Recently, more and more housewives prefer to freeze berries for the winter and store them in the freezer. And this is not surprising, because with this method of storage, the berries practically do not lose their original appearance, and also retain their taste and vitamins as much as possible.
Before freezing the berries, it is required to sort out and remove debris and low-quality fruits. Next, the berries need to be washed (if they are collected from their site, and during cultivation they were not subjected to chemical treatments, then this stage can be skipped), then dry, spreading on a cotton cloth in one layer, and leave for 30-40 minutes in a ventilated room …
After the berries have dried, they must be laid out in special bags or containers for freezing, packed hermetically, placed in the freezer section separately from other products (especially seafood, for example, fish). After the work done, you need to turn on the freezer to the minimum temperature for about a couple of hours. In this way, the berries will freeze quickly and at the same time retain the maximum amount of vitamins.
For freezing berries that have lost their shape, for example, slightly crumpled cherries, cherries from which the seeds have been extracted, you can use the "sweet" freezing method. The berries must be rolled in powdered sugar or sand, wait until the juice is released, then put them in containers and freeze at the minimum temperature of the freezer. This method of freezing allows not only to preserve the shape of the berries, but also to advantageously emphasize their taste in subsequent use.
As for the shelf life of frozen berries, many species, for example lingonberries, cranberries, cherries, cherries, chokeberries, can be stored for up to a year at temperatures from -8 to -12 degrees, but raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries, blueberries - only seven to eight months. Do not freeze red and white currants, all types of grapes, since freezing negatively affects their taste.
