TOP 5 recipes on how to properly freeze cherry plum for the winter in the freezer
If you know how to properly freeze cherry plum for the winter, in the cold season you can get not only a portion of nutrients, but also please yourself and your loved ones with a delicious dessert.
Can cherry plum be frozen for the winter?
Cherry plum is a plant of the plum family. The fruits of this tree are a source of various vitamins, minerals and trace elements. Despite the sweetish taste, they contain little sugar, therefore they are considered a low-calorie product. When used correctly, it has a beneficial effect on almost all body systems.
To obtain vitamins from berries in the off-season, cherry plum is frozen. It is advisable to do this in freezers with a quick freeze function. Due to the rapid cooling, the water remaining in the berries does not break the pulp and does not damage the shape. Fruits lend themselves well to cooling, can be stored unchanged for a long time and not lose their beneficial properties.
Food preparation
For harvesting cherry plum for the winter, take ripe berries of yellow, red, purple color, with elastic skin, soft pulp. Ripening period - late July, early August. Do not use overripe fruits without a refrigerator that have been damaged by insects for freezing.
Preparation rules:
- sort out the berries, remove the leaves and stalks;
- rinse the fruits with warm water;
- pour the cherry plum onto a clean towel, let it dry;
- Prepare packing bags, zip bags or food grade plastic containers;
- spread out in containers, not pressing against each other, release air, close tightly;
- put in a freezer.
Berries can be harvested using shock and dry freezing. The choice of technology depends on the type of fruit, its chopping and additives.
It is advisable to divide the batch of fruits into portions so as not to defrost the entire volume, since frequent temperature changes are detrimental to the appearance and vitamin composition of cherry plum.
How to freeze cherry plum at home?
The recipe for freezing plum fruits depends on the options for their further use and on the preferences of the hostess.
Freezing whole fruit with pits
After ripening, the berry loses its shape a little, and it is quite difficult to remove the seed from it, so the cherry plum is frozen whole if it is planned to be used for making drinks in which the core will not interfere.
What do we have to do:
- Cherry plum is sorted out, twigs, leaves, damaged fruits are removed.
- Dry.
- Distribute into containers or bags in small batches to avoid sticking.
- The container is sealed, put into the freezer.
Pitted
The seedless berry is often used to decorate and fill baked goods and desserts. The fruits are ripe, with an easily detachable core.
Working process:
- Fruits are sorted out from debris, rot, washed and dried a little.
- Cut the fruit in half, remove the seeds.
- Parts of the berries are laid out on a tray or plate, sent to a freezer to cool for 1-3 hours.
- The frozen fruits are placed in pre-prepared containers, tightly closed, put into the freezer.
With sugar
Cherry plum, sourish in taste, is harvested by mixing with sugar. In this form, it can be eaten as a dessert.
Sequencing:
- The berries are washed, pitted, chopped.
- Put in a container and sprinkle with sugar.
- Cork up, put in a freezer.
Puree
You can store cherry plum in the form of puree. For packing, take plastic containers, disposable cups. For cooking, use the berry, peeled and pitted.
Actions:
- Cherry plum is washed, debris is removed.
- Small cruciform incisions are made at the base of the fruit.
- Send the berries to boiling water for 1-2 minutes.
- Remove the shell, remove the bone.
- Peeled fruits are chopped in a blender until puree.
- Packaged in containers and frozen.
After 4-5 hours, the mashed potatoes are removed from the containers and placed in one bag.
With honey
Cherry plum with honey prepared for the winter will be an excellent dessert. It is added to pre-cooked berry puree. Place in plastic containers and freeze.
How to store and defrost?
For the long-term preservation of nutrients in the workpieces, you must follow the rules:
- can not be stored near meat products;
- avoid temperature changes and re-freezing;
- freeze fruits in small batches;
- observe the storage temperature from -18 to -23 degrees.
The shelf life of frozen cherry plum is 6-8 months. If the temperature rises to -8 and above, it is advisable to consume the fruit within 3 months.
It is better to defrost berries in the refrigerator. This way, they will retain more vitamins and will not lose their attractiveness. For the preparation of drinks and baking fillings, the fruit can be used frozen. After thawing, re-freezing is not recommended.
