Content
- 1 Is it possible to freeze blackberry
- 2 How to properly freeze chokeberry
- 3 How to freeze black chops in containers
- 4 Shock freezing of chokeberry for the winter
- 5 How to freeze an aronia with sugar for the winter
- 6 Freezing chokeberry with sugar in the form of mashed potatoes
- 7 What can be cooked from frozen black chops
- 8 Shelf life of frozen berries
- 9 Conclusion
The berries of black chokeberry or chokeberry have been known in Russia not so long ago - just over a hundred years. Due to their peculiar tart aftertaste, 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 of harvesting useful berries for the winter, freezing chokeberry is perhaps the easiest way. And then use its miraculous properties in a variety of dishes and drinks all year round.
Is it possible to freeze blackberry
Freezing blackberries is not only the fastest and most convenient way to harvest berries for the winter. When using freezing, chokeberry berries fully retain all their healing substances and properties. And she has a lot of them. Minerals, vitamins, organic acids and pectin substances that are overflowing with blackberry berries allow:
- improve the work of the endocrine system,
- strengthen blood vessels,
- optimize liver function,
- remove salts of heavy metals and radioactive substances from the body;
- improve vision.
One of the advantages of freezing black chops is the fact that after thawing, the berries practically do not lose their shape, look like fresh 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 season, when there are already a lot of worries about the harvest.
How to properly freeze chokeberry
The most important principles that must be taken into account in order to properly freeze chokeberry at home for the winter is the right time for collection 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 the end of August to the end of September. Berries harvested at the time of full ripening, but before the onset of frost, retain their shape well, but have a pronounced tart aftertaste. The berries reach their maximum filling with nutrients and healing substances just by the time of the first frost. Therefore, it is more advisable to collect blackberry 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. They are then rinsed in several waters, rinsed in cool water at last and laid out in a single layer on clean kitchen towels to dry.
True, there is one peculiarity here. If in the future, after defrosting, they plan to cook Home wine or liqueur, 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 deep freeze conditions. They contribute to the natural fermentation of black chokeberry wine.Of course, for good fermentation, artificial yeast can always be added to the wort, but this will not affect the taste of natural homemade wine for the better.
In this case, it is enough just to carefully sort the berries, freeing them from debris and spoiled specimens, and dry them thoroughly.
Depending on how they plan to use blackberry berries in the future, there are several ways to freeze it. But whichever 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, one can only name the method of shock freezing, 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 black chops in containers
This method of freezing can be called the most versatile in use and uncomplicated 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 a variety of salads or ready-made dishes.
The most important thing, as mentioned above, is the preliminary preparation of the berries. Fully dried blackberry fruits are loosely laid out in clean and dry containers, covered with lids and sent to the freezer.
Blackberries, frozen in a similar way, can be used for almost any dish: compotes, fruit drinks, jelly, medicinal syrups, preserves, jam, pie fillings. They are added to the dough when baking instead of raisins, they are made into smoothies, tinctures, liqueurs, homemade wine, or simply added to tea along with decoctions of other medicinal herbs.
For the same reason, black chokeberry, which is distinguished fresh by the relative dryness of the fruit, becomes especially juicy after thawing, and it is much more pleasant to use it just for eating.
Shock freezing of chokeberry for the winter
All the same benefits are provided by shock freezing, but, in addition, the ideal shape of the berries is preserved, so that they can be used to decorate cakes, pies, casseroles and other baked goods.
The essence of shock freezing is that 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 black chokeberry does not have time to turn into starch and the berries completely retain their original structure.
The following technology is used at home. The washed and well-dried blackberry berries are laid out strictly in one layer on a flat tray or baking sheet and placed in the quick-freezer compartment.
After a few hours, the frozen fruits are taken out and poured into plastic bags convenient in size for storage. It is most advisable to use bags with a zip-fastener. They are filled with frozen berries, a maximum of air is released from them and hermetically sealed. Then they are placed in a common compartment for long-term storage.
The berries are stored in bulk, do not freeze into one continuous array and therefore are very convenient for further use.
How to freeze an aronia with sugar for the winter
Since sugar, unlike fresh berries, is not difficult to find and use throughout the year, it makes little sense to freeze chokeberry with sugar. Moreover, the berries, having come into contact with sugar, can quickly let the juice start. This means that as a result, instead of individual berries during freezing, a sticky fruit mass may form. But there is one trick when freezing chokeberry with sugar makes sense.
Freezing chokeberry with sugar in the form of mashed potatoes
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 completely ready-to-eat delicious and very healthy dish. This is an almost ready-made filling for pies, and a base for jam, and an addition to curd dishes.
It is very simple to freeze blackberries in this way:
- Prepared fruits are simply mixed with sugar in a ratio of about 2: 1. Then grind with a hand blender or mixer.
- Defend for about an hour at room temperature.
- In clean and dry plastic or glass containers with lids, lay out the cooked puree so that there is free space in the upper part of the container.
- Close hermetically with lids and place in a freezer.
What can be cooked from frozen black chops
Defrost the fruits of the chokeberry in the lower section of the refrigerator or in normal room conditions.
Often the fruits of the chokeberry, after defrosting, 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 useful, tasty and beautiful.
It is also often used in the form of additives to any ready-made jam, especially with a sour taste. She is able to increase its value and improve taste. And independent blackberry jam has an original taste and is very useful.
Finally, once frozen, this berry is invaluable when used in any baked goods, both for fillings and for decoration.
Shelf life of frozen berries
Frozen chokeberry can be easily stored in the freezer for a year or more. But it makes sense to use it before fresh harvest.
Conclusion
Freezing chokeberry is not difficult at all, and the benefits of this action are enormous. After all, all the same dishes can be prepared from frozen berries throughout the year as from fresh ones. And its taste will only improve.
