How to keep blueberries fresh for the winter at home

In the summer, everyone starts preparing for winter, stocking up on gifts from the garden. It is customary to make various preparations. Let's figure out how best to save blueberries for the winter. Berries are widely stored fresh or frozen, compotes, preserves, marshmallows, jams are made. It is especially useful to prepare stocks of blueberries. The wild berry is famous for its sweet dessert taste, it is saturated with a mass of useful vitamins that increase immunity. Anyone who wants to enjoy blueberries in winter should familiarize themselves with the methods of storing them.

Best collection time for storage

Only fully ripe fruits can be stored.Pick berries 2-3 days before harvesting, usually the end of July or the beginning of August. Not fully ripe blueberries can also be harvested, but they will quickly lose most of the useful components, the taste will not be so rich.

Berry Selection Requirements

You can buy blueberries in the market, in a store or grow them yourself in the country. Before proceeding with its preparation, it is necessary to choose the right fruits and prepare them. To do this, follow the following tips:

• fruits must be whole, without damage - spots, traces of beetles;
• blueberries feel dense, strong, but not soft;
• with palpation, look so that the berries do not burst, do not wrinkle.

It is also important to properly prepare blueberries so that when frozen, they retain their taste, aroma and beneficial properties.

1. First select, leave only good berries. Damaged specimens should be disposed of or put into jam, jam, compote.
2. Rinse under cool but not hot water, spread on a flat surface.

Blueberries should be sorted out as soon as possible, then there is less chance that they will become moldy. When the fruits are dry, pack them in bags.

How to store fresh blueberries

Fresh blueberry bush is an amazing delicacy that you want to consume all year round. The best storage option is the natural way, without any processing.

How to keep fresh blueberries for a long time for the winter:

1. Selected berries in small quantities can be stored in the refrigerator, but do not waste time eating. If they lie for a long time, after 1-2 days, they will become moldy and disappear.
2. Frozen blueberries are stored for no more than 2 years. After two years, even frozen berries will lose their flavor.
3. Keep dried fruits in glass jars. The storage period is approximately 2 years. At the end of this time, blueberries will disappear.

The most popular method of storing blueberries is freezing.

How long do blueberries keep in the fridge?

Most modern models of refrigerators are equipped with the functionality of setting the optimum temperature for storing blueberries at 5 degrees Celsius. Sort the berries in the standard way, remove leaves and beetles, pour into a plastic container. It is not necessary to pour to the top, the container should close tightly. Place on the middle shelf against the wall, where they stay fresh for up to 1 week.

You can also pour blueberries with syrup, close the container tightly and put in the freezer compartment.

Ways to save strawberries for the winter

There are many ways to store blueberries. Among them, the following methods are distinguished:

• freeze;
• peeing in plain water;
• candied;
• preparation of jam, jam, marshmallow;
• oven drying.

Each technique is detailed below.

Freezing

The easiest way to save blueberries for a long time is by placing them in the freezer. Put the fruits in a plastic bagFirst, wash the berries, dry them naturally. In order for blueberries to retain all their beneficial properties and not turn into gruel, it is important to place them in the freezer only completely dry. Do not wash it with tap water, it is better to use a deep container. This will help prevent damage to the thin skin.

Water soaking

An unusual method of storing blueberries is soaking in water. Due to this technique, the berry remains fresh and he althy for about a year. It is necessary to prepare for soaking, because if the rules are violated, the fruits will deteriorate.

1. Pour peeled and washed berries into glass jars.
2. Pour boiled water to the top, it should be cold.
3. Boil the soaked berries over low heat for about 10 minutes, if we are talking about 0.5 liter jars. Boil liter containers for 20 minutes.
4. Close jars tightly or roll up.
5. Put upside down so that the lids are germ-free.

Save soaked blueberries in a dry, cool place. Cellar or upper freezer compartments will do.

Candied

To cook blueberries in your own juice, you only need fruits and the same amount of sugar. Rinse them in water, wait until the liquid drains. After that, cover with sugar so that it completely covers the wild berry, leave for 1 day in a cool room.This method of saving blueberries allows you to save a maximum of vitamins than with heat treatment. For a day, the berries will release juice, soak in sugar. It can be added less if you want to feast on not sugary blueberries. The next day, pour the fruits into jars, close the lids.

In the form of jam

Blueberries are widely harvested for the winter in the form of jam. It is impossible to save all the vitamins with this method, but you will be able to enjoy a delicious dessert.

The principle of making homemade jam:

• sort the berries, rinse, put on the bottom of the pan with 250 milliliters of water;
• set to boil, gradually add 850 grams of sugar to make a thick syrup;
• boil the mixture for 20 minutes;
• after, pour the jam into jars, roll up and put upside down.

When the prepared mixture has cooled to room temperature, place the jars in the cellar or refrigerator. This is a classic recipe for blueberry jam, but there are many more ways to make a delicious treat. Below is a jam recipe that takes 5 minutes to make.

You will need the following products:

• 180 grams of bee nectar;
• 2 tablespoons of rum.

Rinse the berries, put the dry fruits to boil. Stirring constantly, add honey and a bag of gelatin. Cook until boiling, about 5 minutes from the appearance of bubbles over low heat. At the last moment, add rum, turn off the fire. A mixture with a gelling component should not be boiled a priori for a long time, since pectin then loses its thickener properties. It is possible not to add gelatin, but then the jam will not be thick.

Method 2.

Five-minute jam is cooked differently:

• in equal proportions, take berries, sprinkle them with sugar and leave for a day;
• during this period, the crystals will dissolve, a sweetish syrup will appear.

Boil the mixture for 5 minutes. Due to the thick consistency, the jam can be used not only as a snack for tea, but also as a filling for muffins.

To preserve the maximum useful substances, taste, the volume of raw materials should not stay 6 glasses.

Then the berry will have time to cook in 5 minutes, without a significant loss of vitamins. Fill pre-prepared jars with the finished mixture, roll up with tin lids.

By drying

Blueberries can be harvested for the winter by drying. Use a special dryer for this, but a simple oven will do.

1. Spread the berries on a baking sheet in a thin layer, place in the oven.
2. Turn on at a temperature of 40-50 degrees, leave the door ajar.
3. Constantly check the condition of the fruit, mix if necessary.
4. Dry 1.5-2 hours, then another 1 hour at 60 degrees.

Store dried blueberries in an airtight container in the cellar or refrigerator. Can be eaten after 1 month.

Possible storage errors

Unknowingly, you can make a number of mistakes in storing blueberries. They lead to disastrous consequences.

1. When stored in the refrigerator, the berry is able to undergo a number of pathologies, including gray rot, anthracnose. Sometimes fruits just get moldy.
2. Dried blueberries can turn into overdried berries that can't be bitten. This happens when dried blueberries are stored not in the refrigerator, but in the kitchen.
3. Jam can get moldy if kept at room temperature in summer.
4. Frozen berries, washed with plenty of water and not dried, turn into porridge.

If you follow all the above storage conditions for blueberries, they will be kept safe and sound for a long time.

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