How to freeze cherries for the winter in the refrigerator: shelf life with photo

Everyone wants to keep their cherries fresh longer. For this, different methods of freezing are used. In order for the berries to retain all their beneficial properties and appetizing appearance, you need to follow some simple conditions. Next, consider how you can freeze cherries.

Can I freeze cherries for the winter?

Cherry can be frozen. But you should pay attention to the variety of berries and the effect of low temperatures on their pulp. All varieties of cherries are divided into two types: Moreli and Amoreli.

The former have a more sour taste and dark fruits:

Shubinka;
Love;
Griot;
Vladimirskaya;
Anadolskaya;
Zhukovskaya.

When frozen, these berries do not lose their taste or aroma. The flesh remains the same rich color as fresh. Amorelli (Melitopol Dessert, Shpanka, Pink Amorel) have pink or light red flesh and a sweeter taste.

Important! In winter, cherry will become an additional source of vitamin C. It also contains vitamins A, B, PP, K and E, mineral s alts and organic acids. People with cardiovascular disease will help make up for the deficiency of potassium, magnesium and folic acid.

Product selection and preparation

It is best to freeze freshly picked berries, so they will retain all the vitamins. It is recommended to choose only ripe cherries (in unripe or overripe there will be neither benefit nor pleasant taste).No need to wash the berries in warm (and even more hot) water. Only in the cold. Allow them to dry thoroughly before freezing. The most optimal temperature is from -18 to -23 ˚C. In this mode, the berries are stored for up to 8 or 12 months.

Preparing the freezer

The freezer must be perfectly clean. It is very convenient to use refrigerators with a superfreeze function. This mode should be activated about 5 hours before you plan to freeze fruit.

If you need to defrost the refrigerator, you need to ensure that the containers with berries do not thaw. To do this, wrap the containers in burlap with a wadded layer or old blankets. This will prevent the loss of cold.

Advice! In ordinary plastic bags, berries can be severely deformed.It is better to freeze them immediately on a tray or on a flat dish, and then pack them into bags, tightly tying them. Also suitable are baking trays lined with parchment paper. But it is worth remembering that cherries have the ability to absorb foreign odors.

Ways to freeze cherries at home

The method of freezing depends on how you plan to dispose of the cherry later. If she goes to stuffing for confectionery, it is better to get rid of the seeds before freezing. If compotes, jelly or jelly are cooked from it, the bones can be left. This will make the berries more juicy.

With sugar

Whole berries should be washed and dried well. After that, they must be put in a container for freezing, sprinkled with sugar in layers, closed and put in the freezer. In the case when pitted fruits are harvested in this way, after removing the latter, the blanks should be left for a while so that the juice drains from them, and only after that can they be sprinkled with sugar.

With bone

To properly freeze pitted cherries, dry berries should be laid out in one layer right in the freezer and frozen. Then distribute into containers and send back to the freezer. If you immediately pack the berries in a container, they will stick together into one ugly lump, and upon subsequent defrosting they will have an unsightly appearance. Cherries are only good for the next 6 (subject to all rules) 8 months.

Bitted

Seedless berries are also best frozen by the dry method. Arrange on cutting boards, sprinkle with sugar on top and send to the freezer. Then do as described above. When packaging in plastic bowls, alternate a ball of berries with a layer of granulated sugar.

Advice! If the family loves compotes, you can freeze assorted berries. So the taste of the drink will be more interesting and richer.

You can combine cherries with currants, blackberries, raspberries or strawberries. This method is also convenient because the berries do not need to be thawed before cooking.

In sugar syrup

Great solution for those with a sweet tooth. To do this, pour a liter of water into a saucepan and pour 1.5 kg of granulated sugar. Simmer over heat, stirring until all sugar is completely dissolved. Remove the syrup from the stove and let it cool. In the meantime, washed pitted cherries must be decomposed into portioned containers. Fill completely with cooled syrup. It takes 2 hours for the berries to soak in sugar. Can be frozen.

For cocktails

For those who like to pamper themselves and loved ones with delicious cocktails, this method will appeal to you. In addition, the berries will look amazing, as if they are placed in transparent glass.

You need to wash the ice molds and wipe them dry. Put one cherry in each cell and pour boiled water at room temperature. Cover the molds with lids (if there are none, regular cling film will do). The water should freeze completely.

Cherry Puree

Option one

You can achieve the desired consistency using a meat grinder, sieve or blender (a mixer is also suitable). A little sugar will go: 200-300 g for 1 kg of berries. He must melt. Spread the resulting mixture into serving bowls and put in the freezer.

Second option

Separate the third part from one kilogram of washed dry pitted cherries. Grind this portion to a puree state. Mix with sugar. The crystals should dissolve. Put whole berries on the bottom of plastic containers and pour over the puree. Product is ready to be frozen.

Third option

Puree with cherries and raspberries is fragrant and he althy. Remove the pits from the washed and dry cherries. Carefully sort out the raspberries and make a homogeneous mass out of them. Add granulated sugar to it (1 kg of the mixture will go ½ kg of sugar). Place the cherries at the bottom of a plastic dish and pour over the raspberry puree. Close the lid tightly and rearrange in the freezer.

Can frozen cherries be canned?

Properly frozen berries will remain whole, but may be slightly deformed after thawing. This is the only moment that can affect the desire of the hostess to prepare preservation. Otherwise, there are no restrictions. Frozen cherries can be useful both for making compote and jam.

Further storage

Before freezing, divide the cherries into separate portions of a maximum of half a kilogram. You can use plastic cups or containers with lids as containers.

For storage, you can use special bags with a vacuum fastener. It is easy to spread the berries in them in one thin layer. So they do not choke and keep their shape. Be sure to release the air from the bag, otherwise the shelf life of the cherry will be drastically reduced. To save space, stack the bags in the freezer on top of each other.

How long frozen berries last

Seedless cherries can be stored indefinitely. But whole - a special issue. It is believed that the bones secrete hydrocyanic acid over time. Therefore, it is recommended to reduce the storage period to a year.

Defrost Rules

It seems that there should be no problem with this process. But it's not. It also has its own specifics. It is often a pity for housewives to spend a lot of time on such a simple matter. In the course is a microwave, defrosting in warm water and other quick methods that do more harm than good.

Under the influence of a sharp contrast of temperatures, vitamins and useful microelements are destroyed. The skin of the berries can burst, the pulp loses its elasticity and precious juice. From this, the fruits become shriveled and change their shape. Such fruits will not bring any benefit, and there will be little aesthetic pleasure from eating them.

Easier with berries that were harvested for compotes and other drinks. From the freezer, you can immediately transfer them to the pan and start cooking.

Advice! Frozen cherries are eaten in the same way as fresh cherries. From it cook jam, jams, compotes. Perfectly suited as a filling for pies and dumplings, it decorates cakes and pastries. A delicate dessert will turn out from whipped cottage cheese with the addition of cherries. You can safely prepare various tinctures, as well as interesting sauces for meat dishes.

And if you want to eat whole cherries or add them to your favorite yogurt, you need to take them out of the freezer a day before eating. The fruit container is moved from the chamber to the top shelf of the refrigerator. The temperature is higher there, but still not the same as indoors. This is the most correct decision. Also used before making mousses or jellies.

And if you bake a cake? Here it is necessary to make a reservation. For all types of dough, except for biscuits and casseroles, berries without defrosting are suitable. Biscuit dough will not work if moisture drops get into it, and the casserole may not be baked. Having frozen cherries on the table in winter is a great success. With their help, you can cook much more interesting dishes and please your family with the taste of a sunny summer.