How to freeze pitted cherries for the winter. Defrosting berries correctly

When you go to the market in the summer, your eyes widen. It's ripe here fragrant raspberry, tart gooseberries, sour currants, as well as apricots, peaches, and young apples. There are so many vitamins, and you need to eat everything now, otherwise tomorrow the fruits and berries will be gone. Cherries fade especially quickly, but how you want to preserve their extraordinary sweet and sour taste! After all, for many of us, cherries are the queen of berries. How delicious it makes baked goods, and how tender and aromatic the sour desserts are. If you adore cherries like I do, I recommend freezing them for the winter. The main thing is to find large and ripe berries, not overripe and not beaten. In general, freezing cherries at home is a fairly simple process, but following some rules will help preserve the juiciness and usefulness of the berries.

Basic rules for freezing cherries:

1. As little time as possible should pass between picking the berries and freezing them. To preserve the dense structure of the berry and a full set of vitamins, it would be ideal to freeze the berries on the day of collection.
2. For freezing, moderately ripe, scarlet-colored berries are used, without damage or rot.
3. The most favorable temperature for freezing is from -18 to -23 degrees. These temperature indicators will ensure long-term storage, from 7 months to a year.
4. It is recommended to close the container for storing berries tightly; this will protect the product from absorbing foreign odors and excess moisture from the storage environment.
5. It is best to package the berries in convenient portions immediately, at the harvesting stage, since freezing the berries is permissible only once. Thawed berries cannot be re-frozen; they will lose all their useful qualities, will lose its shape and most of the juice.
From frozen cherries they cook compotes, make desserts, make dumplings. In short, you can cook whatever you want with it.

1. Recipe for freezing cherries for the winter with pits

Ingredients:

fresh ripe cherries.

Freezing method.

1. Wash the berries thoroughly in cool water, sort them, tear off the stalks. Place clean cherries on a kitchen towel and let dry.

2. Cover the bottom of a flat dish with parchment. You can use a small baking sheet, a large flat plate, or a cutting board. Place the berries in one layer. This will allow them to maintain their shape and integrity. Place in the freezer, the berries should be completely frozen (this usually takes 2-3 hours). If the freezer allows, you can place several baking trays on top of each other at once, but the cherries should not be bruised.

3. Take the container with frozen cherries out of the freezer.

4. Place the berries in jars and seal tightly with lids. I use glass dishes - they have always been considered environmentally friendly and more suitable for storing food. You can also use special containers made of food-grade plastic and containing special markings such as:

It is very convenient to store berries in small jars from baby food— one or two of these jars is enough to cook delicious cherry jelly or compote in winter.

Repeat steps 2-4 with the remaining berries. All cherries come out whole and do not stick to each other. And if you shake the jar, you will hear the ice cherries rattling loudly against its walls.

2. Recipe for freezing cherry juice for the winter

Ingredients:

sugar to taste.

Method of preparation and freezing.

1. Remove the pits from washed cherries.

2. Place the berries in a bowl, add sugar to taste.

3. Grind into homogeneous mass.

4. Place the finished sugar-cherry mixture in food containers and place in the freezer.

5. Frozen cherries are ready for the winter! It is necessary to defrost cherries gradually. The container/jar with the workpiece is removed from freezer and leave to thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature. Under no circumstances should you place glass jars boiling water into hot water, as glass can crack due to sudden temperature changes. Frozen fresh cherry juice can be used in the preparation of smoothies, milkshakes, juices, compotes and other tasty and healthy drinks.

Bon appetit and a warm winter!

Summer always comes to us with gifts: it brings us warm days, a lot of sun, birds singing, and, of course, a sea of vitamins - vegetables, fruits and berries. Among them, cherries take pride of place, thanks to excellent taste and valuable composition.

Benefits and calories

Even in ancient times, people noted that cherries had a number of interesting qualities: they quench thirst well, increase appetite, and have antibacterial, anti-inflammatory and antipyretic effects.

For diseases associated with bacteriological infections, they are added to the diet. This inhibits the proliferation of microorganisms and the development of disease. Therefore, eating cherries is indicated for illness respiratory tract and colds. It cures cough due to its expectorant properties.

The fruit contains coumarins, thanks to which the walls vascular system remain clear of cholesterol, and reduce blood clotting. Also, the substances found in the berry help to successfully combat problems of capillaries and blood vessels, ultimately strengthening the body’s circulatory system.

Cherry is rich in vitamins C, PP, B6, B1. Its pulp also has a lot of pectin, apple and citric acid. Microelements include iron, copper, zinc, magnesium and others. From this we can conclude that cherries strengthen immune system, iron is needed for low hemoglobin and other ailments of the circulatory system. Traditional medicine advises drinking cherry juice if you have diabetes.

When this berry is present in the diet, food digestion improves, it has a stimulating effect on the functioning of the gallbladder and pancreas. Regular use cherry juice or pulp promotes health cardiovascular system and prevents the development of cancer. Since the berry contains anticyanides - natural antiseptics, it is capable of killing dysentery and E. coli microorganisms.

Also valuable is the resin that appears on the tree in the form of a transparent, slightly yellowish glue. It can cure your stomach. Cherry leaves are boiled and the infusion has the ability to help with colitis and intestinal atony.

Important! But not all parts of the tree are beneficial for the human body - the seeds from the berries are poisonous! You can't eat them!

As noted earlier, the berry contains acids (malic and citric), and they can harm people with high stomach acidity, so they should limit the amount of cherries they eat.

During the season when the berries are ripe, many young housewives ask themselves the question: “Is it possible to freeze cherries with pits?” After all, you want to enjoy it later delicious berries when the ripening season is already in the past. And the answer to this question is of course yes. And what’s more, when frozen, everything will be preserved useful substances product.

The calorie content of the frozen product is 53 kcal per 100 g of berries. If the frozen cherry pulp contains either sugar or syrups, then this is considered separately. It all depends on the amount of sugar present there.

Freezing rules and delicious recipes

Nowadays, most families have already acquired freezers, so freezing berries is not difficult. Cherries, compared to other berries, are often frozen. She saves appearance fresh berries, and almost all its benefits. You can freeze berries with or without seeds, but whole berries end up with more juice.

These simple tips will help you freeze cherries at home:

Important! Cherries are frozen in portions required for use. After defrosting, re-freezing is prohibited!

You can make so many delicious things from cherries: jam, compotes, dumplings, cakes and other desserts, or you can simply eat them after defrosting.

There are also many ways to freeze cherries or make a delicious ice cream dish.

How you choose to freeze cherries is up to you. Can this be done different methods, and then determine which one suits you best.

It would seem that it could be simpler than freezing berries. I put it in the storage chamber and that’s it.

But no, in order for the frozen cherries to turn out whole and neat, you must follow the following recommendations:

Freshly picked fruits need to be frozen; the longer they are stored, the less useful they are;
Do not use damaged or overripe berries;
Do not freeze wet berries, they will stick together and lose their “marketable” appearance;
freezing should be carried out in portions;
for storage it is necessary to use separate containers so that when selecting required quantity Do not damage nearby cherries.

How to freeze pitted cherries for the winter at home

fresh cherries

Having collected fresh fruits they need to be sorted out to remove damaged or rotten ones, as well as to clean them from leaves and stalks. Rinse under running water and leave in a colander to drain excess water.

Place the berries on a paper towel or kitchen cloth to finally get rid of unnecessary moisture.

Special plastic containers are best suited for freezing cherries in the refrigerator. If you don't have enough space in the freezer, you can use regular bags to store ice cubes. You need to divide the berries into portions (depending on how much you need to make compote, jelly, dumplings, etc.) and put them in the freezer.

Now you can please your family in winter and surprise your guests with fragrant and truly summer dishes from cherry.

We hope you find the tips useful.

Benefits of cherries

Why freeze cherries when you can buy them at the supermarket? Of course, for those who do not have storage conditions, this is the only option, not counting, of course, conservation. But if you are lucky and have a freezer at home, or the refrigerator has enough space for freezing, it is better to prepare the berries yourself. It is not known under what conditions the sold cherries were grown, how they were processed, how they were stored, transported, etc. We won’t say anything about the price at all. In winter, frozen cherries are worth their weight in gold, and you will have such a treasure in your refrigerator.

What a delicious compote it makes, and if you add berries to the filling for dumplings or pies, the smell of summer will immediately settle in the house.

You can freeze cherries either with or without the pit, which is what we did. In most cases, modern housewives prefer the second option. It’s good to take out the seeds if you have a special harvester, but there’s always not enough time to do it manually.

The most valuable substance in cherries is coumarin, which affects blood clotting, but magnesium, zinc, iron, etc. are no less valuable. Cherries have the ability to reduce temperature and effectively fight viruses, so by brewing tea in winter using frozen berries, you can give a worthy rebuff to the flu and colds.

One of the most universal berries in cooking is cherry. It turns out delicious jam and jam, it adds a pleasant sourness to desserts, and is also suitable for sauce for meat. In addition to the fact that this berry is delicious, it is also good for health. The most convenient and fastest way to prepare fresh cherries for the winter is to freeze them.

You can freeze cherries in several ways: with pits, without pits, in sugar syrup, in fruit puree or juice. First, decide what you will use it for. If you plan to prepare cherries for filling dumplings and pies, then it is better to freeze pitted cherries so that you can immediately use them for cooking. If you plan to make compotes in winter, then pitted cherries are your option. Cherries dipped in syrup or puree are perfect for jelly, dressing cottage cheese, and porridge.

But before freezing, cherries must be prepared.

Choose ripe, but not overripe cherries for freezing. Pour salted water for 30 minutes (1 tablespoon of salt per 1 liter) so that all the worms that may be in the berries float to the top. Rinse the cherries under running water, sort through, separating stems and debris. Place on a paper or cotton towel to dry for about 2 hours.

How to properly freeze pitted cherries for the winter.

Place the cherries in an even layer on a tray and place in the freezer for several hours. When the cherries are frozen, pour them into plastic container or in a bag, put in the freezer for permanent storage.

If you immediately put the cherries in a bag, they may stick together into a solid lump, which will be difficult to separate later. Cherries need to be packaged in such a way that the entire portion can be used immediately without re-freezing the product. Cherries with pits can be stored in the freezer for 8-12 months.

How to properly freeze pitted cherries for the winter.

Separate the washed and dried cherries from the pits using any method (pin, hairpin, special device). Place in a colander to drain excess juice. Place in a single layer on a tray and place in the freezer for 3 hours.

Remove from the freezer and place in a bag or container for permanent storage. Can be stored in the freezer for 12-15 months.

In the video, Marmalade Fox will tell you in detail about the intricacies of freezing pitted cherries.

How to freeze cherries in sugar syrup.

For this freezing method, you can use cherries with or without pits. To prepare the syrup, add sugar to boiling water at the rate of 1.5 kg of sugar per 1 liter of water, stir until completely dissolved. Place the cherries in a storage container, pour warm syrup over them until they are covered. Cool, close the lid, and put in the freezer.

How to freeze cherries with fruit puree.

To freeze cherries with fruit puree, you can take any berries of your choice (strawberries, raspberries, currants). For fruit puree grind with any in an accessible way washed and sorted berries. Add sugar in a ratio of 1 to 3, stir until the sugar dissolves. Place the cherries in a storage container and pour in the puree until it completely covers it.

Cover with a lid and place in the freezer.

How to freeze cherries with juice.

As in the previous methods, we put the cherries in a plastic container, fill them with juice, and put them in the freezer for storage. Go well with cherries, orange, apple, pear or pineapple juice. You can freeze cherries in their own juice.

The video shows a method for freezing cherries in their own juice.

Defrosting cherries.

It is better to defrost cherries in the refrigerator on the bottom shelf. If cherries are needed urgently, defrost them at room temperature.

Freezing cherries for the winter allows you to preserve most of their beneficial properties and they taste almost like fresh ones. Unlike canning, this method of preparing cherries significantly saves the housewife’s time and effort, which is of great importance.

Everyone wants to keep cherries fresh longer. For this purpose they are used different ways frosts. So that the berries retain all their beneficial properties and appetizing appearance, you need to comply with some simple conditions. Next, let's look at how you can freeze cherries.

You can freeze cherries. But you should pay attention to the variety of berries and the effect of low temperatures on their pulp. All varieties of cherries are divided into two types: Moreli and Amoreli.

The former have more sour taste and dark fruits:

Shubinka;
Lyubskaya;
Griot;
Vladimirskaya;
Anadolskaya;
Zhukovskaya.

When frozen, these berries lose neither taste nor aroma. The pulp remains the same rich color, just like fresh. Amoreli (Melitopol dessert, Shpanka, Amorel pink) have pink or light red flesh and a sweeter taste.

Important! IN winter period Cherry will be an additional source of vitamin C. It also contains vitamins A, B, PP, K and E, mineral salts and organic acids. It will help people with cardiovascular diseases to compensate for the deficiency of potassium, magnesium and folic acid.

Product selection and preparation

It is best to freeze freshly picked berries, so they will retain all the vitamins. It is recommended to choose only ripe cherries (under-ripe or over-ripe ones will have neither benefit nor good taste). There is no need to wash the berries in warm (and especially hot) water. Only when it's cool. Before freezing, they should be allowed to dry thoroughly from moisture. The most optimal temperature is considered to be from -18 to -23 ˚C. With this mode, the berries are stored for up to 8 or 12 months.

Preparing the Freezer

The freezer must be perfectly clean. It is very convenient to use refrigerators with a super freeze function. This mode should be activated approximately 5 hours before you plan to freeze the fruit.

If you need to defrost the refrigerator, you need to ensure that the containers with berries do not thaw. To do this, wrap the containers in burlap with a cotton pad or old blankets. This will prevent loss of cold.

Advice! In ordinary plastic bags, berries can be greatly deformed. It is better to freeze them immediately on a tray or on flat dish, and then pack it into bags, tying them tightly. Baking trays lined with parchment paper. But it is worth remembering that cherries have the ability to absorb foreign odors.

Methods for freezing cherries at home

The freezing method depends on how you plan to dispose of the cherries later. If she goes for stuffing for confectionery, it is better to get rid of the seeds before freezing. If you use it to make compotes, jelly or jelly, you can leave the seeds. This will make the berries more juicy.

With sugar

Whole berries should be washed and dried well. After this, they must be placed in a container for freezing, sprinkled with sugar in layers, closed and placed in the freezer. In the case when seedless fruits are prepared in this way, after removing the seeds, the preparations should be left for a while to allow the juice to drain from them, and only after that can they be sprinkled with sugar.

With a bone

To properly freeze cherries with pits, dry berries should be laid out in one layer directly in the freezer and frozen. Then distribute into containers and put back in the freezer. If you immediately pack the berries into containers, they will stick together into one unsightly lump, and upon subsequent defrosting they will have an unsightly appearance. Cherries are suitable for consumption only for the next 6 (subject to all rules) 8 months.

Pitted

It is also better to freeze seedless berries using the dry method. Place on cutting boards, sprinkle sugar on top and place in the freezer. Then do as described above. When packaging in plastic containers, alternate a ball of berries with a layer of granulated sugar.

Advice! If your family loves compotes, you can freeze them assorted berries. This way the taste of the drink will be more interesting and richer.

You can combine cherries with currants, blackberries, raspberries or strawberries. This method is also convenient because the berries do not need to be defrosted before cooking.

In sugar syrup

An excellent solution for those with a sweet tooth. To do this, pour a liter of water into a saucepan and add 1.5 kg of granulated sugar. Simmer over heat, stirring until all the sugar is completely dissolved. Remove the syrup from the stove and let it cool. In the meantime, the washed pitted cherries must be divided into portioned containers. Pour completely with cooled syrup. 2 hours is enough for the berries to be saturated with sugar. Can be frozen.

For cocktails

For those who like to pamper themselves and loved ones with exquisite cocktails, this method will appeal to them. In addition, the berries will look incredible, as if they were placed in transparent glass.

You need to wash the ice trays and wipe them dry. Place one cherry in each cell and pour boiled water room temperature. Cover the molds with lids (if there are none, a regular one will do). cling film). The water should freeze completely.

Cherry puree

Option one

Achieve desired consistency You can use a meat grinder, a sieve or a blender (a mixer will also work). A little granulated sugar will do: 200-300 g for 1 kg of berries. It should melt. Place the resulting mixture into portioned bowls and place in the freezer.

Option two

Separate a third of one kilogram of washed, dry, pitted cherries. Grind this portion to a puree. Mix with granulated sugar. The crystals should dissolve. Place whole berries at the bottom of plastic containers and pour in the puree. The product is ready to be frozen.

Option three

Puree with cherries and raspberries is aromatic and healthy. Remove the seeds from washed and dry cherries. Carefully sort the raspberries and make them into a homogeneous mass. Add to it granulated sugar(for 1 kg of mixture you will need ½ kg of sugar). To the bottom plastic dishes place the cherries and pour raspberry puree. Close the lid tightly and place in the freezer.

Is it possible to can frozen cherries?

Properly frozen berries will remain intact, but may become slightly deformed after thawing. This is the only moment that can affect the housewife’s desire to prepare canned food. Otherwise there are no restrictions. Frozen cherries can be useful for making compote and jam.

Further storage

Before freezing, divide the cherries into individual portions of a maximum of half a kilogram. You can use plastic cups or containers with lids as containers.

For storage, you can use special bags with a vacuum seal. It is easy to spread the berries in one thin layer. This will prevent them from choking and keep their shape. It is imperative to release the air from the bag, otherwise the shelf life of the cherries will be sharply reduced. To save space, stack the bags on top of each other in the freezer.

How long do frozen berries last?

You can store pitted cherries as long as you like. But whole ones are a special issue. It is believed that the bones are released over time hydrocyanic acid. Therefore, it is recommended to reduce the shelf life to a year.

Defrosting rules

It seems like there shouldn't be any problems with this process. But that's not true. This also has its own specifics. Housewives often feel sorry for spending a lot of time on such a simple task. The microwave is in use, defrosting in warm water and others quick ways, which do more harm than good.

Under the influence of a sharp temperature contrast, vitamins and beneficial microelements are destroyed. The skin of the berries may burst, the pulp loses its elasticity and precious juice. This causes the fruits to become wrinkled and change their shape. Such fruits will not bring any benefit, and there will be little aesthetic pleasure from eating them.

It’s easier with berries that were prepared for compotes and other drinks. From the freezer you can immediately transfer them to a pan and start cooking.

Advice! Frozen cherries are eaten in the same way as fresh ones. Jams, jams, and compotes are made from it. Perfect as a filling for pies and dumplings, it is used to decorate cakes and pastries. Delicate dessert made from whipped cottage cheese with the addition of cherries. You can safely prepare various tinctures, as well as interesting sauces for meat dishes.

And if you want to eat the cherries whole or add them to your favorite yogurt, you need to remove them from the freezer a day before eating. The container with fruit is moved from the chamber to the top shelf of the refrigerator. The temperature there is higher, but still not the same as indoors. This is the best decision. Also used before preparing mousses or jellies.

What if you bake a pie? A caveat needs to be made here. For all types of dough, except for biscuits and casseroles, berries without defrosting are suitable. Biscuit dough if droplets of moisture get into it, it will not work, and the casserole may not bake. Having frozen cherries on the table in winter is a great success. You can cook a lot more with them. interesting dishes and please your family with the taste of sunny summer.