In the summer, there are a lot of seasonal fruits on sale - ripe, aromatic, of different varieties and at a low price. In the cold season, it is not so easy to buy them; the fruits are expensive, and their taste often leaves much to be desired. Luckily, there are ways to preserve summer fruits until next year. Find out how you can freeze fresh peaches for the winter so that they retain maximum flavor and beneficial properties.
Housewives freeze raspberries, strawberries, currants, and much less often peaches and nectarines.
There are concerns that after defrosting, the fruit will lose its shape and become overly soft and tasteless. To prevent this from happening, you must:
- carefully select fruits for freezing;
- observe all the nuances during the preparation process;
- choose the right containers.
Selection and preparation of fruits
Select only ripe fruits that are quite hard, not overripe, without dents, impact marks or damaged areas. It is better to put damaged and too soft peaches into jam or compote. If they are sour, this will only increase after freezing; choose sweeter varieties.
Be sure to thoroughly wash and dry the fruits. Inspect each one from all sides for damage. In different recipes, they are left whole or cut and the seeds removed, but, in any case, the fruit must be clean.
For the preparation, you need to take bags or containers suitable for the freezer, provided that they close tightly.
Recipes for freezing peaches at home
Depending on the variety and size of the fruit, your free time and other reasons, there are different freezing methods.
Whole peaches with pit
The simplest method is good for small fruits in which the stone is difficult to separate.
Wash the fruits and dry each one thoroughly. Wrap in clean white paper, bag tightly and store in the freezer.
Slices without skin
Such peaches are convenient to use for making desserts, baking or for decoration, while freezing itself requires more time and effort.
To quickly remove the skin, the fruit is blanched - dipped in boiling water for a short time. At the same time, the pulp remains fresh, and the skin comes off easily.
- Bring water to boil in a large saucepan.
- Wash the fruits and make a cross-shaped cut on the top of each.
- Place the peaches in boiling water for 30 seconds until each one is completely covered.
- Separately, prepare a bowl with ice, pour some cold, clean water into it and place the blanched fruits. After a minute, take it out and place it on the board.
- Now the skins of the peaches will be easy to remove. Peel them and cut them into slices.
- Place the slices on a silicone mat or parchment paper, cover with cling film and place in the freezer for 6-8 hours or overnight.
- After this time, remove the frozen wedges and store them in an airtight container where they can be stored all winter.
It is better to defrost the slices in the refrigerator if it is important for you that they retain their shape as much as possible.
With parchment
Sheets of parchment paper will help you freeze the peaches properly in layers in deep containers.
Wash and dry the fruits. Cut in half, remove seeds. The flesh of peaches quickly darkens in air; to prevent this from happening, sprinkle the cuts with diluted lemon juice or a weak solution of citric acid. This step is not necessary, since the effect of darkening is only external and does not affect the taste of the fruit in any way.
Cut out shapes from parchment to fit the inside of the container. Place a layer of peaches at the bottom, cut side up, cover with parchment, then another layer, and so on until the top of the container. Cover tightly and freeze.
Peaches in bulk
You can freeze slices, halves or random pieces of fruit along with the skin. For this:
- Rinse and dry the fruits well.
- Remove the seeds. Cut into desired size pieces. You can sprinkle them with a solution of lemon juice.
- Place the slices on a board covered with parchment or on a silicone mat. Cover with cling film or place in a bag and tie it. Leave it in the freezer overnight.
- Remove the fruit, place it in bags or containers, seal tightly and place back in the freezer.
With sugar
Frozen fruits and berries are usually used to prepare some dishes or eaten in combination with other products, such as cottage cheese. If you plan to use peaches for baking, drinks and desserts, you can prepare them with sugar. This natural preservative guarantees the quality of the fruit after defrosting and simplifies subsequent cooking.
You can freeze peeled slices with sugar; to do this, you need to wash and dry the fruit, separate the pulp from the seeds and cut into slices of the desired size. You can remove the skins using the boiling method from the “Skinless Slices” freezing recipe.
Place the chopped slices in bags or containers and sprinkle the layers with sugar. Pack the containers tightly and place in the freezer.
In syrup
Peaches frozen in sugar syrup make a good filling for sponge cakes. Even soft, overripe specimens are suitable for this harvesting method.
You will need:
- a solution of 100 milliliters of lemon juice and 900 milliliters of water;
- 1 kilogram of peaches or nectarines;
- 300 grams of sugar;
- 1 liter of water;
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice or a pinch of citric acid.
Preparation:
- Cut clean fruits into slices and dip them in a solution of lemon juice.
- Boil the syrup - pour sugar into a saucepan, add water, bring to a boil and simmer over low heat until the liquid begins to thicken. No need to stir! Add lemon juice or acid, remove from heat.
- Prepare small containers for freezing - it is better to consume the finished product at one time.
- Place peach slices in each container and fill with syrup. The total volume of the workpiece should not exceed 3/4 of the container, since at sub-zero temperatures the volume of liquid increases.
- Place containers of peaches in syrup in the freezer.
Peach puree
For the winter, not only parts of whole fruits are frozen, but also peach puree. It takes up less space in the chamber and is suitable for preparing desserts or feeding small children.
Make a cross-shaped cut on each peach. Blanch the fruits for 1 minute in boiling water, then plunge into ice water. Remove the skin from them and cut into slices.
Grind the pieces into puree using a blender. You can add sugar - 100 grams per 1 kilogram of fruit. Pour the finished puree into plastic containers not to the very top, close tightly and place in the freezer.
Purees can also be frozen in bags, provided that they are hermetically sealed. The packages must be folded horizontally; After, when the product is frozen, it can be stored as convenient.
Further storage
The usual temperature of the refrigerator freezer is about -18 degrees. In such conditions, peaches can be stored for 6-8 months. After this time, they will not deteriorate, but will gradually begin to lose their taste, aroma and benefits. After a year, fruits should not be stored.
Frozen fruits easily absorb odors, so it is recommended to keep them tightly closed, if possible in separate boxes, or simply away from herbs and semi-finished fish.
There is probably not a single person who does not like peaches. The only pity is that the peach is a heat-loving plant and in the cold season you won’t find it during the day!
But peaches are not only tasty, but also healthy.
Useful properties of peaches
- Peaches contain glucose, sugars, fructose, pectins, malic, citric and tartaric acid.
- Peaches are rich in vitamins C, B, A.
- Thanks to peaches, fatty foods are digested faster.
- Peach juice is recommended for heart rhythm disorders, stomach diseases, low acidity, and constipation.
- Peaches, especially unfruited nectarines, are rich in compounds of phosphorus, potassium, sodium, magnesium, sulfur, iron, and silicon.
What peaches can be frozen
Ripe, but not soft, peaches are suitable for freezing. The taste of the peaches matters too. After all, if fresh peaches are sour, tasteless or bitter, then frozen these qualities will only intensify.
For example, the Kyiv early variety has good taste and juicy pulp. But when overripe, these peaches become bitter. And the bone is difficult to separate from the pulp.
American peaches of the Beautiful variety (Belle of Georgia) have medium-dense white flesh with a high sugar content. The pits of these peaches are well separated from the pulp.
Elberta peaches differ from others in appearance. They are very hairy, so it is recommended to remove the skin before freezing.
The Yubileiny peach variety is considered a dessert canning variety. It has white, dense, cartilaginous flesh, which also has good taste.
Preparing Peaches for Freezing
Hungry peaches - nectarines - are washed in cold water, laid out on a towel and dried, carefully blotting with paper napkins.
- It is advisable to remove the skin from pubescent peaches. To do this, a cross-shaped cut is made on the skin of the peach, then they are lowered one by one using a slotted spoon into boiling water for a few seconds, and then immediately placed in cold water. Remove the skin quickly.
- Then cut the peaches in half with a sharp knife and remove the pit.
- The halves are cut into slices or left as is.
- The flesh of peaches often darkens when exposed to air. To prevent this from happening, pieces of peaches are immediately dipped into acidified water (10 grams of citric acid per 1 liter of water) and kept for about a minute. Then they put it on a sieve and wait until all the water has drained.
How to Freeze Peaches Sliced Without Skin
- The peach slices are laid out on a tray covered with parchment or polyethylene so that they do not touch each other.
- The tray is placed in the freezer for several hours. During this time, the peach pieces will harden.
- Frozen peaches are packaged in portions in bags, without fear that they will stick together, and put in the freezer.
How to freeze nectarine halves
- Nectarines are washed and carefully dried with paper napkins.
- The fruits are cut with a sharp knife and the pit is removed.
- If the slight darkening of the peach pulp does not bother you, then the peaches do not need to be processed in a solution of citric acid. Moreover, it is not shown to everyone. Some housewives use ascorbic acid or even aspirin instead of citric acid. But aspirin is a medicine, and even in small concentrations it can cause unpleasant consequences. Therefore, it is best to leave the peaches in their natural state.
- So... The nectarine halves are laid out on a tray with the flesh up at a short distance from each other and sent to the freezer for initial freezing.
- Then the frozen peaches are packed in plastic bags, the air is released from them, tied and put in the freezer.
How to freeze peaches with sugar
- Prepared peaches are cut into slices and placed in plastic containers, sprinkling each layer with a small amount of sugar.
- Then cover tightly with lids and remove for freezing.
How to Freeze Peaches in Sugar Syrup
Peaches that are slightly overripe or have released juice during slicing are suitable for freezing in syrup.
- First, prepare syrup at the rate of 300-400 grams of sugar per 600 ml of water.
- Sliced peaches (with or without skin, treated with citric acid or in their original form) are placed in small containers and poured with syrup, leaving 1 cm to the edge.
- The peaches are kept in syrup for several hours (if you don’t have time, you can skip this moment), cover with lids and place in the freezer.
How to freeze peach puree
If the peaches are overripe and not suitable for freezing in slices, they can be frozen as a puree.
- Clean peaches are pitted.
- If the peaches are pubescent, then you must remove the skin before doing this.
- Then the peaches are crushed in a blender, sugar is added to taste and poured into portioned containers.
- The containers are covered with lids or tied with polyethylene and placed in the freezer.
How to Freeze Whole Peaches (Nectarines)
If the nectarines are strong, undamaged and sweet, you can freeze them whole.
Some housewives wrap clean and well-dried peaches in white paper - each peach separately. Then the peaches packaged in this way are placed in a plastic bag and placed in the freezer. Housewives believe that after defrosting slowly in the refrigerator, and not completely, such peaches are no worse than fresh ones.
How to defrost peaches
Peaches are defrosted in the same way as any frozen product - in the refrigerator or at room temperature, avoiding rapid defrosting.
If pieces of peaches are needed for the filling, then it is better to use such peaches frozen.
Many housewives freeze fruits and vegetables for the winter, but not many of them freeze peaches. Thawed fruits can be used as dessert or eaten as fresh. Before freezing this fruit, you should familiarize yourself with the technology and rules of freezing, and then do everything correctly so that in the future the peach does not lose its taste.
Features of freezing peaches
To freeze peaches for the winter, it is worth purchasing fruits that are grown in the Kuban or Crimea. Such fruits are available for sale at the end of the summer, and at the beginning of summer only imported fruits are available on store shelves, which are mainly treated with chemicals for long-term storage.
Peach is a delicate fruit and must be handled with care as there is a high risk of damage to the fruit. Fruits that are damaged or rotten should not be frozen.
For this event, you should choose only ripe fruits, but not overripe ones. They should not taste bitter or acidic, because when frozen, such qualities are only enhanced. The appearance of the fruit also matters: some varieties of peaches have too thick skin that needs to be removed later.
To ensure that frozen peaches do not lose their nutritional and taste qualities after freezing, you must follow the rules when selecting and preparing fruit.
Fruit preparation is of utmost importance and consists of several basic operations.
- Regardless of the type of peach, the first step is to thoroughly wash them under running water. After that, they need to be laid out on a fabric that absorbs moisture and blotted with paper napkins.
- If you choose peaches with thick skin, it is recommended to remove it. For this purpose, you need to make an incision in the form of a cross on the skin of the fruit, and then, using a slotted spoon, lower the fruit into a boiling liquid and immediately transfer it to a cold one. Quickly remove the skin from the fruit.
- If you decide to freeze peaches in slices, then after removing the skin, you need to cut the fruit in half and remove the seed.
- Often, the flesh of fruits becomes dark in color when exposed to air, and to prevent this, certain actions should be taken. Pieces of peaches need to be dipped in acidified liquid and kept for about 60 seconds. In this case, 10 g of citric acid is required for 1 liter of water. Afterwards, you need to take out the fruits and place them on a sieve so that the water drains completely.
- To prepare fruit, you need to select special containers or bags that are designed for freezing fruit. The main thing is that the container closes tightly. This condition is mandatory, because peaches are able to absorb foreign odors emanating from nearby products.
Recipes for freezing peaches
Let's look at recipes for freezing peaches at home.
Whole fruits
Whole fruits without any damage are suitable for this procedure. Some housewives wrap each fruit in white paper, but paper towels can be used for this purpose. The wrapped fruit is placed in a plastic bag and placed in the freezer. To keep peaches fresh after defrosting, it is necessary to defrost the fruit gradually.
Peach puree
If you have fruits that are not suitable for freezing whole or sliced, then you can make puree from such fruits. This dish is perfect for feeding small children.
- First of all, wash the fruits in cold water.
- Pits and damaged areas are removed from peaches.
- Prepared fruits are ground in a blender to a puree consistency. If desired, you can add granulated sugar.
- The resulting mass is placed in special containers, which are then tied with polyethylene material and placed in the freezer. If you do not have such containers, you can replace them with plastic bottles.
With sugar
Prepared fruits are cut into slices or medium-sized cubes and placed in special containers in layers, with each layer sprinkled with granulated sugar. You should not chop the fruit too finely, because this product is mainly used after defrosting as a filling in the preparation of sweet pastries.
Special containers are closed with lids as tightly as possible and placed in the chamber.
In sugar syrup
This recipe requires overripe fruits or those that can release a large amount of juice when cut.
- First of all, prepare the syrup. In this case, 600 ml of liquid will require 300–400 g of granulated sugar. If desired, you can add citric acid. The proportions of the ingredients do not have to be observed; you can add sugar and citric acid to your taste.
- The chopped fruits are placed in special containers and filled with ready-made chilled syrup, but there should be free space (1 cm) left to the edge of the container. Otherwise, when freezing, the sugar solution may spill out of the container.
- The drenched fruit should be kept in syrup for several hours, and then placed in the freezer. According to reviews from housewives who have already frozen this fruit, you don’t have to soak the peaches in a sugar solution, but immediately put the containers with the fruit in the freezer.
Slices
- A special tray is covered with polyethylene material or parchment paper. Slices of fruit are placed on top so that they do not touch each other.
- The tray is placed in the freezer for 120 minutes so that the fruits have time to harden.
- Frozen fruits are placed in portioned bags and placed in the freezer.
There is another recipe for freezing peaches in slices, but only in this case the skin must be removed according to the instructions for preparing the fruit for freezing. It is recommended to remove the skin from whole fruits, and then cut the fruit into slices or slices.
Peach halves recipe
- The fruits are thoroughly washed and dried.
- Cut the peaches in half and remove the pits.
- You can treat the fruit pulp with citric acid to prevent it from acquiring a dark shade. To do this, you need to immerse the fruits in acidified liquid for 15–20 minutes. Some housewives do not carry out this procedure, but freeze the fruits in an unprocessed form.
- The fruit halves are placed on a tray, skin side down. There should be a distance (0.5 cm) between the stacked fruits. The tray of fruit is placed in the freezer for initial freezing for 120 minutes.
- Frozen fruits are placed into portioned bags and placed in the freezer for further storage.
Proper storage
In order for defrosted fruits to delight you with excellent taste, you must follow the rules for storing fruits in the freezer.
At temperatures from -6 to -12 degrees, peaches are stored for 6 months; if the temperature is below -12 degrees, the shelf life increases to 9 months. At the same time, during the storage period of fruits there should be no sudden changes in temperature, otherwise the fruits will either deteriorate or lose their taste.
To properly defrost fruits, slow defrosting should be carried out. You can defrost it either on the shelf in the refrigerator or at room temperature. It is forbidden to defrost fruits in hot water or in a microwave oven. Otherwise, not only the appearance of the peaches will deteriorate, but also a large amount of nutrients will be lost.
You will learn more about how to freeze peaches in the following video.
Before you freeze vegetables for the winter, you need to explore the capabilities of your refrigerator. After all, not every freezer can keep them in the right condition. The shelf life of frozen vegetables depends on the temperature, and you can recognize it by the number of stars on the door of your home “cold factory.” Here's what they mean:
- * -6C - 1-2 weeks
- ** -12C - 4-6 weeks
- *** -18C - up to 12 months
Before freezing, it is best to pack 200-500 g of vegetables and fruits in plastic bags or plastic containers with tight lids, leaving as little air inside as possible. Store tightly closed to prevent moisture from freezing out and foreign odors from being absorbed. It’s best if in these containers you can divide the food into small portions, so that in winter you don’t have to pick out the right amount from a frozen block.
It is impossible to defrost and re-freeze vegetables, fruits and berries, as this is not good for them. If your refrigerator requires defrosting, wrap the removed bags in a warm blanket to keep them cold until you turn the refrigerator back on.
Before freezing, products must be thoroughly washed and dried; after defrosting, they cannot be washed, as this will cause them to lose their beneficial properties. Cut them the way you prefer to cook them.
You can simply scatter the berries in a tray or cutting board in one layer, turn on the fast freezing mode, and then collect them in one bag.
It would be better to prepare for the process in advance by collecting various plastic containers from the winter. Or go to the store and look at trays with dividers and special freezer bags with clips.
Any vegetables must first be frozen in a thin layer, and then transferred to large bags. It would be a good idea to sign each package - the name, freezing date and shelf life.
It’s worth saying a few words about defrosting. Vegetables are not defrosted at all before cooking; they are added in the form in which you take them out of the refrigerator. The best way to defrost berries is by dipping the bag in hot water.
What vegetables can be frozen and how to do it
To ensure that we have vitamins on our table even in winter, various vegetables can be frozen. Of course, now even in winter you can buy tomatoes and cucumbers in the store, but what is their quality and price? Now we will tell you how to prepare all kinds of fruits and berries in this way. Only radishes, radishes and green salads should not be frozen. Even potatoes can be treated with cold. But is there any point in taking up precious space in the freezer?
How to freeze bell peppers
Bell peppers are most often frozen for the winter. You need to wash it, peel it from the stalk and seeds, cut it as you like, and put it in bags. Next, you need to flatten the bag a little so that the slices lie in a thin layer, and in this form put it in the freezer. You can also use containers.
How to freeze tomatoes
Tomatoes should also be washed well before freezing. For this, it is best to take finger or plum tomatoes. They and cherry tomatoes can be frozen whole by simply placing them in a single layer in a tray or tray, and then collecting them in a bag. Large tomatoes need to be cut into slices.
You can make puree from pink tomatoes, as well as from any others. Remove the skin and grind with a blender or grate on a coarse grater. You can put it in plastic yogurt cups, cover the top with film and tie it.
How to freeze cucumbers
Young tasty cucumbers with a diameter of 3-4 cm with small seeds are suitable for freezing. You can use them in salads in winter. Wash and cut into slices of about 2-3 mm, put in bags and freeze.
How to Freeze Broccoli and Cauliflower
Divide the broccoli into inflorescences, cutting off the tough stems, soak in salted water for half an hour so that there are no insect larvae left in it. Rinse, place in a pan of boiling water for three minutes, rinse with cold water and keep in it for 3 minutes. Now you can put it in a thin layer into bags and quickly freeze.
Remove the leaves from the cauliflower and divide it into small inflorescences, place them in salt water for half an hour. Blanch before freezing in boiling water for 3-5 minutes, adding a little salt and citric acid to the water. Rinse with cold water and place in a single row in bags in the freezer. If you want to freeze a whole forkful of cauliflower, place it in the freezer first without packaging, and then transfer it to a bag.
How to freeze green peas
Fresh peas, if you decide to freeze them for the winter, cannot be stored for more than a day after harvesting. Remove the pods and place them in boiling water for 30 seconds. Cool and freeze quickly in a single layer or the peas will stick together. Next, put into bags and store in the freezer.
Freezing eggplants
Wash the eggplants, dry and cut off the tails. Cut into slices 5 mm thick. Add salt and leave for half an hour to remove the bitterness. Rinse the juice with water and blanch in boiling water for 1-2 minutes. Place in cold water, hold for a while, and then dry on a towel. Place on a cutting board in a single layer and freeze for 3-4 hours. Next, put them in bags.
You can freeze baked eggplants. Keep the eggplants in the oven until soft, then peel the skin and cut off the stem. Place in bags, 2-3 pieces each, and freeze. Thawed eggplants can be immediately added to salads or caviar.
How to freeze sorrel
To freeze sorrel, wash its leaves and place in boiling water for 1 minute, cool, dry and place in bags.
How to freeze greens
In order to freeze herbs for the winter: parsley, dill, cilantro, you need to sort them out, rinse them and dry them with a paper towel. Next, chop and place into bags or portions into plastic cups or containers. You can sprinkle the chopped greens with salt before freezing.
To make herbal cubes, which are great for adding to soups and sauces, use ice cube trays. Chop the greens, you can immediately prepare a mixture of different varieties, place them tightly in containers and fill with water, put them in the freezer for several hours. If you need to prepare a lot of greens this way, remove the cubes and put them in bags.
In the same way, you can prepare herbs for tea - mint, raspberry leaves, currants.
How to freeze berries and fruits for the winter
Berries and fruits, unlike vegetables, can be frozen not only dry, but also in syrup or sprinkled with sugar. The fruits are stored for 8-12 months, no more. For freezing, it is best to use ziplock bags.
It is ideal to freeze fruits in the fast freezing mode, pouring the prepared ones layer by layer into bags. Unfortunately, this mode spoils the refrigerator, so we will indicate the time for normal cold treatment.
How to Freeze Peaches, Apricots and Plums
These fruits, when exposed to enzymes, darken and lose vitamin C. To preserve the taste and beneficial properties, it is best to do this by preparing peach puree or syrup. In their “dry” form, peaches can be frozen with or without pits.
When exposed to cold, these fruits often darken, so they need to be prepared first. You can peel the peach, or you don’t have to. Here is a way to prepare for the winter with aspirin. Ripe fruits, removing the pit, cut into slices. Grind aspirin (six tablets) and dissolve in a liter of water. Place the peach slices in it and leave it like that. Prepare a syrup from 4 parts water and 3 parts granulated sugar, add 3 more crushed aspirin tablets. Pour the syrup into plastic containers, place the peaches so that the syrup covers them completely and place in the freezer.
Without preservative, peach halves are poured with sugar syrup from 1 liter of water and 200 g of sugar. Store for no more than 10 months.
You can freeze peaches without sugar. Peel the fruit, cut into pieces and place in water acidified with lemon juice (1 part lemon juice to 4 parts water). Let the liquid drain in a colander and place in a single layer on a tray. Freeze for 6 hours, then transfer to bags.
Wash the apricots well, cut them lengthwise into two parts and remove the pits. Place in bags, seal and freeze overnight. Store for no more than 9 months. Plums are prepared in the same way.
How to freeze pears
Wash the fruit and cut the fruit into four parts. Remove the core. Bring half a liter of water with a glass of sugar to a boil and blanch the pears for 3 minutes. Place in containers, pour in enough syrup to cover the pear quarters and place in the freezer.
Pears can only be eaten in winter if they have been thermally treated. These can be various desserts, compotes, pastries. Frozen pears can be stored for no more than 8 months.
How to freeze strawberries
We will need ripe berries, without white and green tips, but not overripe. Strawberries need to be washed without soaking, dried and peeled. After this, place flat in a bag, tie well and freeze for a day. Frozen strawberries should not be stored longer than 8-9 months.
There is a way with sugar. Sprinkle clean, dry berries with sugar (150 g per kilogram of strawberries), stir until the granulated sugar dissolves. Place in a container and refrigerate.
How to freeze raspberries
Rinse the raspberries and dry well, placing them on paper towels in a single layer. The berries must be completely dry. Place in the freezer on a flat surface, also in one layer, for 24 hours. Next, place in bags or airtight containers and place in the freezer.
There is a way to freeze raspberries with sugar. Remove the stalks, wash the berries, dry them and put them in the freezer for about a day. Then place the berries tightly in a bag, add sugar (300 g per 1 kg of raspberries), shake to mix and tie. Place in the freezer and store for no more than a year.
How to freeze currants
Black and red currants (only ripe ones!) need to be peeled, rinsed and dried. Next, spread in a thin layer on plates, put in the freezer and freeze. If you want, you can add a little sugar (200g per kilo of berries). Next, collect the berries in bags, tie them tightly and put them in the freezer. In the same way you can prepare blueberries, blueberries, blackberries and gooseberries. They can be stored for up to a year.
How to freeze cherries
Cherry berries should be sorted, removing unripe and overripe berries, rinsed well in a colander, and dried with a paper towel. It is advisable to freeze these berries with seeds. Place sealed bags of cherries in the freezer and freeze. Store for no more than 9 months.
How to freeze watermelon
Before freezing watermelon, cut it into slices, remove the rinds and try to remove the seeds. Next, you can cut the pulp into cubes for convenience. Place in a single layer in a tray and place in the freezer. Keep in mind that watermelon expands when frozen, so do not place the cubes too close to each other. Once all pieces are well frozen, transfer to bags or containers. To prevent the watermelon from losing its sweetness, you can sprinkle it with sugar at the rate of 100 g per kilogram of pulp. Please note that watermelon is stored at a temperature no higher than -18 degrees.
How to freeze melon
Ripe melon is best frozen in syrup. Peel it, remove seeds, cut into slices or cubes. Boil syrup from a glass of water and 2 kg of sugar per 1 kg of melon, pour it over the slices and immediately place in the freezer.
Freezing food is a way of preserving food that has long been known to northern peoples. Meat or fish were dipped into water, hung in the cold so that an ice crust formed on their surface, and then buried in the snow. They could lie like that all winter.
Industrial freezing began in 1910 in the United States. However, it was only since the Second World War that it began to be used on a large scale. At first, they froze exclusively meat, then they began to freeze fruits, vegetables, eggs, and later - ready-made meals and semi-finished products.
In modern freezers, the process of freezing berries and fruits does not exceed several minutes. In industrial conditions, fruits and vegetables are frozen at temperatures of minus 35 ° C and below, and stored at temperatures from minus 18 to minus 35 ° C.
Freezing is the best, most advanced way of preserving berries, fruits and vegetables, which preserves their nutritional value and taste properties. Quick-frozen fruits and tomatoes are very useful as seasonal products.
How to freeze berries, fruits and vegetables for the winter at home; household refrigerators and freezers are used for this. In the freezing compartment, the minimum temperature can be set at minus 25-27 °C. The freezer in the storage compartment can maintain temperatures down to minus 18 °C. In the freezer compartment of a household refrigerator, you can set the temperature constant from minus 12 to minus 25 ° C. At these temperatures, fairly rapid and uniform freezing is achieved and frozen food can be stored for several months.
The quality of frozen products naturally depends on the quality of the raw materials. The time of harvesting fruits and vegetables also matters. The highest quality of the finished product is guaranteed if fruits and vegetables are frozen no later than two hours after harvesting. Frozen fruits and berries are usually used fresh, so they are collected at the stage of consumer ripeness. Vegetables for freezing are usually taken at the initial stage of ripeness with the expectation that they are subsequently subjected to culinary processing.
Preparing fruits and vegetables for freezing is no different from preparing them for other types of canning. First they sort, discarding the unsuitable, then they clean, removing the inedible parts:
(raspberries, strawberries) are best peeled after defrosting. All fruits and vegetables are thoroughly washed or rinsed with running water, then dried on sieves.
To inhibit the activity of enzymes and preserve the color of vegetables, they are blanched, that is, dipped in hot water at a temperature of 80-100 ° C, and then quickly dipped in cold water.
You can freeze fruits and vegetables in bulk, sprinkled with sugar, in sugar syrup, in the form of puree or juice.
The prepared raw materials, frozen in bulk, are laid out in one layer on a sieve or tray and placed in the freezer compartment for freezing. Frozen products are poured into plastic bags, tied and stored in this form.
Fruits and berries are often frozen mixed with sugar or in sugar syrup. When freezing with sugar, the berries are placed in a container and sprinkled with granulated sugar in layers. When freezing using the second method, 40-60% sugar syrup is prepared (the concentration depends on the acidity of the raw material). A more concentrated syrup slows down the freezing process. Prepared fruits and berries are placed in molds and filled with sugar syrup. If natural juice is used for filling, then it is pre-clarified and seasoned to taste with sugar and sometimes citric acid.
Due to the limited size of household refrigerators and freezers, frozen fruits and vegetables are stored mainly in briquettes and plastic bags. To obtain briquettes, use various, preferably rectangular, shapes, low tin cans with the lid removed, ice molds with the partitions removed, polymer boxes and jars of dairy products, boxes or cups made of waxed cardboard, etc. All molds should be small so that the food in them freezes quickly. To remove frozen briquettes from metal molds, place them in a plastic bag and hold them under running cold water for a few seconds. After this, the frozen briquette is immediately removed, wrapped in cellophane or plastic wrap and immediately stored.
When freezing in glass jars, we must not forget that when frozen, the product increases in volume, so you can fill the jars no more than 90%, otherwise they will burst.
All frozen foods are carefully packaged and sealed to prevent exposure to air. Poorly sealed food continuously releases moisture vapor, which condenses on the walls of the freezer, forming a snow coat. This means that the refrigerator needs to be turned off more often to defrost. Frequent shutdowns of the refrigerator make it difficult to maintain the quality of frozen foods - it is important to prevent them from defrosting. In winter, in order to prevent defrosting, immediately after turning off the refrigerator, all frozen food is removed and protected from loss of cold with any available materials. The easiest way out is to wrap the food in a thick blanket. A car refrigerator is also suitable for this purpose.
The shelf life of frozen food depends on the storage temperature. At a temperature of minus 6°C, frozen foods cannot be stored for more than 3-4 days. At minus 18 0C, frozen foods in household refrigerators and freezers can be stored for a longer time (see table). Products with traces of defrosting, and especially defrosted ones, are not suitable for further storage; they must be used immediately. If for any reason there are more defrosted products than can be consumed at one time, they should be subjected to heat treatment, cooled, and then frozen again .
It is very important to know how to properly defrost fruits and vegetables. The defrosting rules are generally the same for all frozen products - both industrial and home-made.
When defrosting food, do not allow air to enter it and juice to leak out. The easiest way is to place the product to be defrosted in an airtight package and immerse it in cold water. The duration of defrosting with this method does not exceed 30-45 minutes.
If packaged food is defrosted using a fan, the entire process will take about an hour. You can also defrost at room temperature, but although this process lasts only 2-3 hours, it has many negative sides. In fruits and vegetables that are thawed at 18-20 °C, the loss of vitamin C increases significantly,
Duration of storage of frozen fruits and vegetables in a household refrigerator or freezer
(at a temperature of minus 18 ° C)
Fruits and vegetables Duration
storage, months
Apricots, cherries 8-12
Currants, gooseberries, plums, rhubarb Up to 12
Raspberries, strawberries Green onions Up to 12
Green parsley 8-12
Tomatoes 3-6
Cauliflower 6-8
Green peas, beans 8-12
and the growth of microflora occurs almost 40 times faster than at 4°C. Berries lose a lot of juice with this method of defrosting.
It is best to defrost berries and fruits at 4 C. The entire defrosting process in this case lasts 5-8 hours. At home, this is easy to do if you place frozen foods on the lowest shelf of the refrigerator.
Fruits and berries can also be thawed by pouring cold sugar syrup over them. Boiling or heating leads to loss of juice and deterioration in product quality. Deformed fruits and berries are eaten on the same day.
Vegetables frozen fresh are not defrosted, but are immediately subjected to heat treatment. Before use, tomatoes are dipped in boiling water for a few seconds, the skin is removed and, until they are completely defrosted, cut into slices.
Frozen fruits and vegetables are used in almost the same way as fresh ones. Their advantage is that they are already prepared for culinary use. The cooking time for frozen vegetables is 2-3 times less than for fresh ones.
Today, many housewives are abandoning canning, which takes so much effort and time, in favor of freezing fruits and vegetables. Take peaches, for example. You can cook compote, preserves and jam. Or you can take a simpler route and, what is important, preserve all the vitamins!
Freezing peaches for the winter is an opportunity to prepare original desserts and enjoy the fruit all winter long. But we are used to freezing strawberries, raspberries, lemons and often wonder if it is possible to do the same with peaches. To remove the skin or not? Freeze in cubes or halves?
Ripe fruits are ideal. But they shouldn't be too soft. Pay attention to the taste, because it is also of great importance. The taste of bitter or sour fruits is only enhanced.
- The fruits of the Kyiv early variety are very juicy and soft. But the bone is difficult to separate from the pulp. If you preserve them, you will be surprised in winter - a bitter aftertaste.
- The Jubilee variety is considered to be a canned variety. Its pulp is not only quite dense, but also has excellent taste.
- The American variety Beautiful has a high sugar content. If you need to separate the stone from the pulp, this will not be difficult.
- Elberta fruits should always be peeled before freezing, as they are very hairy.
How to freeze peaches for the winter
- Boil water in a saucepan. Prepare a container of ice water.
- Using a sharp knife, cut an "X" shape into the peaches.
- Place 4 fruits in boiling water and wait 30 seconds. Remove the fruits from the boiling water and place them in ice water.
- Remove the skin.
- Cut the peaches into wedges.
- Take parchment paper and place all the slices on it so that they do not touch each other.
- Cover the tops of the slices with cling film. Place the parchment paper with the peaches in the freezer overnight.
- Remove the fruit from the freezer the next morning and transfer all the slices to a container.
- Place the container in the freezer to use peach slices in winter to make delicious desserts.
- You can defrost peaches the same way you would any other frozen food: at room temperature or in the refrigerator. If you're going to use peach slices to make a dessert filling, don't be afraid to use them frozen
