a lot of time to freeze blackberries, but in winter it will be possible not only to decorate baked goods, but also to enjoy the taste of a fragrant berry. You can harvest it in different ways.
Whole berries
The whole berries are harvested if you intend to use them as a decoration for dishes. The dry freezing method is usually used:
- The crop is sorted out, sepals and stalks are removed.
- Washed with a colander.
- Spread the fruits on a dry cloth or paper towel, allow to dry for 10-15 minutes.
- A tray or large dish is covered with a packaging bag or film.
- Blackberries are laid out in rows so that the berries do not come into contact with each other.
- They are sent to the freezer.
- After complete freezing, the fruits are placed in a container or plastic bag.
With sugar
Housewives often prepare blackberries with sugar for consumption in their pure form as a dessert. You can also make pie filling from it.
How the process goes:
- The crop is cleaned and washed from dust.
- One or two layers of berries are placed in a plastic container and covered with granulated sugar.
- Continue to alternate layers of sugar and blackberries until the container is full.
- Close the container tightly and shake gently.
- Sent to freeze.
For 1 kilogram of the crop, 150-200 g of sugar are used.
Mashed berry with sugar
Grind a fresh berry with sugar if the fruits are overripe and become soft. How they do it:
- Sorted and peeled from debris, the fruits are crushed using a blender until smooth.
- Mix mashed potatoes with 4-5 tablespoons of sugar.
- The mixture is placed in disposable cups or small containers and frozen.
Blackberry puree can be obtained by lightly crushing the berries with a fork or a potato press.
A pitted mass is obtained by passing the berry through a sieve.
Blackberries mixed with fruit or honey will be a delicious treat in winter. Smoothies are placed in cups. Defrost slightly before use.
Shelf life of blackberries in the freezer
Berries frozen in compliance with all the rules can be stored in the freezer for 9 months. Let's say a longer freezing period, but the fruit will lose its taste and useful qualities. The camera temperature should not exceed -18 degrees. A short-term increase in the temperature of the cooling unit to -12 degrees and above is allowed, but such a berry must be consumed within a week.
Defrosting rules
Defrosting blackberries, like many berries, should be done slowly. The required amount of goodies is laid out on a flat plate and placed on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. Allow to defrost for half an hour. Finish the process at room temperature. The thawed fruit can be spread on a paper towel to remove excess liquid.
Blackberries are not thawed to prepare drinks. The berry should thaw slowly if used in dessert decorations. To prepare the filling for baking, frozen fruits are breaded in starch.
Re-freezing is not allowed.
