Freezing Fruit

 

I love the idea of preserving fresh produce.  If I had all the time in the world, I would stay home to can, pickle, jam and preserve to my heart’s content.  The reality is that I'm lucky if I make it home from work in time to pick the tomatoes before they fall off the vines and walk the dogs before I go to bed.  A majority of my fresh, seasonal produce is eaten standing in the garden or leaning over the sink.  If I'm feeling really spunky, I'll make a salad or a quick sauté.  Therefore, my dreams of elaborate food preservation are mostly that - dreams.  However, there is a quick produce preservation technique for which even I can find time: individually freezing berries and fruit.            

Individually frozen fruit is easy to measure out and use throughout the season.  It will lose some of its texture when it thaws but the flavor will remain fresh and vibrant.  If you don’t like the softer texture of the previously frozen fruit, use it in cooked recipes, smoothies or sorbets.  This technique works well for blueberries as well as raspberries, strawberries, peaches and other soft fruits.  You can cut larger fruit into pieces before freezing.              

First, find your produce.  You can harvest your own fruit, visit a pick-your-own-farm or make arrangements to pick up a bulk order of produce at your local farmers’ market.  I made arrangements with a vendor at the farmers’ market to pick up ten pounds of blueberries one afternoon.  This way, I could get all my berries frozen and out of the way in one day.       

Pick out any leaves, stems, unripe or overly ripe fruit. There is very little waste if you process your fruit quickly.  If you are using larger fruit, cut it into smaller pieces. 

Spread the fruit in a single layer on cookie sheets. Place the sheets in the freezer until the fruit is frozen solid (usually just a couple of hours).

Transfer the frozen fruit into heavy-duty freezer bags, squeeze out as much air as possible, seal and return them immediately to the freezer.

The individually frozen fruit will be easy to scoop or pour out as needed.

Frozen blueberries can be used in the same ways that you would fresh berries. Pies, cobblers, muffins, pancakes, and oatmeal are among my favorite ways to enjoy them.  Frozen fruits of all sorts are very versatile.  Consider the following ideas for using frozen fruit:

·      Substitute for fresh fruit in pies, cobblers or crisps

·      Add to pancakes or muffins (don’t thaw them or the juices will bleed through the batter)

·      Use in smoothies, sorbets or ice cream

·      Frozen fruit (especially grapes) makes a neat replacement for ice cubes in beverages or a tasty, refreshing snack eaten straight from the freezer

This technique for individually frozen fruit is quick, easy and versatile.  Don’t miss out on your chance to preserve fresh produce for use through out the year.