Photograph by lepiaf.geo
I love canning; don't get me wrong. There are so many wonderful preparations for foods preserved through home canning. From fruits to jellies to jams to pickles. From chutneys to sauces to oils. Sometimes though, I like to have the option of a food that is relatively unprocessed. A food that, when defrosted, is pretty much what it was when I froze it. Freezing also preserves taste and nutritional quality better that canning. That said, you can also freeze dehydrated or pre-prepped but uncooked foods.
Summer fruits are the one's I most often freeze. Especially those that come into season and abundance for a relatively short period of time, like blueberries. I don't know the characteristics of blueberries in other parts of the country, but here on California's southern coast, the season is short and hits with a bang.
Local foods are my favorite, for a variety of reasons. Seriously, what tastes better, a fruit picked ripe from a plant or tree just a few miles (or better yet, feet) away, or something picked before it was ripe and shipped hundreds or thousands of miles over the course of two weeks? Likewise, given the choice, I want to support a food-chain that supports my local community. It benefits farmers, workers, and local businesses.
Living on an island, nothing is as local as I'd like it to be unless it comes from my garden or that of a friend or neighbor. But I do what I can, when I can, to choose foods grown in the regions of California closest to me, and by family farmers who care about the connection between farmer and eater. I love talking with the farmer who brings his produce out to the island for our farmers' market. I love even more talking to the family who sails their boat over a few times each season to sell the fruits and vegetables from their "farm in progress"!
I can get blueberries that are grown regionally, meaning south of The Grapevine, California's geographical dividing line between Southern California and the rest of the state. When these make it to my farmers' market, I buy up as many boxes as I can make room for, and set to work preparing them for winter.
I've contemplated drying blueberries since they are pretty much as close to bliss as one can get without it involving chocolate, caramel, or coffee, but, do you know how many blueberries it takes to make a small sandwich baggie full of dried blueberries? A whole heck of a lot! So, freezing it is. The berries make a great addition to fruit smoothies, as well as pancakes, breads, and muffins.
How to freeze fresh blueberries
First, select the freshest ripe blueberries you can find.Gently wash the berries in cool water, removing any stems, leaves, or damaged berries.Line a baking sheet with an absorbent towel or paper towels. Transfer washed blueberries to the tray and allow to dry thoroughly.When completely dry, remove the towel and line the baking sheet again with parchment paper or wax paper. Spread the berries in a single layer across the sheet.Place the baking sheet in the freezer for at least twenty minutes to flash freeze the berries. They will not be frozen through, but will be solid and will not stick together in clumps when frozen. If any berries are sticking together, gently separate before final freezing.Carefully transfer the berries from the baking sheet to storage bags or containers and place in the freezer again to freeze through. Complete freezing may take up to two hours. Be sure to label the containers with the name of the food and the date they were frozen. They should keep for several months in the freezer.*
The USDA notes "because freezing keeps food safe almost indefinitely, recommended storage times are for quality only." (via USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service; and Food Democracy) Remember however, that once something has been defrosted, it can not safely be refrozen.
2 comments:
Thanks for the tips! I've both employed the step of freezing in a single layer and skipped it. They actually came out okay when frozen directly. Have you had bad experiences?
Rhea, I'm not so sure I'd say a 'bad' experience, as unless the berries are somehow ruined by defrosting and going bad, or some other such experience, you can't go wrong with blueberries. But I have had the berries stick together in clumps, even when fully dry. The flash freezing step is just an easy way to ensure you've got solid berries that don't stick together. It's great for portioning them out as needed.
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