Strawberry is a very healthy, fragrant and tasty berry, this is one of the most favorite treats not only for children but also for adults.
In the article we will tell you how to freeze strawberries correctly, while preserving its taste, aroma and useful properties until winter.
Note that strawberries are a perishable product, so you need to process and put them in the freezer immediately after harvesting.
General principles of freezing
It has been scientifically proven that after thawing, strawberries have the same beneficial properties as they have just been picked from the garden. Having familiarized yourself with two important rules, you will learn how to freeze strawberries for the winter, while preserving its beneficial properties and taste as much as possible:
• when laying berries in the freezer, you must enable the quick freeze mode;
• Defrosting of berries should occur at room temperature, do not use a microwave.
Another important point - strawberries are frozen only fresh without cooking. There are several methods for freezing strawberries, let's talk about them further.
How to freeze strawberries: what berries can be frozen?
We will tell you how to freeze strawberry berries so that in winter they have their original appearance and do not lose their taste. To do this, listen to our tips:
• Strawberries must be ripe but not ripe.
• You should choose dense, dry berries with dark red pulp.
• It is recommended to freeze small strawberries, so they freeze faster and do not lose their appearance when defrosting.
There are recipes for strawberry frosting in the form of mashed potatoes or syrup. When choosing this technology, frosts are not so categorical for selecting berries; you can use raw materials of various shapes and sizes, but without signs of rot.
How to freeze strawberries: preparation and bookmarking technology
The technology for preparing strawberries is quite simple. The first step is to sort out the berries, select the spoiled and rotten ones. The remaining berries should be removed sepals. After this procedure, put the strawberries in a colander and rinse well under running water. In order not to damage the berries, many people wash them in another way: place them in a large plastic bowl, pour cool water and gently wash each berry. After that, spread on a paper towel to dry.
And now we’ll tell you how to freeze strawberries for the winter in bulk, in sugar syrup or as a puree:
• Recipe for freezing strawberries in bulk. We spread the washed berries in one layer on a baking sheet lined with a paper towel, leave to dry for about 1 hour. They should not be in contact with each other, so they will surely dry well. In the meantime, we prepare the dishes where strawberries will be frozen beforehand. It can be a flat plate, which is then wrapped with cling film. It is important that it is dry. We spread the berries so that they do not touch each other. We put a plate with strawberries in the freezer for several hours and turn on the quick freeze mode. If you immediately put the berries in a plastic container or in a bag, when defrosted, they will turn into an sticky mess. Therefore, do not be lazy, spend more time and get frozen strawberries in perfect shape. Only after complete freezing, strawberries are taken out, transferred from flat dishes to a plastic container and sent back to the freezer for further storage. When thawing, you get the berries of the correct shape.
• After reading the description of the following recipe, you will learn how to freeze strawberries for the winter in sugar syrup. After the manipulation with peeling the sepals and washing the berries, we cut each strawberry into two parts. It is better to take large berries, and small ones can be left in bulk for freezing. In a 1 liter plastic container, one layer of cut strawberries is placed and filled with granulated sugar. Then the second layer is laid out and again filled with sugar. So, spread to the top of the plastic container. Close tightly with a lid and immediately place in the freezer for further storage. Approximately 300 grams of granulated sugar is required per kilogram of strawberries.
• Recipe for freezing whole berries with sugar. Whole berries of the same size are selected, laid out in layers in a plastic container, each covered with granulated sugar. Let it stand for a while so that the strawberries let the juice go. After that, the berries are sent to the freezer. In winter, strawberries are added to various desserts. And strawberry juice gives a pleasant aroma to alcoholic drinks, cocktails or tea.
• Now we will tell you how to freeze strawberry puree. Pre-washed, dried strawberries are passed through a sieve or for the speed of chopping, you can use a blender. We lay the finished mashed potatoes in a plastic container and send it to the freezer for further storage. Sugar is recommended to be added in the winter, when the time comes to enjoy strawberry puree. For this recipe, it is recommended to use a “weak” strawberry, which is not suitable for bulk freezing, or for freezing in sugar syrup. Such mashed potatoes can be added to various desserts, cottage cheese, pour sweet cereal, serve as a dressing for pancakes, pancakes. Also, this method is good in that the grated strawberry mixture, poured into small containers, takes up a minimum of space in the freezer. To save space, many pre-frozen mixture is transferred to a plastic bag or wrapped with cling film. No matter how big the freezer may be, you still want to stock up to the maximum for the winter. For ease of use, mashed potatoes can be poured into plastic cups and frozen.
How to freeze strawberries for the winter: how long is it stored?
Strawberries, frozen according to the above technology, retain all their beneficial properties, aroma and taste for 8 months. Of course, after this period, the berries are still suitable for consumption, however, the vitamin content becomes less and less over time. Remember that with prolonged storage, berries lose not only vitamins, but also their taste.
How to freeze strawberries for the winter: tricks and tips
To know how to freeze strawberries for the winter correctly, you need to familiarize yourself with some tips:
• For ripening in bulk, only ripe, dense berries without signs of spoilage are selected. Overripe berries are best used to freeze mashed potatoes.
• It is recommended not to wash strawberries so that they do not lose their shape. This applies only to berries picked from the home garden. Strawberries bought in a store or on the market must be washed.
• For freezing in bulk, take only small berries - they freeze faster, large ones are used to freeze strawberries in layers in sugar, and you can also cook compote or jam on them.
• It is important that the strawberries are well dried on a paper towel before being placed in the freezer, so that there is no water residue.
• Do not use metal utensils when working with berries; when it comes in contact with it, strawberries are oxidized and turn dark. Most suitable wooden or plastic dishes.
• It is recommended to store strawberries in the freezer in a plastic container. Sometimes many use cropped plastic bottles.
• If you freeze strawberry puree, do it in small portions so that you do not have to defrost the excess and freeze it again. In this case, strawberries will lose their beneficial substances.
In addition to useful nutritional properties, strawberries have equally useful cosmetic qualities. For example, they make masks, scrubs, lotions that nourish the skin with vitamins. It is important to use only berries in nature, frozen without sugar.
Everyone knows that in the winter, the skin dries up, loses its natural shine.
Here are recipes to help moisturize and nourish your skin with vitamins:
• Mask for dry skin. It will take 50 grams of frozen strawberries, 1 teaspoon of honey and sour cream. Beat honey and berries with a blender until smooth, add sour cream and apply to dry, clean skin. The procedure lasts 15 minutes. After rinse with warm water.
• Refreshing mask. Only 50 grams of strawberries are needed. Beat with a blender until smooth and soak gauze with this mixture. Apply to skin and leave for 15 minutes. After rinse with warm water and apply a moisturizer.
• Facial scrub. It will take 100 grams of berries of frozen strawberries, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 tablespoon of honey. Beat the berries with a blender, add the rest of the ingredients. The scrub is rubbed into the skin with light circular motions for several minutes. After the procedure, you need to wash with warm water.
Another healthy recipe is frozen ice with strawberries, which will refresh your face in the summer. You will need a regular container for freezing water. A clean strawberry, cut into two parts, is placed in each section of the container. It is poured with boiled water at room temperature and frozen in a freezer. Ice cubes are used to rub face skin in the summer heat. They can also be added to cold drinks, alcoholic cocktails, juices, etc.
We talked about how to freeze strawberries correctly, gave important tips and advice. Clearly following them, you can count on an excellent result. Berries will retain their taste, aroma and beneficial properties, thereby giving summer enjoyment in the winter not only to children but also to adults.
