How to properly freeze strawberries for the winter at home

Garden strawberries, or strawberries, are a fragrant berry loved by both adults and children. This is a fruit that has a pleasant taste and contains a lot of vitamins, organic acids and minerals. One way to avoid losing them is to freeze them. There are several ways to freeze strawberries for the winter. We are sure that you have never even heard of some of them.

General principles for preparing and storing berries for the winter

The berry tolerates low temperatures well and does not lose its beneficial qualities after freezing. Thawed fruits can be eaten in their pure form or used as an ingredient in drinks, desserts and baking fillings.

Garden strawberries will retain their quality and appearance if harvested correctly.

Adviсe:

1. Use fresh, just picked fruits, without signs of rotting or overripeness.
2. Collect berries for freezing early in the morning, before dew falls.
3. Clean as dry as possible, without rinsing with water.
4. Dry wet strawberries well before freezing.
5. Place the berries in containers so that there is a gap between them.
6. Avoid temperature changes during frozen storage.
7. Do not re-freeze fruits.

It is not recommended to keep strawberries in water for a long time - the fruit quickly absorbs moisture, which is quite difficult to remove. Usually, the consequence of soaking garden strawberries is sticking and freezing of the workpiece.

Collection and preparation of berries for freezing

The time for picking strawberries depends on the type of berry. Most often this is the beginning of June. Determining maturity is not difficult. The fruit should be completely red, without green spaces, and firm to the touch.

You need to pick berries every day.

To extend the shelf life of fresh strawberries, you need to remove them with the stalk, so the fruit stays dry longer and does not become moldy.

It is better to put garden strawberries in cardboard or wooden boxes - they allow air to pass through.

Preparing berries for freezing:

1. The harvest is sorted, the stalks and sepals are removed.
2. Remove sand and dirt with a wide soft brush so as not to damage the fruit.
3. If necessary, rinse under running cool water.
4. Dry on a paper towel.

Methods for freezing strawberries at home

You can freeze fruits in any convenient way. Typically, the preparation technique depends on the subsequent application.

Entirely

Most often, garden strawberries are frozen whole. The correct way to do this is by dry freezing:

1. Ripe fruits are cleaned of leaves, stalks and sand.
2. If necessary, wash and dry.
3. Place the strawberries on a tray or large dish covered with a plastic bag or film.
4. Freeze in the freezer unopened.

After complete freezing, garden strawberries are placed in a bag or plastic container.

In halves

You can freeze strawberries cut in half. The processing principle is the same as when harvesting whole berries. The halves are laid out cut side up and frozen for 2-3 hours. Hardened fruits are packaged in bags or containers.

Strawberry puree

To prepare strawberry puree, use overripe, bruised or large berries:

1. The fruits are washed and cleared of debris.
2. Grind in a blender.
3. Add sugar - 100-200 g per kilogram of berries.
4. The resulting mass is distributed into disposable cups and frozen.

This berry can be used as an independent dessert. You can add honey, cinnamon or other fruits to change the taste. Before use, the puree is slightly defrosted.

With granulated sugar

You can prepare berries with granulated sugar without grinding them to a soft mass. Strawberries of the same size are placed in containers and sprinkled with a layer of sugar. Alternate layers until the container is completely filled. Shake slightly and freeze.

With syrup

A delicious dessert would be berries frozen in sweet syrup:

1. Place the peeled berries in a container in several layers.
2. Prepare sugar syrup at a ratio of 4:1.
3. Cool the liquid and pour over the berries, let it brew for 20-30 minutes, and freeze.

The shelf life of such preparations is slightly shorter and is 6 months.

In the ice

Strawberries frozen in ice are used to decorate and cool drinks or desserts at the same time. In cosmetology, such berries are good to use instead of facial tonic.

To prepare, strawberries are crushed and placed in ice cube trays. Fill with cold boiled water and place in the freezer.

Whole strawberries in strawberry puree

You can also add whole berries to strawberry puree. Before freezing, the fruits of garden strawberries are dipped into the sweet fruit mass and gently mixed.

You can freeze the product not only in cups, but also in any convenient molds or small jars.

Defrosting rules

You need to defrost garden strawberries slowly, gradually increasing the temperature. Initially, the container with the workpiece is placed in the refrigerator for 30-40 minutes. Then the berries can be removed and continued thawing at room temperature.

Usually the process takes 1-2 hours.

Accelerating the process using a microwave oven or hot water is not recommended; such a berry will quickly lose its shape and a lot of useful substances. Strawberries do not need to be defrosted if their appearance is not important for preparing the dish.

Shelf life of frozen strawberries

The shelf life of the frozen product is 6-9 months at a temperature in the chamber from -18 to -25 degrees. Humidity in the cooling unit is 90-95%.

At higher temperatures, frozen strawberries should be consumed within 1-2 weeks.

During storage, it is important to avoid defrosting, otherwise the strawberries give juice, which, when re-frozen, turns the workpiece into a lump.