One of summer's sweetest treats are the delicious, juicy blackberries.It is difficult to get good blackberries throughout the rest of the year because their natural growing season is short.Make the most of your summer harvest by freezering your blackberries when they're ripest to ensure you have great-tasting fruit all year.If you want to start, see Step 1 below.
Step 1: The berries need to be washed gently.
It's a good idea to wash a selection of ripe, juicy blackberries when you've picked them.Run cool water over the berries while you shake them or sift them through with your fingers.Allow to drain well and pat dry with a soft towel.Take the time to remove any rotten, under-ripe, or damaged berries as you wash and dry them.You will want to remove leaf litter, dirt, and other debris.
Step 2: The blackberries should be spread on a tray or sheet.
Spread your blackberries out on the metal pan or tray so that they don't touch each other.The berries can break up when you try to remove them if you don't have the parchment paper.If you have too many of them, you can just pour them all over the tray.You will have to break up the frozen block of berries that you'll get from this method if you want to separate individual blackberries.If you have a lot of berries that you want to keep separate, laying down a second layer of paper over the top of the first one will double your workspace.
Step 3: The fruit should be placed in the freezer.
If you want your berries to not roll to one side of the tray, set it on a level surface in the freezer.If you leave your blackberries in the freezer overnight, they will be completely frozen through.berries can easily develop freezer burn if left uncovered in the freezer, so don't forget about them if you do this.
Step 4: The berries will be put into a bag.
If your berries are frozen solid, put them in a freezer bag.To seal the bag and return it to the freezer, squeeze as much air as you can out of it.Thin bags and air pockets can contribute to freezer burn if they are thicker than the plastic.If you own a vacuum-sealing device, use it here to remove the air from your bag for the best protection against freezer burn.If you don't worry about your berries freezing together, you can simply place the washed and dried berries into a freezer bag and skip the baking sheet.If you do this, the berries will freeze together into a large block, which can hurt their visual presentation, but shouldn't affect their taste.
Step 5: You can freeze for six months.
Some sources say that berries can be used up to eight months after the date of freezing.The frozen berries can be used in cooking and baking recipes and can even be enjoyed as a semi-thawed dessert on their own or with a sprinkling of sugar.If you want to use berries in baking recipes, you should not thaw them before doing so.The corresponding section contains more information on using frozen berries.
Step 6: You should rinse and dry the berries.
The natural color and texture of the berry can be lost through the freezing process.The berries last longer in the freezer.The same washing process is used for sweetened berries, gently rinse and drain them, then allow to air dry or pat them dry.Before proceeding, you'll want to remove any unripe or overripe berries, as well as any leaf matter or debris.
Step 7: It is recommended to mix with sugar.
Next, add your berries to a large mixing bowl and add about 1/2 to 1/3 cups sugar for every quart of berries (as a reminder, one quart is equal to four cups).The goal is to coat the berries with sugar to make a jam or paste.The berry juice should be combined with the sugar to form a syrup that should cover the berries.
Step 8: The berries should be packed into bags or containers.
Next, put the berries in plastic containers.Try to fill the containers nearly to their tops, leaving about 2 inch (1.3 cm) of head space or less is ideal.The less air remaining in the container, the better, but resist the urge to force the berries into a container that's too small for them, as this can crush them.Plastic freezer bags can be used with sweetened berries, but this can become messy.It's not necessary to freeze sweetened blackberries separately since the sugar protects them from the effects of freezing.If you want separate-frozen berries, you can still use the baking sheet method.
Step 9: For up to nine months.
According to some sources, sweetened blackberries can last up to a full year.The sweetened berries can be used in a wide variety of baking recipes.It's important to remember that the sugar you add to the berries should be taken into account when adjusting your recipe.It's a good idea to label your freezing container with a volume of berries in the container and the amount of sugar added along with the date of freezing because of this point.
Step 10: It's not a good idea to thaw berry for baking recipes.
When using frozen berries in baking recipes, you will almost never want to thaw them before adding them to the recipe.It can lead to a product that's watery or mushy if you do this.Some people like to thaw their berries halfway in the microwave before baking to get great tasting results.The amount of time you need to keep your berries in the microwave depends on the number of berries you have and the power of your microwave.
Step 11: The frozen berries should be rolled in flour.
When using frozen berries in baking recipes, the berries canble, making the batter discolored.It can make the finished products less appealing to look at.If you want to minimize the effects of bleeding, roll your frozen berries in flower first.This helps keep the berries moist.
Step 12: It's a good idea to thaw berries for liquid recipes.
It is possible to thaw your berries before you use them in your recipe.Usually, these are cases where the extra moistness that comes from thaw is a benefit to the dish, like berry sauces for ice cream, shortcake, and so on.If you want to thaw them quickly, place them in a plastic bag and submerge them for about 10 minutes in cold water.To keep the bag of blackberries from floating, you may want to weigh it down with a heavy dish or bowl.
Step 13: The berries are supposed to be eaten raw.
If you intend to eat them raw, you'll want to thaw your blackberries.Sometimes there's nothing like ordinary berries, even though frozen berries are a great summertime treat.You can either use the quick thawing method or leave them on the kitchen counter overnight.After you thaw your berries, put them in a container of cool, clean water and wash them off.You may want to remove any crushed or damaged berries at this point.Don't let the soft, juicy appearance of thawed blackberries deter you.They are safe to eat if they were fresh when frozen.