TOP 5 recipes on how to properly freeze cherry plums for the winter in the freezer

If you know how to properly freeze cherry plums for the winter, during the cold season you can not only get a portion of nutrients, but also please yourself and your loved ones with a delicious dessert.

Is it possible to freeze cherry plums for the winter?

Cherry plum is a plant of the plum family. The fruits of this tree are a source of various vitamins, minerals and trace elements.Despite their sweet taste, they contain little sugar, so they are considered a low-calorie product. When used correctly, they have a beneficial effect on almost all body systems.

To obtain vitamins from the berry during the off-season, cherry plums are frozen. It is advisable to do this in freezers with a quick freezing function. Due to rapid cooling, the water remaining in the berries does not break the pulp or damage the shape. Fruits lend themselves well to cooling, can be stored unchanged for a long time and do not lose their beneficial properties.

Food preparation

To prepare cherry plum for the winter, take ripe berries of yellow, red, purple color, with elastic skin and soft pulp. Ripening period: end of July, beginning of August. You should not use for freezing overripe fruits stored without refrigeration that show signs of insect damage.

Preparation rules:

• sort the berries, remove leaves and stalks;
• rinse the fruits with warm water;
• pour the cherry plum onto a clean towel and let dry;
• prepare packaging bags, zip-lock bags or food-grade plastic containers;
• Place into containers without pressing them against each other, release the air, and close tightly;
• put in the freezer.

Berries can be harvested using shock and dry freezing. The choice of technology depends on the type of fruit, its grinding and additives.

It is advisable to divide a batch of fruits into portions so as not to defrost the entire volume, since frequent temperature changes are detrimental to the appearance and vitamin composition of cherry plum.

How to freeze cherry plum at home?

The recipe for freezing plum fruits depends on the options for their further use and on the preferences of the housewife.

Freezing whole fruit with pits

After ripening, the berry loses its shape a little, and it is quite difficult to remove the seed from it, so the cherry plum is frozen entirely if it is planned to be used for making drinks in which the core will not interfere.

What do we have to do:

1. The cherry plum is sorted out, branches, leaves, and damaged fruits are removed.
2. Dry it.
3. Distribute into containers or bags in small batches to prevent sticking.
4. Seal the container and put it in the freezer.

Pitted

The seedless berry is often used to decorate and fill baked goods and desserts. The fruits are taken ripe, with an easily separated core.

Progress:

1. The fruits are sorted out to remove debris and rot, washed and dried a little.
2. Cut the fruit in half, remove the seeds.
3. Parts of the berries are laid out on a tray or plate and sent to the freezer to cool for 1-3 hours.
4. The frozen fruits are placed in previously prepared containers, tightly closed, and put in the freezer.

With sugar

Cherry plum, which has a sour taste, is prepared by mixing with sugar. In this form, it can be eaten as a dessert.

Sequencing:

1. The berries are washed, pitted and crushed.
2. Place in a container and sprinkle with sugar.
3. Seal and place in a freezer.

As a puree

You can store cherry plum in the form of puree. For packaging, plastic containers and disposable cups are used. For cooking, use berries that have been peeled and pitted.

Actions:

1. The cherry plum is washed and debris is removed.
2. Small cross-shaped notches are made on the bases of the fruit.
3. Place the berries in boiling water for 1-2 minutes.
4. Remove the shell and remove the pit.
5. Peeled fruits are ground in a blender to a puree.
6. Packed into containers and frozen.

After 4-5 hours, the puree is removed from the containers and placed in one bag.

With honey

An excellent dessert would be cherry plum prepared for the winter with honey. It is added to pre-prepared berry puree. Place in plastic containers and freeze.

How to store and defrost?

To preserve useful substances in preparations for a long time, you must follow the following rules:

• cannot be stored near meat products;
• avoid temperature changes and re-freezing;
• Fruits need to be frozen in small batches;
• maintain a storage temperature of -18 to -23 degrees.

The shelf life of frozen cherry plum is 6-8 months. If the temperature rises to -8 or higher, it is advisable to consume the fruit within 3 months.

It is better to defrost berries in the refrigerator. This way they will retain more vitamins and will not lose their attractiveness. The fruits can be used frozen for making drinks and baking fillings. After defrosting, re-freezing is not recommended.