How to Freeze Berries

Claudia has been writing recipes online for many years. She enjoys coming up with unique and tasty dishes, especially sweet treats.

Every year when summer rolls around you'll find me picking berries. I hit the local orchards with fervor and come home with pounds of fresh fruit.

The problem is that my family can't eat all the delicious berries I pick so I have to freeze them. The nice thing about that is that I have berries all year round and don't have to pay outrageous amounts for those small bags of frozen fruit in the grocery stores.

Freezing berries is surprisingly simple. It doesn't take much time and there are only a few steps to follow.

If you don't want to or are unable to pick your own berries, most orchards sell them already picked. You can also stop by a roadside market or, if you are lucky and your grocery store sells local farm produce like mine does in the summer, you can pick some fruit up there.

So go out, pick some wonderfully fresh berries, and freeze them.

Types of berries

Step 1: Rinse and Clean the Berries

Place the berries in a colander and gently rinse them under cold water. Pick out and discard any stems, bad berries, or other dirt.

Remember to remove the hulls from strawberries before freezing them.

Step 2: Prepare Berries for Freezing

1. Cover baking trays with paper towels and lay the rinsed berries out in one layer.
2. Pat dry.
3. Place tray(s) in the freezer and freeze berries.

Step 3: Transfer Frozen Berries to Bags

Once the berries are frozen on the trays, transfer them to heavy duty airtight freezer bags. Try to push out as much air as possible before sealing.

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Remember to label them with the date that they were frozen.

Place the bags in the freezer. The berries should be good for 6 months in the freezer.

What to Do With Your Frozen Berries

Frozen berries can be used for all sorts of things.

• Smoothies
• Breads, cakes, pies, pancakes, waffles and muffins
• Fruit sauces
• Jams and jellies
• Snacks
• Juice
• Fruit salsa
• Fruit salad
• Ice cream

Nutritional Information for a Variety of Berries

A few recipes that you can use your frozen berries in:

Easy Berry Smoothie Recipe

Ingredients

• 6 ounces vanilla yogurt
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 2 cups frozen berries, any combination

Instructions

1. Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth.
2. If it's too thick, add a tablespoon of orange juice at a time until you get the desired consistency.
3. Serve immediately. Because the berries are frozen, the smoothie will have a nice thick texture.

Easy Berry Fruit Salsa Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup blueberries, thawed and rinsed
• 1/2 cup strawberries, thawed and chopped
• 1/2 cup blackberries, thawed and rinsed
• 1/2 cup raspberries, thawed and rinsed
• Juice of 1/2 a lemon
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh mint, finely minced

Instructions:

1. Clean and rinse the fruit. Place in a bowl and set aside.
2. In another bowl, mix together lemon juice, sugar, and mint. Crush the mint leaves while mixing. Once sugar is dissolved, pour mixture over fruit and gently mix together.
3. Refrigerate for at least one hour.

Other Delicious and Easy Fruit Recipes

• How to Make a Fruit Coulis: A fancy name for a very simple, fresh and delicious fruit sauce. It's hard to beat this one.
• Strawberry Banana Milkshake Recipe: When I came up with this recipe I had no idea bananas were considered berries. So botanically speaking this is a berry milkshake!
• Blueberry Rhubarb Coffee Cake Recipe: This one uses blueberries straight out of the freezer and it's one of the best coffee cakes I've ever had.
• Berry Upside-Down Cake Recipe: This is a compilation of 20 recipes, and you'll find a few berry upside down-cake versions that are all delicious!

© 2015 Claudia Mitchell