How to keep gooseberries fresh for the winter: the best ways and timing

Summer is full of fresh fruits and berries. And you want to somehow save such gifts of nature for the winter period, so that in cold weather you can also feast on them. Many summer residents are wondering how to keep he althy gooseberries fresh for the winter so that they do not lose all their valuable properties. In this case, some tricks and knowledge will help.

What berries should be harvested for the winter?

Not every berry is suitable for harvesting. You need to know exactly how to store fresh gooseberries. Ripe berries can be either green or red. Their full maturity is determined by the spots that appear. The most useful are light and green varieties.

You should choose ripe, but at the same time firm, elastic berries. In no case should they be unripe or, conversely, already spoiled and cracked. You can determine the ripeness and suitability of gooseberries by touch. If the berry is too hard, then it is not yet fully ripe. But a very soft berry indicates overripeness. And it may seem already stale and even rotten. Storage of gooseberries in this case will be useless.

You need to select the gooseberry that remains elastic when pressed, but at the same time has spots on the surface, indicating its ripeness. When the task is to store this berry for a long time, then it is better to take the gooseberry immediately with the stalks.

Preparing gooseberries for long-term storage

Having collected the gooseberries, it must be thoroughly dried.It is impossible that even particles of moisture remain on the surface of the berries. Dry gooseberries will avoid the process of suppuration, as well as damage to the fetus itself. To dry the berries, they should be left for a while in a cool place, but which is well ventilated. The period of such storage should not exceed two days.

The process of preparing berries is as follows:

First, suitable fruits with an elastic body and the presence of a stalk are selected.
It is recommended to collect gooseberries in the morning, but when the dew has already evaporated.
For dry frosts, it is better to take gooseberries with a dense skin, but with a thin one they are suitable for making mashed potatoes, which is also frozen.
Before storage, all debris must be removed from the berries. Then they are washed and dried on a cotton towel.

What containers are best for storing fruits

Choose containers for storing gooseberries should be based on the form in which the berry will be stored. The container must be portioned. Small bags or plastic containers are best.

To neatly distribute the berries into bags, they must first be placed on a tray for several hours and put in the freezer. And then put the frozen fruits in packages.

If the fruits are frozen in containers, then the first two days the container is not closed with lids, and the berries are regularly shaken. On the third day the containers can be closed.

Rules and terms of storage of fresh crops

Fresh harvest can be frozen, dried or try to store it in its original form in a cool room. If the berries are in the freezer at a humidity of 90%, with a temperature of about zero, then their freshness will last for two months.At temperatures below 3-6 degrees, gooseberries can be preserved for 6 months.

In room conditions

You can try to do without freezing and drying, leaving the fruit in a cool place. But in this state, they will not last very long. If the gooseberry is intact, then it can lie indoors for up to five days.

Unripe berries last longer. They can be stored at room conditions for up to ten days. However, it is important to place them in a container that can hold up to five liters.

In the fridge

While wondering how long gooseberries can be stored in the refrigerator, they can lie in their original form for about two weeks. Better in a paper bag or in a container that is covered with paper on top. The optimum temperature of the refrigerator compartment should be 5 degrees. You don't need to wash it first. In its original form, it will lie for about two weeks.

Freeze in the freezer

Freezing fruits is the easiest way to preserve berries for the winter. In this form, they will be able to preserve the maximum amount of useful minerals and vitamin substances. Moreover, the defrosted fruit can be used in various variations.

Before the freezing process, the berries should be sorted out. Be sure to remove rotten and spoiled fruits.

Gooseberry puree

It is convenient to freeze berries in the form of puree. It is necessary to take overripe fruits, which have a thin skin. Berries (one kilogram) are washed, the stalks are removed, and then they are whipped with a blender.

To the resulting mass is added 350 grams of sugar, everything is mixed and after an hour the puree is laid out in glass containers. It keeps well in the freezer.

In sugar

Fruits need to be sorted out, washed, dried on a towel. Then put the berries into a saucepan, cover them with sugar (400 grams of sand per kilogram of gooseberries). The components are mixed, the composition is laid out in plastic containers. They are closed with a tight lid and sent to the freezer.

In syrup

If the crop consists of already overripe fruits, then it is better to freeze it as a syrup. To do this, the berries are washed and dried. Then they are placed in a container. Syrup is made from water and sugar.

Gooseberries are laid out in containers, which are poured with chilled syrup. This should leave some free space to the edge of the container. The containers are closed with a lid and sent to the freezer.

Whole berries without sugar

Berries should be washed and allowed to dry. Then lay them out on a tray, which is pre-lined with food paper. The tray is put in the freezer for several hours. When the gooseberry freezes, it must be placed in portions in bags.

How to dry and preserve dried berries

Only ripe and whole fruits are suitable for the drying process. They need to be washed with water and cleaned of the stalks. Then they should be held over a steam bath, then spread out on a baking sheet and put in the oven. The temperature in the oven should be 30 degrees at first, and after 10 minutes it can be increased to 70 degrees.

During the drying process, the oven should be opened regularly, and the composition should be mixed. The gooseberries will dry for about seven hours. Then the fruits are poured into cloth or paper bags. You can eat them for two years.

Winter gooseberry preparations

A berry like gooseberry is ideal for winter harvesting. From it you can prepare various additives, mousses and sauces, jams and jams.

Gooseberry adjika

Adjika from gooseberries is prepared quickly and easily. For this you will need:

1 kilogram of green berries;
spoon of s alt;
300 grams of garlic;
a spoonful of coriander seeds;
10 hot peppers.

Ingredients are washed, passed through a meat grinder, mixed and laid out in small jars.

Gooseberry mousse with oranges

To prepare gooseberry mousse with citrus fruits, you need to take:

two small oranges;
1.5 kilograms of granulated sugar;
1 kilogram of fruit.

The berries are washed, the tails are removed, spoiled fruits are thrown away. Oranges at this time are also washed, doused with boiling water and cut into several pieces.

Then all the ingredients are passed through a meat grinder, sugar is added to them, the whole mass is beaten again with a blender. The finished mousse is laid out in sterile jars, closed with a lid. Store this product in the refrigerator.

Berry jam

Gooseberry jam is delicious. For its preparation you will need:

sugar;
water;
berries.

All components are taken in one kilogram and one liter. The fruits are first cleaned of tails and washed. Then they are covered with sugar and filled with water. The container is put on fire, the liquid is brought to a boil. Jam in a container is put in the refrigerator for one day.

A day later, it is already brought to a boil and put back in the refrigerator. Manipulations are repeated for seven days. When the pectin begins to stand out, the syrup will turn into jelly, and the fruits will retain their integrity.

Gooseberry sauces

From gooseberries you can cook interesting and aromatic sauces for meat, fish and other dishes. You can make garlic sauce. To do this, take:

1 kilogram of berries;
bunch of green dill;
300 grams of garlic.

All ingredients must be scrolled through a meat grinder, s alt. Ready sauce can be stored in the refrigerator in small jars. Gooseberry-based tkemali sauce will also be delicious. For its preparation, it is better to take sour gooseberries. Fruits (1 kilogram) are pre-washed, filled with water and boiled until they are completely softened. Then to the mass in crushed form is added:

a bunch of parsley, dill, basil, cilantro;
garlic head;
two little red peppers.

The resulting composition is kept on fire for 15 minutes, after which it is poured into jars.

Jelly jam

To make jelly jam you will need the following ingredients:

1 kilogram of elastic fruits;
170 grams of sugar;
1 glass of water;
vanilla stick;
100 grams of gelatin.

Berries are cleaned from ponytails and stalks, washed. At this time, sugar is poured with water and put on fire. When it is completely dissolved, gooseberries are added there. The mass is cooked for about 15 minutes.

When the composition has cooled, gelatin and vanilla are added to it. The mass is again put on fire. Hot jam is poured into jars.