Berries are a source of vitamins. They can be eaten fresh, used to decorate various dishes, or harvested for the winter. Many housewives choose a freezing procedure to preserve berries for the winter.
In frozen products, vitamins can be stored in greater quantities than in conservation. With the help of freezers, the freezing procedure can be carried out without any problems.
What is the use of products
With proper freezing of berries and observance of storage conditions, both benefits and an attractive appearance can be preserved. The value of products decreases during freezing, but only slightly. Carotene, vitamins B1 and B2 are preserved, almost all vitamin C remains.
Frozen berries have much less harmful substances when compared to fresh ones. With an exacerbation of viral diseases, vitamin deficiency, the use of such products can seriously help out. When they are included in the diet, it is possible to obtain a sufficient amount of nutrients of natural origin.
How to prepare a berry for freezing
There are certain rules for preparing berries for freezing. Only ripe, undamaged fruits with no rot are suitable for this procedure. It is best to place the berries in the freezer no later than a couple of hours after picking. This improves the quality of the finished product.
You must first remove the leaves, seed nests and stalks. Soft berries should be handled as carefully as possible so as not to wrinkle. Before being placed in the freezer, the fruit should be washed and dried well. To remove excess moisture, you can use paper towels, on which the berries are laid out after rinsing.
For storage of frozen products, you can use plastic containers and disposable plastic bags that have not been used.
Freezing containers should be small in size. This helps to speed up the process, and it is also more convenient to create portions that are convenient for later defrosting. The optimal amount per serving is 600-700 g. The containers should be well dried before pouring berries into them, the air is released from them. It is recommended to sign opaque packages.
How to freeze different berries
Strawberries for freezing should be ripe, large, without damage. The berries must be thoroughly washed, put on a tray and dried before freezing. Soft fruits can be sprinkled with sugar and placed in portion forms, then placed in the chamber.
Strawberries can also be covered with sugar or syrup. After that, it should be kept in the refrigerator for a day, then mixed, distributed in prepared containers and sent to freeze.
Raspberries do not need to be rinsed before freezing - just cool them by placing them in containers. After 3-4 hours in the refrigerator, cover the edges of the containers with an overlapping foil, close the lids and put in the freezer.
For blackberries, you need to remove the stalks, sprinkle on a pallet made of cardboard and freeze on it in the chamber. After that, the berry is poured into bags, closed and put back into the freezer.
You can freeze currants without first laying them out on a platter - this berry is quite dense. It is immediately distributed into bags and placed in the freezer.
