What is the best way to keep gooseberries fresh for the winter?

Summer is full of fresh fruits and berries. And I want to somehow preserve such gifts of nature for the winter, so that in cold times they can also be enjoyed. Many summer residents are wondering how to keep healthy gooseberries fresh for the winter so that they do not lose all their valuable properties. In this case, some tricks and knowledge will help.

What berries should be harvested for the winter?

Not every berry is suitable for harvesting. You need to know exactly how to store fresh gooseberries. Ripe berries can be either green or red. Their full maturity is determined by the spots that appear. Light and green varieties are considered the most useful.

You should choose ripe, but at the same time firm, elastic berries. In no case should they be unripe or, on the contrary, already spoiled and cracked. You can determine the ripeness and suitability of gooseberries by touch. If the berry is too hard, it means it is not yet fully ripe. But a very soft berry indicates overripeness. And it may already seem stale and even rotten. Storing gooseberries in this case will be useless.

You need to select those gooseberries that remain elastic when pressed, but at the same time have spots on the surface indicating its ripeness. When the task is to store this berry for a long time, then it is better to take gooseberries immediately with the stalks.

Preparing gooseberries for long-term storage

After collecting the gooseberries, you need to dry them thoroughly. It is impossible for even particles of moisture to remain on the surface of the berries. Dry gooseberries will avoid the process of putrefaction, as well as spoilage of the fruit itself. In order for the berries to dry, they should be left for some time in a cool place, but which is well ventilated. The period of such storage should not exceed two days.

The process of preparing berries is as follows:

1. First, suitable fruits with an elastic body and the presence of a stalk are selected.
2. It is recommended to collect gooseberries in the morning, but when the dew has already evaporated.
3. For dry freezing, it is better to take gooseberries with a dense peel, but those with a thin skin are suitable for making puree, which is also frozen.
4. Before storage, all debris must be removed from the berries. Then they are washed and dried on a cotton towel.

What containers are best for storing fruits?

You should choose a container for storing gooseberries based on the form in which the berry will be stored. The container must be portioned. It is best to take bags or small plastic containers.

To carefully distribute the berries into the bags, you first need to place them on a tray for several hours and put it in the freezer. And then place the frozen fruits in bags.

If the fruits are frozen in containers, then the containers are not covered with lids for the first two days, and the berries are shaken regularly. On the third day, the containers can be closed.

Rules and terms for storing fresh harvest

Fresh harvest can be frozen, dried, or try to store it in its original form in a cool room. If the berries are in the freezer at a humidity of 90%, with a temperature around zero, then their freshness will remain for two months. At temperatures below 3-6 degrees, gooseberries can be preserved for 6 months.

In room conditions

You can try to do without freezing and drying, leaving the fruits in a cool place. But they won’t last very long in this state. If the gooseberries are undamaged, they can remain indoors for up to five days.

Unripe berries will last longer. They can be stored in room conditions for up to ten days. It is important to place them in a container that holds up to five liters.

In a refrigerator

If you are wondering how long gooseberries can be stored in the refrigerator, they can last about two weeks in their original form. It is better in a paper bag or in a container covered with paper on top. The optimal temperature of the refrigerator compartment should be 5 degrees. There is no need to wash it first. In its original form it will last for about two weeks.

Freeze in the freezer

Freezing fruits is the easiest way to preserve berries for the winter. In this form, they will be able to retain the maximum amount of useful minerals and vitamins. Moreover, the thawed fruit can be used in various variations.

Before the freezing process, the berries should be sorted. Be sure to remove rotten and spoiled fruits.

Gooseberry puree

It is convenient to freeze berries in the form of puree. You need to take overripe fruits that have thin skin. The berries (one kilogram) are washed, the stalks are removed, and then they are whipped with a blender.

350 grams of sugar are added to the resulting mass, everything is mixed and after an hour the puree is put into glass containers. It stores well in the freezer.

In sugar

The fruits need to be sorted, washed, and dried on a towel. Then put the berries into a saucepan, cover them with sugar (for one kilogram of gooseberries, 400 grams of sand). The components are mixed, the composition is laid out in plastic containers. They are closed with a tight lid and sent to the freezer.

In syrup

If the harvest consists of already overripe fruits, then it is better to freeze it as syrup. To do this, the berries are washed and dried. Then placed in a container. Syrup is prepared from water and sugar.

Gooseberries are placed in containers and filled with chilled syrup. This should leave some free space up to the edge of the container. The containers are closed with a lid and sent to the freezer.

Whole berries without sugar

The berries should be washed and allowed to dry. Then place them on a tray, which is previously covered with food paper. The tray is put into the freezer for several hours. When the gooseberries are frozen, they need to be placed in portions in bags.

How to dry and preserve dried berries

Only ripe and whole fruits are suitable for the drying process. They need to be washed with water and removed from the stems. Then they should be held over a steam bath, after which they should be placed on a baking sheet and placed in the oven. The temperature in the oven should first be 30 degrees, and after 10 minutes it can be increased to 70 degrees.

During the drying process, the oven should be opened regularly and the composition should be stirred. It will take about seven hours for the gooseberries to dry. Then the fruits are poured into fabric or paper bags. You can eat them for two years.

Winter gooseberry preparations

A berry like gooseberry is ideal for winter preparations. You can use it to prepare various additives, mousses and sauces, jams and preserves.

Gooseberry adjika

Gooseberry adjika is prepared quickly and easily. For this you will need:

• 1 kilogram of green berries;
• spoon of salt;
• 300 grams of garlic;
• a spoonful of coriander seeds;
• 10 pieces of hot pepper.

The ingredients are washed, passed through a meat grinder, mixed and placed in small jars.

Gooseberry mousse with oranges

To prepare gooseberry mousse with citrus fruits you need to take:

• two small oranges;
• 1.5 kilograms of granulated sugar;
• 1 kilogram of fruit.

The berries are washed, the tails are removed, and spoiled fruits are thrown away. At this time, the oranges are also washed, doused with boiling water and cut into several pieces.

Then all the ingredients are passed through a meat grinder, sugar is added to them, and the whole mass is whipped again with a blender. The finished mousse is placed in sterile jars and closed with a lid. This product is stored in the refrigerator.

Berry jam

Gooseberry jam turns out very tasty. To prepare it you will need:

• sugar;
• water;
• berries.

All components are taken in one kilogram and one liter. The fruits are first cleared of stems and washed. Then they are covered with sugar and filled with water. The container is placed on the fire, the liquid is brought to a boil. Place the jam in the container in the refrigerator for one day.

After a day, it is already brought to a boil and put back in the refrigerator. The manipulations are repeated for seven days. When pectin begins to release, the syrup will transform into jelly, and the fruit will retain its integrity.

Gooseberry sauces

Gooseberries can be used to prepare interesting and aromatic sauces for meat, fish and other dishes. You can make garlic sauce. To do this you need to take:

• 1 kilogram of berries;
• a bunch of dill;
• 300 grams of garlic.

All ingredients must be processed through a meat grinder and seasoned with salt. The finished sauce can be stored in the refrigerator in small jars. Gooseberry-based tkemali sauce will also be delicious. To prepare it, it is better to take sour gooseberries. The fruits (1 kilogram) are pre-washed, filled with water and cooked until they are completely softened. Then the following is added to the crushed mass:

• a bunch of parsley, dill, basil, cilantro;
• head of garlic;
• two pieces of red pepper.

The resulting composition is kept on fire for 15 minutes, after which it is poured into jars.

Jelly jam

To prepare jelly jam you will need the following ingredients:

• 1 kilogram of elastic fruits;
• 170 grams of sugar;
• 1 glass of water;
• vanilla stick;
• 100 grams of gelatin.

The berries are cleaned of stems and stalks and washed. At this time, sugar is poured with water and put on fire. When it is completely dissolved, gooseberries are added there. The mass is cooked for about 15 minutes.

When the composition has cooled, gelatin and vanilla are added to it. The mass is put back on the fire. Hot jam is poured into jars.