Food Preservation Adapted From
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Food Preservation adapted from www.pickyourown.org Freezing Berries Blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, gooseberries, tayberries, loganberries, strawberries, saskatoons, cranberries, marionberries, thimbleberries, boysenberries… If you like berries in the winter—in muffins, pancakes, cobblers, pies, or just in a bowl—imagine how good it would taste if you had picked a couple of quarts fresh or bought a them from a farm stand and then quickly froze them at home! It is also one of the simplest ways to preserve fruit for the winter. Here's how to do it, complete with easy instructions and illustrations. Your own frozen berries will taste much better than anything you've ever had from a store. I'm using blueberries as an example, but this same process works exactly the same for any other berries listed above. Strawberries are different in that you must remove the hulls (the green cap) after washing, but otherwise the same. This also works for cherries, but you may want to pit them before freezing them. ingredients & equipment fresh berries—any quantity Vacuum food sealer or Ziploc freezer bags (the freezer bag version is heavier and protects against freezer burn) a pan or tray that fits in your freezer a strainer/colander instructions 1) Pick’em Start with the freshest berries you can get. Look for plump, full berries with a good color. I've used blueberries as an example, but these directions would equally well for any other berry. 2) Wash’em* Just rinse them gently in cold water. I put a colander or strainer in a large bowl, fill it with cold water and swirl the berries in it with my fingers. That avoids breaking them and dirt either floats, which I pick out, or sinks and is removed when I lift the strainer out of the bowl. * Do not wash blueberries or saskatoons. Washing can result in a tougher-skinned product. Wash only after you remove them from the freezer and thaw to use. For now just pick the dirt out. 3) Drain’em Use a large sieve or colander to remove as much water as possible. I usually let them sit for about 10 minutes in the colander. 4) Spread’em There are two ways of doing this. If you have space in your freezer, spread the berries out in a large oven pan with a lip or ridge. Spread enough on to make one layer—this way they freeze quickly and won’t be frozen together in a lump, so later you can remove only what you need without thawing the entire bag. If your freezer isn't that big, just drain as much of the water as you can, then put them into whatever container will fit in your freezer. After they’re frozen, they may stick together a bit, but should break apart fairly easily. 5) Freeze’em Pop them into the coldest part of the freezer, or the quick freeze shelf, if your freezer has on. I leave them in the freezer overnight, to get completely frozen. 6) Bag’em I love the FoodSavers with their vacuum sealing! I am not paid by them, but these things really work. If you don't have one, Ziploc bags work, too, but it is hard to get as much air out of the bags. Remove the air to prevent drying and freezer burn. On the left is the bag with frozen berries before vacuum sealing, and to the right is the same bag after vacuum sealing. Of course, you can use Ziploc bags, but they leave a lot more air in, which allows some freezer burn. I typically write the labels on the bags with a Sharpie permanent marker BEFORE I fill the bags (it's easier) rather than after, as shown in step 7. tip for a cheap vacuum sealer: To remove the excess air from a Ziploc bag, put a straw inside the bag and zip it closed as far as possible. Then suck the air out of the bag, pinch the straw shut where it enters the bag and pull it from the bag and quickly zip the bag the rest of the way. 7) Label’em Of course, you'll want to label them with the contents and date, or all this work could be wasted, if you can't identify them later, or don't know how old they are. 8) Freeze’em (again)* Pop them into the deep freeze, or in the coldest part of your regular freezer. When you are ready to use the berries, thaw, wash, and sort the berries. To thaw them, just set them in the fridge overnight or on the counter for a couple of hours. I wouldn't recommend the microwave unless you are planning to cook with them. *You can wash the frozen blueberries in a bowl of plain cold water. Then you need to pick out and remove any bits of stems, leaves and soft or mushy berries. It is easiest to do this in a large bowl of water and gently run your hands through the berries as they float. With your fingers slightly apart, you will easily feel any soft or mushy berries get caught in your fingers. Picking Tips: Harvest early in the morning, especially if the weather is hot, to get peak flavor. Harvest the berries at its peak maturity, but not overripe and mushy. Process promptly after harvesting, or keep cooled in the fridge or with ice until then. How to Freeze Green Beans If you like frozen green beans in the winter, just imagine how good it would taste if you had picked a bag yourself and then quickly froze it at home! It is also one of the simplest ways to put up a vegetable for the winter. Here's how to do it, complete instructions in easy steps and completely illustrated. The green beans will taste much better than anything you've ever had from a store. ingredients & equipment fresh green beans—any quantity. I figure one handful per serving. Vacuum food sealer or Ziploc freezer bags (freezer bags are heavier and protect better against freezer burn) 1 large pot boiling water 2 large bowls, one filled with cold water and ice. 1 sharp knife instructions 1) Pick’em Start with fresh green beans - as fresh as you can get. If there is a delay between harvesting and freezing, put it in the refrigerator or put ice on it. And don't use beans that are old, overripe or dried out (see below): 2) Wash’em I'm sure you can figure out how to rinse the green beans in plain cold or lukewarm water. 3) Cut’em Just take a sharp knife and cut of both ends (about 1/4 inch). Then cut them into pieces of the size you prefer, usually about 1 inch long. Of course, if your prefer French cut green beans, you can cut the beans lengthwise instead, or you can use a "bean Frencher". The Frencher enables you to prepare a huge quantity of beans very quickly. 4) Ready the Pots Get the pot of boiling water ready (about 2/3 filled) and a LARGE bowl with ice and cold water. 5) Blanch’em All fruits and vegetables contain enzymes and bacteria that, over time, break down the destroy nutrients and change the color, flavor, and texture of food during frozen storage. Green beans require a brief heat treatment, called blanching, in boiling water or steam, to destroy the enzymes before freezing. Blanching time for beans is 3 minutes (the duration should be just long enough to stop the action of the enzymes and kill the bacteria). Begin counting the blanching time as soon as you place the green beans in the boiling water. Cover the kettle and boil at a high temperature for the required length of time. You may use the same blanching water several times (up to 5). Be sure to add more hot water from the tap from time to time to keep the water level at the required height. 6) Cool’em Cool green beans immediately in ice water. Drain the green beans thoroughly (this shouldn't take more than a minute). After vegetables are blanched, cool them quickly to prevent overcooking. Plunge the green beans into a large quantity of ice-cold water (I keep adding more ice to it). A good rule of thumb: Cool for the same amount of time as the blanch step. For instance, if you blanch sweet green beans for 7 minutes, then cool in ice water for 7 minutes. Drain thoroughly. 7) Bag’em I love the FoodSavers with their vacuum sealing! I am not paid by them, but these things really work. If you don't have one, Ziploc bags work, too, but it is hard to get as much air out of the bags. Remove the air to prevent drying and freezer burn. tip for a cheap vacuum sealer: To remove the excess air from a Ziploc bag, put a straw inside the bag and zip it closed as far as possible. Then suck the air out of the bag, pinch the straw shut where it enters the bag and pull it from the bag and quickly zip the bag the rest of the way. 8) Freeze’em Pop them into the freezer, on the quick freeze shelf, if you have one! tips Harvest early in the morning, especially if the weather is hot, to get peak flavor. Harvest the green beans at its peak maturity (firm, straight, not lumpy) Process promptly after harvesting, or keep cooled in the fridge or with ice until then.