Strawberries are a delicate and capricious berry. It is difficult to freeze, but there are several secrets with which you can agree amicably with it - and prepare this super-useful and tasty berry for the winter.

Strawberry selection

First you need to choose the right berry. It should be ripe but not overripe, firm, dark-fleshed and dry. It is best to take small strawberries - they freeze better.

Preparing berries

First, the strawberries need to be sorted out and all “weak berries” removed. It is advisable not to wash it. But you can't do that with market strawberries. Therefore, strawberries should be poured into a plastic bowl with cool water and rinsed. Then, very carefully, with your hands, letting the water drain through your fingers, take the berries out of the water and lay them out to dry in one layer. The berry should dry well.

It is not very good to wash strawberries in a colander, as you will have to pour them back and forth several times, and a jet of water can also damage the berries.

The stalks, if you are going to freeze whole strawberries, do not need to be removed. Since without them, strawberries will immediately “float”, release juice and unstick.

Preparing dishes

Freezing berries is best in plastic dishes: disposable containers from the store, ice cream trays, you can even use cut plastic bottles.

Berries do not tolerate repeated freezing, so it is better to divide them into small portions that you can definitely eat right away, overpower at a time. All freezer utensils should be thoroughly washed and dried.

You can also use plastic bags, but keep in mind that cellophane becomes very fragile in the cold and can tear during storage.

Freezer

Lay the berries from the tray in 1-2 layers and freeze in the freezer for a day. Then pour it into a cardboard box or plastic container and store it for a long time.

Unfortunately, after freezing strawberries are deformed and somewhat lose their taste. Therefore, it is better to freeze it not solo, but with sugar.

With sugar

Yes, strawberries will give some juice when frozen, but when you thaw them in winter, the taste and shape of the berries will remain the same as before freezing - fresh and bright.

To freeze strawberries with sugar, you need to take about 300 g of fine sugar per 1 kilogram of berries. If the sugar is large, then it is better to grind it into powder. Put the prepared strawberries (already without sepals) into a plastic basin, sprinkling each layer with sugar. Put for 2-3 hours in the refrigerator at a positive temperature. Wait until the strawberries give juice. Then put the berries together with the undissolved sugar in a container, put them tightly and pour over the juice.

Puree

Another way is to freeze strawberry puree. To do this, crush the prepared dry and peeled strawberries, you can quickly puree them with a blender. Pour into a plastic container and place in the freezer. Sugar is best added when you defrost the berries in winter. If there is not enough space in the freezer, then 2-3 days after freezing, the strawberries can be removed from the container and wrapped in cling film. This method is well suited for "weak" strawberries.

Irina Kamshilina

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Content

Any housewife knows that harvesting strawberries for the winter is difficult when choosing a freeze, because the raw material has a delicate, fragile structure. It will be useful to know the tricks that apply during freezing so that the berries remain the same as they were picked from the garden, do not lose their taste properties and their beneficial substances.

How to freeze strawberries for the winter in the refrigerator

In the question of how to freeze strawberries at home, the preparation of the berries and the correct method of the procedure should be taken into account. Consider the following steps:

• Selection of berries: they must be ripe, but without signs of overripe, dense, dark, dry. Do not take large specimens - it is better to take small ones so that they are completely frozen and stored longer.
• Preparation of berries: they need to be sorted out, rotten, damaged ones removed, washed with stagnant water, dried well, laying on a tray in 1 layer. It is not necessary to remove the stalks to prevent the formation of juice.
• Preparation of dishes: plastic containers, trays are ideal for freezing. They need to be washed and dried well. You should choose a tray size that will be thawed and eaten at a time, because re-freezing is not possible. It is better not to take plastic bags so that they do not tear or deform during storage.
• To prevent the formation of frost, properly remove the air from the containers, close them tightly, you can use vacuum options, from where the air is pumped out by special mini-pumps.
• Mark the date of freezing on the dishes so that the dessert does not go bad.
• The choice of temperature: the range of 18-23 degrees below zero is considered optimal for freezing. At this temperature, the delicacy is properly stored all winter. If you freeze at a cold temperature of minus 8 degrees, then storage will be only 3 months.
• Defrosting: it should be gradual, first bring the defrosting temperature to zero, and then gradually remove the trays under room temperature conditions. With the most gentle freezing, the thawed delicacy will change its texture and color: it will become softer and lighter.

Dry freezing strawberries at home

The secrets of how to properly freeze strawberries for the winter in the refrigerator lie in pre-treatment. Prepared dry berries should be folded in 1 layer and left in the freezer of the refrigerator for a day. They will freeze better, after which they can be folded into containers in bulk and put away for storage. Pre-freezing can preserve the integrity of the form, prevent strawberries from sticking together when defrosting. The process can be carried out on a plate or board, pre-wrapped with cling film, wax paper or paper towels.

If you can get dry ice (solid carbon dioxide), then you can quickly freeze with the preservation of the original properties that will not be lost when thawing. To do this, take a package of dry ice, crush it and mix it with pre-prepared berries in a metal container. Lay a towel or paper in the refrigerator, place an open container with dessert on it for 20 minutes, then transfer it to a container and store it. Instead of dry ice, liquid nitrogen can be used, but with it the defrosting process will take much longer.

Freezing strawberries for the winter in syrup

An option on how to properly freeze strawberries for the winter in the freezer is to fill it with sugar syrup. For its preparation you need:

• water - 1 liter;
• sugar - 300 g;
• citric acid - 5 g or lemon juice - 1 tbsp. l.

Cooking:

1. Rinse fresh berries, dry, cut if necessary.
2. Make syrup, fill them with raw materials.
3. Put in the freezer, close in a day, put away for storage.
4. Sour or giant varieties are suitable for this recipe.

Frozen strawberries with sugar for the winter

For those who want to know how to properly freeze candied strawberries for the winter, there is a recipe option that makes up for the sweetness with a partial loss of taste after freezing. It involves the use of 1 cup of powdered sugar or fine sand per 1 kg of berries. For the manufacture of properly prepared raw materials, they must be dried, pre-frozen for 2 hours, and then placed in containers, sprinkled with sugar. Then you need to gently mix to dissolve the sugar and send for storage.

Freezing strawberries in the form of puree

Another option on how to properly freeze mashed strawberries for the winter involves using the appropriate tools. The berries for the recipe are washed, dried, kneaded with a blender to a puree-like consistency, poured into a container and frozen. For sweetness, you can add sugar there in the proportion of 300 g per 1 kg of berries. There is an option to freeze puree using ice-making molds, you will get an original package suitable for decorating dishes. The shelf life of this puree is six months.

How to freeze berries in ice

To decorate drinks: champagne, syrups, lemonades - the berries are frozen using ice. To do this, they should be washed, cleaned, cut if necessary, placed in molds for making ice, poured with clean cold water, where lemon or mint can be added for piquancy. Once frozen, the ice cubes are ready for summer use or long-term storage in the freezer.

Filling options can be lemonade, iced tea, and if you add a whipped banana, freeze using ice cream molds, you get a delicacy that children love very much. It is stored for up to 2 months, but more often does not live up to this time, because it is quickly eaten. There are many manufacturing variations, so it will be useful to experiment when getting a treat for the winter.

Video: how best to freeze strawberries

It will be useful for housekeeping lovers to visually see how to freeze strawberries so that they remain whole, correctly retain their taste, aroma and their beneficial vitamins. There are many options for quick freezing, from which you can choose the method that suits the variety. For a better understanding of the harvesting process, watch the following videos below, which show how to use plastic containers, bags, cups, as well as the puree option.

The strawberry season does not last long, as a result, many housewives prefer to harvest berries for future use. One of the most common options for preserving the beneficial properties and structure of fruits is freezing. The procedure can be performed in many ways, so the technology is not difficult. Recommendations are considered especially valuable in cases where strawberries are not bought, but collected from their own beds. Consider the current methods in order, give practical recommendations.

Preparing dishes for freezing strawberries

1. If the goal is to get a lot of small servings, use plastic disposable cups or yoghurt containers (volume 100-150 gr.). Also a cheap and easy storage option are thick plastic bags or cling film.
2. Some housewives prefer to freeze strawberries in containers for heating food in the microwave. Plastic dishes with lids have a different volume (from 100 gr. to 2 kg.), so it will not be difficult to choose the right container. This option is considered optimal, since plastic dishes are easy to use and compact enough (containers with strawberries can be stacked).
3. Regardless of the type of container chosen, it is important to consider the fact that all molds must be clean. Remove food debris and foreign smell in advance (it can be removed with lemon juice). At the same time, strawberries are laid out exclusively in dry dishes / bags.

Preparing strawberries for freezing

1. Particular attention is paid to washing the berries. The procedure must be carried out correctly, otherwise the strawberries will absorb the liquid and become loose. Send the berries to a colander, then dip them several times in a bowl of water at room temperature. Drain the liquid with debris, repeat the steps again. After that, spread the berries on a cotton towel, leave to dry completely. Do not use paper towels or the softened paper will stick to the surface of the strawberries.
2. As for harvesting, if possible, pick the berries in the morning hours before the dew appears. It is at this point that the berries are dry and juicy. It is also possible to collect after the heat decline (18.00-19.00 hours). Refuse to pick berries in wet weather or in the scorching sun, otherwise, after freezing, the fruits will become loose.
3. If you use berries from your own garden (recently harvested) for freezing, it is not necessary to wash them. Blow the fruits with cool air from a hair dryer, and then proceed to the procedure. Strawberries remain “alive” for 3 hours after picking, washing will remove the protective film that prevents the growth of bacteria.
4. In the case of a purchased composition, washing is required. After wet processing and drying, you can tear off the tails, then sprinkle the areas of separation with sugar. Such a move will preserve the aesthetic appearance of the fruit and prevent weathering.
5. If you plan to dry freeze your strawberries, opt for dark red varieties. As a rule, these include a hybrid with strawberries. You should not use dry freezing on juicy, early, fresh (just picked) fruits.
6. To later enjoy the taste of strawberries, it is important to defrost them correctly. If possible, carry out the manipulations in a natural way, do not use the microwave. Send frozen fruits to the bottom shelf of the refrigerator, wait for thawing.

Method number 1. Freezing Whole Strawberries

1. To begin, rinse the berries, move them to a towel, wait 1 hour until the liquid drains completely. In cases where the strawberries are from a summer cottage, skip this step.
2. Freezing will be carried out in bags, but berries should not be allowed to stick together. Put a plastic bag on a cutting board (you can wrap it with cling film), put the berries a short distance from each other.
3. Try to arrange the strawberries in rows so that the freezing is even. If possible, sort the fruits by placing large to large, and vice versa.
4. Send the cutting board with lined strawberries to the freezer, leave for 1 hour. After the allotted time, remove the bag from the board so that the fruits are inside.
5. Spread the berries throughout the cavity of the bag to save space in the chamber. Tie up, place the product in the freezer. Freeze the second and subsequent portions in the same way.

Method number 2. Freezing crushed strawberries

1. Many housewives prefer to freeze strawberries in the form of puree. After defrosting, the composition can be added to fruit compote, desserts, sauces, etc. Everyone’s favorite milkshake is prepared on the basis of crushed fruits, so it makes sense to consider the technology in more detail.
2. A feature of the procedure is that the berries are ground with sugar, so the puree is sweet. First, wash the fruits and leave them on a towel to dry.
3. After that, send the berries to the blender bowl, add honey or sugar to taste, grind the composition. Prepare food containers, pour strawberry puree over them, send them to the freezer.
4. It is not necessary to cook strawberries with sweeteners, some prefer to crush and freeze them without adding sugar / honey. It all depends on personal preference. If possible, choose a container that fits only 1 serving.

Method number 3. Freezing strawberries with sugar

1. Fruit preparation is similar to the previous freezing methods. Rinse and dry the berries, take plastic containers. The volume is unimportant, the fruits will be folded in one piece.
2. Wrap a flat dish or cutting board in cling film and place the strawberries on the prepared surface. Place in the freezer for 45-60 minutes while rinsing and drying the containers.
3. After freezing, remove the fruits, put them in containers, alternating with granulated sugar. The amount depends on personal preference. Upon completion of all manipulations, send the strawberries to the freezer.

Method number 4. Freezing strawberries in syrup

1. One of the most common options for freezing strawberries is the combination of fruits with sugar syrup. The berries are filled with liquid, then sent to the chamber.
2. First, prepare the fruits. Wash each strawberry, then lay it out on a cotton towel. Leave for 1.5-2 hours until the moisture is completely gone.
3. At this time, start cooking the syrup. Pick up a heat-resistant container (for example, a saucepan), pour in 850 ml. filtered water. Bring the liquid to the appearance of the first bubbles, reduce the power to a minimum.
4. Pour in 275 gr. granulated sugar (preferably cane) or thick honey, mix. Add 30 ml. lemon juice (or 3 grams of acid). Simmer the mass until the grains are completely dissolved.
5. Place the berries in a container, pour the syrup that has cooled to room temperature over the strawberries. Cover with a lid, leaving a small opening. Freeze for 10 hours, then seal tightly and store in the freezer.

Method number 5. Freezing strawberries in ice briquettes

1. The option of freezing berries is suitable for people who plan to have an incendiary party (ice cubes are added to alcoholic or non-alcoholic cocktails).
2. The final product looks like this: you see strawberries wrapped in ice, while the shape is a square or rectangle (depending on the ice cells).
3. Boil syrup from 600 ml. purified water and 450 gr. granulated sugar (you can replace 350 gr. honey). You should get a mass of caramel color, moderately thick.
4. After that, prepare ice molds with large cells. Some housewives use a plastic egg holder, in which case the ice will turn out in the form of a hemisphere.
5. Put one washed and dried strawberry in each compartment, fill with syrup. Fill the entire mold in the same way. Send the contents to the freezer.

Consider freezing whole or mashed strawberries. Prepare the berries with sugar syrup or honey, pack the fruits in ice molds. Prepare smoothies, pies, milkshakes, use the workpiece as an independent dish.

Video: how to freeze strawberries

Freezing for the winter - recipes with photos

5/5 (1)

It is widely believed that frozen berries lose all their taste and beneficial properties. I can say with confidence that this happens only with initially bad or incorrectly frozen berries. Of course, once a frozen Victoria cannot be confused with a fresh one, but this does not make her any less tasty and refreshing.

Very it is important to choose the right berries which will best withstand prolonged freezing. They must be ripe, but in no case overripe, without damage and dented barrels. When defrosting bad berries, you get an unappetizing gruel, which can only be called Victoria with a very big stretch.

You can freeze as usual plastic bags and plastic containers. I usually take what is at hand, even cut plastic bottles will do. The main thing is that the container is clean and completely dry.

1. Please note that the second time to freeze the berries will not work so spread them out in small portions.
2. So that the strawberries do not stick together during storage and do not form one big lump, to start it need to chill a bit. Put the berries on a plate or board wrapped in a plastic bag so that they do not even slightly touch each other. After a few hours in the freezer, they will harden a little, after which they can be fearlessly put into prepared containers.
3. Thus, Victoria will not stick together, will not lose shape, and will look appetizing when defrosted.

No matter how delicious frozen berries are, they are much inferior in sweetness to fresh ones. This freezing method is excellent. suitable for those who like to enjoy something sweet. Among other things, sugar is a natural preservative.

A kilogram of strawberries will require 200-300 grams of powdered sugar or just fine sugar. For freezing with sugar it is better to remove the sepals, because the contact of sugar with berries plays an important role here.

This recipe needs take any plastic container that keeps its shape. Spread washed and dried strawberries in even layers in a container, filling each level with sugar, and then leave for several hours in the refrigerator. Berries will give juice, sugar will dissolve and mix with it. In order not to waste too much time, it is better to lay out the strawberries with sugar immediately in small containers, and then immediately send them from the refrigerator to the freezer for long-term storage.

What can be cooked from frozen strawberries

If suddenly you don’t like the taste of frozen Victoria, you can always find many delicious desserts from it.

My favourite - strawberry milkshake. For him, slightly melted berries, milk and ice cream are mixed in a blender. There are no specific proportions, complete freedom of taste. You can also send any other frozen berries, fresh fruits or mint leaves there.

There is an amazing way to freeze strawberries with sugar for the winter in the refrigerator! Or rather: prepare a versatile homemade product that can be used in different variations of dishes.

June is the time when the first all kinds of sweet preparations from strawberries, victoria, begin. The Internet space is simply bursting with a variety of recipes for jams, jelly, drinks. We also have it, for example, delicious compotes for the winter.

What to do if there is no time for all these blanks, but the berry is standing and waiting to be put into action? Freezing strawberries, strawberries in the refrigerator (freezer) with sugar for the winter is tasty and fast! We have prepared recipes with photos for you.

As a result, you will immediately receive:

1. strawberry ice;
2. berry additive to ice cream;
3. fragrant semi-finished product for quick fruit drink;
4. a convenient product for cooking compote in winter.

And that: as many as four possible ways to use it, making it easy to make blanks from frozen Victoria!

• Would need:
• strawberries - 1.5 kg;
• sugar - 400 grams;
• blender;
• a regular plastic water bottle (1.5 liters) and any suitable freezer container.

How to freeze strawberries with sugar at home

- in bottles and containers

1. Pour the berries into the kitchen sink and rinse under a gentle pressure of cold water.
2. Carefully sort out leaves and spoiled berries (if any).
3. In the prepared container, fill the strawberries with sugar and turn on the blender.

4. Just a minute, and a liquid puree is formed from a berry with sugar.

5. Pour the aromatic mass into a clean bottle (or plastic container) using a funnel.

6. We put it in the freezer. Homemade berry preparation - very tasty strawberries for the winter in bottles and containers without cooking according to our freezing recipe, will be ready for testing in 12 hours. Shelf life is eight months, subject to the conditions of the cold regime of the refrigerating chamber (from -15 to -19).

How to get a frozen berry out of a bottle? Very simple - nothing. The beauty is that a plastic bottle of frozen Victoria puree is taken out of the freezer and cut with a kitchen knife! The rest of the container is placed in a bag and put back into the refrigerator.

• Another delicious homemade recipe for the winter

How to freeze strawberries in a dry way in the refrigerator: dry freezing of garden and field victoria

We do not take an overripe (one that melts on the tongue) berry, eat it for dessert or mash it, as advised above. Select the strongest, rinse them in water (in a basin, changing the water several times).

Now carefully tear off the leaves. Let dry on a clean towel (waffle, linen or parchment).

Spread the Victoria on a clean cooking board 1cm apart and refrigerate/freezer for an hour. Then remove and transfer to food bags or containers under the lid, for long-term storage in the freezer.

In this home way - in 2 steps of dry freezing, strawberries will remain tasty and beautiful, will not turn into an incomprehensible mass, and you will have whole berries in winter, all year round.

And now, proven, homemade tips, recipes for a sweet menu from Victoria for the holiday and every day:

what can be cooked from frozen strawberries

• For strawberry juice:

Pour hot water over and let steep for a few minutes.