Housewives put a lot of different berries in the freezer; almost every freezer contains strawberries, raspberries, black and red currants, and blueberries. What to do with stone fruits? How to properly freeze apricots to preserve more benefits for the winter?
It is necessary to harvest apricots; the ripened fruits contain a lot of carotene; in addition, the pulp is rich in:
- Vitamins of group B, C, PP.
- Copper, manganese, potassium, iron, cobalt.
Ripe fruits are used not only in cooking; cosmetologists are aware of the beneficial effects of the pulp on the skin.
Is it possible to freeze apricots?
It has long been customary to harvest fruits and berries for future use; for this purpose, our ancestors made seams for the winter. Now many people still make jam, but freezing is slowly replacing everything.
Apricots were stored for the winter in the form of jam and compote. The fruits are dried with or without seeds, this is called dried apricots.
Freezing is preferable to all of the above methods of preservation; almost all vitamins are preserved in frozen berries, but during heat treatment they disappear. Based on this, it is worth noting that apricots can and should be frozen.
Preparing apricots for the process
Before you start freezing, the fruits must be prepared. This process will not take much time, but it is necessary to carry out it.
To get more vitamins in their pure form in winter, you need to:
- Collect firm, undamaged ripe fruits.
- Washing and sorting are required; spoiled fruits cannot be frozen.
- With any type of freezing, the seeds must be removed. This must be done carefully if you plan to freeze it in halves.
It is advisable to choose berry varieties whose seeds are easily separated, this will help save time and nerves.
Advice! After washing the fruits, be sure to let the water drain. It is better to place the washed apricots in a colander or large sieve. Drying with paper towels is also allowed.
Recipes for freezing apricots at home
After the preparatory work has been completed, they proceed directly to the freezing itself. There is no need to rush; this can be done in several ways, each of which is good in its own way.
Whole
This method is suitable in cases where there is no time at all to remove the seeds.It is worth understanding that frozen berries in this form will take up a lot of space.
The process is carried out like this:
- A food-grade plastic tray is lined with cling film.
- Place the washed and dried fruits correctly in one layer on the prepared tray.
- The container is sent into the chamber and left until completely solidified.
- Frozen fruits are placed in suitable containers for further storage.
You can use cutting boards instead of a tray, but they must be clean and dry. It is necessary to line them with film for faster transfer of fresh berries after freezing.
In slices
This type will allow the product to take up less space in the refrigerator. This is how they do it correctly:
- The washed and dried berries are divided in half and the seeds are removed.
- Place halves of berries in a single layer into the prepared tray and place in the freezer.
- If appearance does not matter, then the container, in our case a tray, is completely filled with halves of berries. In this form, the berries are frozen and stored.
With sugar
Using this method, together with the berries in the container, you will also get a small amount of frozen apricot juice. The work is carried out in the following order:
- The seeds are removed from washed and dried fruits.
- The fruit halves are placed in one layer in a food-grade plastic container.
- Add a layer of sugar.
- Next, the layers are repeated, the top should be sugar.
- The containers are left at room temperature to release the juice.
- After this, containers with berries and natural filling are placed in the freezer.
Berries with juice will no longer change their place of residence; they will wait in containers for their turn to be consumed.
In syrup
They started freezing in syrup quite recently; this idea was prompted by the fact that some varieties of berries lose their natural sweetness when frozen. The syrup is made from sugar and water; to add zest to frozen products, you can add orange or lemon zest, bergamot, and a sprig of mint.
The preparatory work remains the same, just do not line the container with cling film.
The berries, cut into halves and already pitted, are laid out in one layer in a container. At the same time, the syrup is prepared; the ingredients are taken at the rate of a glass of sugar per two glasses of water. While hot, pour the stacked berries to a third of the height of the container and allow to cool. Cover with lids and send to the chamber.
Low containers are suitable for this method, so the food will freeze faster. Yes, and there will be less liquid.
Freezing apricot puree
You can freeze berries that are overripe, soft, but without rot, using this method. It is not at all necessary to use ideally shaped fruits; usually crumpled ones are used for puree.
The first thing you need to do is prepare the puree itself:
- The seeds are removed from the prepared berries and placed in a spacious container.
- Using a blender, puree the halves. You can use a meat grinder or grind in the bowl of a food processor.
- Sugar is added to the resulting mass.
The highlight will be orange zest or a little ground cinnamon. Mix everything thoroughly until a homogeneous mass is obtained. The puree is poured into prepared containers, without adding one third to the brim. Cover with lids and place in the freezer. Add a little sugar, it is better to periodically taste the puree. Apricots can be sweet, and sugar may not provide the desired sweetness.
Further storage
Store frozen berries in the freezer until their turn comes. This should last no more than a year if the berries were placed in a chamber with seeds. Puree and pulp in syrup can be stored for up to one and a half years.
When defrosting, you should not immediately put the containers in the room; it is better to carry out the process in the refrigerator.
