3 best recipes for freezing blackberries in the refrigerator for the winter

Blackberries are rightfully considered a source of various vitamins and minerals. You can get them by eating berries 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'll talk about this below.

Is it possible to freeze blackberries for the winter?

Freezing fresh blackberries is similar to freezing raspberries. This must be done carefully, following some rules.It is better to use the quick freezing method. This function is found in any modern refrigerator.

Freezing Tips:

1. Do not rinse the fruits. Water, freezing, will tear the pulp and turn the workpiece into a lump.
2. Choose ripe berries without signs of damage.
3. Use food-grade plastic containers for packaging.
4. Close the container tightly.

It is not recommended to place garden fruits in bags - you can crush the soft berries. You can lightly freeze it on a tray and then pour it into a bag. The air must be expelled from the polyethylene and tied tightly.

How to prepare a product for freezing?

It is better to use blackberries collected from your own garden for freezing. If fruits are purchased in a store, they will have to be washed. It is not recommended to treat fruits with water, as it is difficult to dry them afterwards.

The berries for harvesting are large, dense, dark blue in color.

Preparing for freezing:

1. Sort through the harvest, remove twigs, leaves, soft and rotten fruits.
2. If necessary, rinse under a thin stream of water and place on paper towels to dry.
3. Select a container for storage, rinse with water, and dry.

When choosing storage containers, you need to take into account that the product cannot be re-frozen. Therefore, it is better to use small containers.

How to freeze blackberries at home?

Freezing blackberries will take a lot of time, but in winter you can not only decorate baked goods, but also enjoy the taste of the aromatic berry. It can be prepared in different ways.

Whole berries

Whole berries are harvested if they are intended to be used as a decoration for dishes. The dry freezing method is usually used:

1. The harvest is sorted, sepals and stalks are removed.
2. Rinse with a colander.
3. Place the fruits on a dry cloth or paper towel and allow to dry for 10-15 minutes.
4. A tray or large dish is covered with a packaging bag or film.
5. Blackberries are laid out in rows so that the berries do not touch each other.
6. Sent to the freezer.
7. 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 works:

1. The harvest is cleaned and washed from dust.
2. Place one or two layers of berries in a plastic container and cover with granulated sugar.
3. Continue alternating layers of sugar and blackberries until the container is full.
4. Close the container tightly and shake gently.
5. Sent to the freezer.

For 1 kilogram of harvest, 150-200 g of sugar are used.

Mashed berries with sugar

Grind fresh berries with sugar if the fruits are overripe and become soft. How to do it:

1. The sorted and cleared fruits are crushed using a blender until smooth.
2. Mix the puree with 4-5 tablespoons of sugar.
3. The mixture is placed in disposable cups or small containers and frozen.

You can make a puree with chunks of blackberries by lightly crushing the berries with a fork or using a potato masher.

You will get a seedless mass if you pass the berries through a sieve.

Blackberries mixed with fruit or honey will be a tasty treat in winter. Smoothies are poured into glasses. Thaw slightly before use.

Shelf life of blackberries in the freezer

Berry frozen in compliance with all rules can be stored in the freezer for 9 months.Let's allow a longer period of freezing, but the fruit will lose its taste and beneficial qualities. The chamber temperature should not exceed -18 degrees. A short-term increase in the temperature of the cooling unit to -12 degrees or higher is allowed, but such berries must be consumed within a week.

Defrosting rules

Blackberries, like many berries, need to be defrosted slowly. The required amount of treats is placed on a flat plate and placed on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. Allow to defrost for half an hour. Complete the process at room temperature. To remove excess liquid, defrosted fruits can be laid out on a paper towel.

Blackberries are not defrosted to make drinks. The berries should thaw slowly if they are used in dessert decorations. To prepare the filling for baked goods, frozen fruits are breaded in starch.

Repeated freezing is unacceptable.