How to freeze chokeberry for the winter

Berries of chokeberry or chokeberry have been known in Our Country not so long ago – just over a hundred years. Due to their peculiar tart taste, they are not as popular as cherries or strawberries. But on the other hand, plants are as unpretentious as they have powerful healing powers. Among other ways to harvest healthy berries for the winter, freezing chokeberry is perhaps the easiest. And then use its miraculous properties in a variety of dishes and drinks all year round.

Is it possible to freeze chokeberry

Freezing chokeberry is not only the fastest and most convenient way to harvest berries for the winter. When using freezing, chokeberry berries completely retain all their healing substances and properties. And she has a lot of them. Minerals, vitamins, organic acids and pectin substances, which are full of chokeberry berries, allow:

• improve the functioning of the endocrine system,
• strengthen blood vessels
• optimize liver function,
• remove heavy metal salts and radioactive substances from the body;
• improve eyesight.

One of the advantages of freezing chokeberries is the fact that after defrosting, the berries practically do not lose their shape, look like fresh ones, and therefore can be used for any purpose for which fresh fruits are usually used. Including for decorating confectionery and for making a variety of liqueurs and wine. That is, the berry can be used all year round at any time convenient for the hostess, and not only in the autumn, when there are already a lot of worries with the harvest.

How to freeze chokeberry

The most important principles that must be taken into account in order to properly freeze chokeberry at home for the winter are the right time for picking and careful preparation of the berries.

It is necessary to collect fully ripe chokeberry for freezing. Depending on the climatic conditions of the region, it ripens from late August to late September. Berries collected at the time of full ripening, but before the onset of frost, retain their shape well, but have a pronounced tart taste. Berries reach the maximum filling with nutrients and healing substances just in time for the first frost. Therefore, it is more expedient to collect chokeberry berries for freezing for the winter around this period, before or immediately after the first frost.

The next important step is preparing the harvested berries for freezing. They are first removed from the brushes and cleaned of all kinds of natural debris. Then they are washed in several waters, rinsed finally in cool water and laid out in a single layer on clean kitchen towels to dry.

True, there is one feature here. If in the future, after defrosting, they plan to make homemade wine or liquor from chokeberry, then it is undesirable to wash the berries. Since wild yeast lives on the surface of unwashed fruits, which, by the way, are perfectly preserved even in conditions of deep freezing. They contribute to the natural fermentation of blackberry wine. Of course, for good fermentation, artificial yeast can always be added to the must, but this will not affect the taste of natural homemade wine for the better.

In this case, the berries need only be carefully sorted out, freed from debris and spoiled specimens, and dried thoroughly.

Depending on how they plan to use chokeberry berries in the future, there are several ways to freeze it. But no matter which method is chosen, one should be aware that when re-freezing, chokeberry loses a significant part of its beneficial properties. This means that freezing must be carried out in small portions, so that one portion would be enough to prepare a particular dish or drink.

As an exception, only the shock freezing method can be mentioned, in which the berries are frozen in such a way that they are stored in bulk and at any time you can easily separate the required number of fruits.

It is better to use a separate freezer compartment to preserve fruits and berries.

How to freeze blackberries in containers

This method of freezing can be called the most versatile in use and simple in the process itself.

For freezing and storing chokeberry for the winter, containers of any convenient size and shape are used. Most often, these can be plastic boxes from under a variety of salads or ready meals.

The most important thing, as mentioned above, is the preliminary preparation of the berries. Completely dried chokeberry fruits are loosely laid out in clean and dry containers, covered with lids and sent to the freezer.

Chokeberry berries, frozen in a similar way, can be used for almost any dish: compotes, fruit drinks, jelly, medicinal syrups, jam, jam, pie fillings. They are added to the dough when baking instead of raisins, smoothies, tinctures, liqueurs, homemade wine are prepared from them, or simply added to tea along with decoctions of other medicinal herbs.

For the same reason, chokeberry, which is distinguished fresh by relatively dry fruits, becomes especially juicy after defrosting, and it is much more pleasant to use it just for eating.

Shock freezing of chokeberry for the winter

Blast freezing provides all the same benefits, but it also keeps the perfect shape of the berries so they can be used to decorate cakes, pies, casseroles and other baked goods.

The essence of shock freezing is that the berries are frozen at a temperature of at least -18 ° C very quickly, literally in 1,5-2 hours. As a result, the sugar contained in the fruits of the chokeberry does not have time to turn into starch and the berries completely retain their original structure.

At home, use the following technology. Washed and well-dried chokeberry berries are laid out strictly in one layer on a flat tray or baking sheet and placed in the quick freeze compartment.

After a few hours, the frozen fruits are taken out and poured into plastic bags that are convenient in size for storage. It is best to use ziplock bags. They are filled with frozen berries, let out a maximum of air from them and hermetically fasten. Then they are placed in a general compartment for long-term storage.

The berries are stored in bulk, do not freeze into one solid mass and are therefore very convenient for further consumption.

How to freeze chokeberry with sugar for the winter

Since sugar, unlike fresh berries, is easy to find and use throughout the year, freezing chokeberry with sugar does not make much sense. Moreover, the berries, having come into contact with sugar, can quickly release juice. So, as a result, instead of individual berries, a sticky fruit mass can form during freezing. But there is one trick when freezing chokeberry with sugar makes sense.

Freezing chokeberry with sugar in the form of puree

It is very convenient to freeze chokeberry in the form of mashed potatoes, mashed with sugar. In this case, after defrosting, you can get a delicacy to taste and a very healthy dish that is completely ready for use. This is an almost ready-made filling for pies, and the basis for jam, and an addition to cottage cheese dishes.

Freezing chokeberry in this way is very simple:

1. Prepared fruits are simply mixed with sugar in a ratio of approximately 2: 1. Then grind with an immersion blender or mixer.
2. Let stand for about an hour at room temperature.
3. In clean and dry plastic or glass containers with lids, the cooked puree is laid out so that there is free space in the upper part of the container.
4. Close tightly with lids and place in the freezer.

What can be cooked from frozen chokeberry

Defrost the fruits of chokeberry in the lower section of the refrigerator or under normal room conditions.

Often, after defrosting, chokeberry fruits are used to make homemade wine, tinctures and medicinal teas. In winter, compotes and other non-alcoholic drinks with the addition of frozen chokeberry will be healthy, tasty and beautiful.

It is also often used as an additive to any prepared jam, especially with a sour taste. It can increase its value and improve taste. Yes, and independent blackberry jam has an original taste and is very useful.

Finally, this frozen berry is invaluable when used in any pastry, both for fillings and for decoration.

Shelf life of frozen berries

Frozen chokeberry is easily stored in the freezer for a year or more. But it makes sense to use it before a fresh harvest.

Conclusion

Freezing chokeberry is not difficult at all, and the benefits of this action are enormous. Indeed, from frozen berries throughout the year you can cook all the same dishes as from fresh ones. And its taste will only get better.