Housewives put a lot of different berries in the freezer; almost every freezer contains strawberries, raspberries, black and red currants, and blueberries. What to do with stone fruits? How to properly freeze apricots to preserve more benefits for the winter?

It is necessary to harvest apricots; the ripened fruits contain a lot of carotene; in addition, the pulp is rich in:

• Vitamins of group B, C, PP.
• Copper, manganese, potassium, iron, cobalt.

Ripe fruits are used not only in cooking; cosmetologists are aware of the beneficial effects of the pulp on the skin.

Is it possible to freeze apricots?

It has long been customary to harvest fruits and berries for future use; for this purpose, our ancestors made seams for the winter. Now many people still make jam, but freezing is slowly replacing everything.

Apricots were stored for the winter in the form of jam and compote. The fruits are dried with or without seeds, this is called dried apricots.

Freezing is preferable to all of the above methods of preservation; almost all vitamins are preserved in frozen berries, but during heat treatment they disappear. Based on this, it is worth noting that apricots can and should be frozen.

Preparing apricots for the process

Before you start freezing, the fruits must be prepared. This process will not take much time, but it is necessary to carry out it.

To get more vitamins in their pure form in winter, you need to:

1. Collect firm, undamaged ripe fruits.
2. Washing and sorting are required; spoiled fruits cannot be frozen.
3. With any type of freezing, the seeds must be removed. This must be done carefully if you plan to freeze it in halves.

It is advisable to choose berry varieties whose seeds are easily separated, this will help save time and nerves.

Advice! After washing the fruits, be sure to let the water drain. It is better to place the washed apricots in a colander or large sieve. Drying with paper towels is also allowed.

Recipes for freezing apricots at home

After the preparatory work has been completed, they proceed directly to the freezing itself. There is no need to rush; this can be done in several ways, each of which is good in its own way.

Whole

This method is suitable in cases where there is no time at all to remove the seeds. It is worth understanding that frozen berries in this form will take up a lot of space.

The process is carried out like this:

• A food-grade plastic tray is lined with cling film.
• Place the washed and dried fruits correctly in one layer on the prepared tray.
• The container is sent into the chamber and left until completely solidified.
• Frozen fruits are placed in suitable containers for further storage.

You can use cutting boards instead of a tray, but they must be clean and dry. It is necessary to line them with film for faster transfer of fresh berries after freezing.

In slices

This type will allow the product to take up less space in the refrigerator. This is how they do it correctly:

• The washed and dried berries are divided in half and the seeds are removed.
• Place halves of berries in a single layer into the prepared tray and place in the freezer.
• If appearance does not matter, then the container, in our case a tray, is completely filled with halves of berries. In this form, the berries are frozen and stored.

With sugar

Using this method, together with the berries in the container, you will also get a small amount of frozen apricot juice. The work is carried out in the following order:

• The seeds are removed from washed and dried fruits.
• The fruit halves are placed in one layer in a food-grade plastic container.
• Add a layer of sugar.
• Next, the layers are repeated, the top should be sugar.
• The containers are left at room temperature to release the juice.
• After this, containers with berries and natural filling are placed in the freezer.

Berries with juice will no longer change their place of residence; they will wait in containers for their turn to be consumed.

In syrup

They started freezing in syrup quite recently; this idea was prompted by the fact that some varieties of berries lose their natural sweetness when frozen. The syrup is made from sugar and water; to add zest to frozen products, you can add orange or lemon zest, bergamot, and a sprig of mint.

The preparatory work remains the same, just do not line the container with cling film.

The berries, cut into halves and already pitted, are laid out in one layer in a container. At the same time, the syrup is prepared; the ingredients are taken at the rate of a glass of sugar per two glasses of water. While hot, pour the stacked berries to a third of the height of the container and allow to cool. Cover with lids and send to the chamber.

Low containers are suitable for this method, so the food will freeze faster. Yes, and there will be less liquid.

Freezing apricot puree

You can freeze berries that are overripe, soft, but without rot, using this method. It is not at all necessary to use ideally shaped fruits; usually crumpled ones are used for puree.

The first thing you need to do is prepare the puree itself:

• The seeds are removed from the prepared berries and placed in a spacious container.
• Using a blender, puree the halves. You can use a meat grinder or grind in the bowl of a food processor.
• Sugar is added to the resulting mass.

The highlight will be orange zest or a little ground cinnamon. Mix everything thoroughly until a homogeneous mass is obtained. The puree is poured into prepared containers, without adding one third to the brim. Cover with lids and place in the freezer. Add a little sugar, it is better to periodically taste the puree. Apricots can be sweet, and sugar may not provide the desired sweetness.

Further storage

Store frozen berries in the freezer until their turn comes. This should last no more than a year if the berries were placed in a chamber with seeds. Puree and pulp in syrup can be stored for up to one and a half years.

When defrosting, you should not immediately put the containers in the room; it is better to carry out the process in the refrigerator.

Have you prepared it, but still haven’t run out of fruit? So let's freeze them! Just imagine - in winter you can bake a delicious aromatic pie for tea, not with jam or jam, but with fresh fruit! The guests will be surprised! We have our own proven recipe for freezing apricots for the winter in two ways: halved and in the form of puree with added sugar. A lot of delicious things are prepared from frozen fruits: baked goods, desserts, casseroles, sweet sauces, smoothies and much more.

How to freeze apricots for the winter in the refrigerator

Ingredients:

• Ripe apricots;
• sugar;
• food containers;
• dense bags or special bags for freezing.

Frozen apricot halves

Fruits of any ripeness are suitable for freezing: those that are very soft can be chopped and prepared with sugar, and frozen in halves for denser ones. Apricots need to be washed and dried. Using a sharp knife, make a circular cut along the relief groove. Turn the halves towards each other if the fruit itself has not opened. Take out the bones. They can be used to prepare very tasty food.

Take a flat plate or board and cover it with cling film or polyethylene on top. Place the halves cut side up at a short distance from one another. Place in the freezer for 4-5 hours. Place hardened fruits in tight bags, label them and put them away for permanent storage.

How to freeze apricots for the winter with sugar

I remember how surprised my friend was when in winter I offered fruit puree instead of jam for cheesecakes and it was impossible to distinguish its taste from that made from fresh fruits! “What, can apricots be frozen for the winter? I would never have guessed, I only make jam.” Now, of course, she also has a freezer full of fruit, but that day there was no limit to surprise. In order to freeze apricots with sugar, you don’t need selected fruits, any will do, but the tastier puree will come from ripe, even overripe, fruits. First, they need to be rinsed under cold water and dried. Then divide into halves.

Transfer to a blender, sprinkling with sugar. How much sugar you add is at your discretion, depending on the sweetness of the fruit and your taste. But do not forget that the more sugar, the slower the puree freezes and the more vitamins are lost.

Pour the apricot puree into small containers or disposable plastic cups. Place in the freezer for 10-12 hours. Then wrap each portion in cling film or put it in a separate bag, label it and tie it tightly. Store in the freezer for 6-8 months.

It is better to freeze apricots in half and with sugar in portions, so that the package can be used at a time without freezing again. If you need to get fruit for a pie, do it as quickly as possible - pour out as much as you need, and immediately put the rest back. For baking, the halves are not defrosted, but placed on the dough and sent to the oven.

Frozen apricots can be used in preparing a wide variety of dishes, baked goods, drinks, and even served as an original side dish for baked or fried meat. We hope that our tips on how to freeze apricots for the winter will be useful to you, and that your freezer will be full of useful supplies!

When the season of summer berries and fruits arrives, many housewives prepare raspberries, currants or strawberries for the winter. But at the same time, few people wonder whether it is possible to freeze apricots in the freezer.

They are prepared in sufficient quantities in the form, compotes are boiled and dried to obtain. And it is not only possible, but also necessary to freeze fruits, since in this situation they retain all the vitamins.

You only need ripe ones, not bruised or spoiled, and just a little time to:

1. Rinse the fruits thoroughly under running water and place them on a kitchen towel to dry.
2. Take several clean wide trays, place the fruits in them in one layer, cover everything with cling film and put them in the freezer for several hours.
3. After the specified time has elapsed, the apricots are packaged in plastic bags, tied well so that the harvested fruit does not absorb foreign odors, and are again sent into the cold until required.

This method takes up a lot of space, so if a person has a small freezer, you need to figure out whether there is another way to freeze apricots for the winter.

To save space in your freezer, we recommend doing the following:

1. Rinse whole fruits thoroughly under running water and dry on a towel. Cut the apricots in half and carefully remove the pits by hand or use a sharp knife blade.
2. To prevent the fruits from sticking together, they are first frozen in a tray in one layer, and then packaged in special containers or transparent bags.
3. If the appearance of the fruit does not matter at all (they will be used for filling), then the cut fruits are immediately transferred to containers (not crushed) and placed in the cold.

Frozen apricots with granulated sugar

To implement the following recipe, you will need ripe fruits and regular sugar. Their number is determined individually:

1. Washed and dried apricots are cut in half. The seeds must be removed from the fruit in such a way as not to damage the pulp.
2. The first layer of fruit is placed in a plastic container, which is sprinkled with a thin ball of granulated sugar.
3. The steps are repeated until the container is full. After this, it should be left at room temperature until the juice begins to stand out.
4. At the very end, the trays are tightly closed with lids and sent to the freezer.

How to make apricot puree in a few minutes

It is best to use overripe and even slightly depressed fruits. But they should not be spoiled or rotten:

1. Apricots are washed under cold water. The seeds are removed from them, and the pulp is crushed in a blender or passed through a meat grinder. It is important to ensure that no large pieces remain.
2. A little granulated sugar is added to the finished puree to taste, everything is mixed well and poured into plastic trays. They need to be remembered only 1/3, since you need to leave room for the liquid, which increases in volume when frozen.
3. The containers are closed with lids, wrapped in bags and sent into the cold until needed. It is recommended to store this product on the lowest shelf of the freezer.

Frozen apricots in syrup

Many years of experience show that apricots can be frozen for the winter in the freezer as follows:

1. The fruits are washed under cool water. The seeds are removed, and the fruits themselves are cut into equal pieces.
2. 2 cups of drinking water are poured into a deep saucepan and placed on low heat. A glass of granulated sugar is gradually introduced into it with constant stirring. The mixture is brought to a boil, removed from the stove and cooled to room temperature.
3. Prepared apricots are placed in containers for freezing, filled with 1/3 sugar syrup, covered with lids and sent to the freezer.

Now we know for sure whether it is possible to freeze apricots for the winter in the freezer and, if possible, try one of the proven methods for yourself. You are also allowed to experiment with spices, focusing on your own preferences.

Are the apricots born? Let's freeze it! Sunny fruits can be preserved for the winter with the entire set of vitamins without any loss - namely, dried or frozen. You can do this quickly and easily at home. Read our Smart Tips.

Today, many housewives, especially busy ones, resort to freezing as the simplest, fastest and most economical way to prepare food. So we came up with the idea of ​​preparing apricots using the freezing method.

Which apricots are suitable for freezing?

To get a quality product, choose ripe apricots for freezing; ripe fruits contain more vitamins. Ripe, but not overripe.

The fruits should not have dents, signs of skin damage, rot, or suspicious spots.

The best varieties for freezing are those with dense pulp, high sugar content and rich aroma: Pineapple, Red-cheeked, Triumph, Aquarius, Iceberg, Melitopol, Black Velvet.

Features and difficulties of the process

When freezing apricots, you need to take into account one important point - the pulp can ferment and darken. But to prevent this from happening, the fruits must be subjected to so-called shock freezing, at the lowest possible temperature. And if on an industrial scale this is a temperature of -50 degrees, then at home the lowest temperature of modern freezers is -24 degrees.

You can freeze the fruits in halves, whole or in the form of raw puree (with or without sugar). But in any case, before freezing apricots you need:

• sort;
• Rinse;
• dry.

For containers, use special freezer bags or plastic containers (in which the fruits will not break when transferred).

Each fruit or half is first frozen separately (preferably on a board or plate), and then placed in a bag or container.

If you are freezing the halves, before placing them in the freezer, you need to spray them with a 1 to 1 solution of lemon juice; it is better to use a spray bottle.

Freeze the fruit in portions so that when you use it, take the amount you need.

Freeze the apricot puree immediately in the container you prepared. The fruits need to be crushed with a blender, or better yet, passed through a juicer. Add sugar to taste, mix and transfer to small plastic containers. Place in the freezer.

Another interesting preparation method is freezing fresh apricots in sugar syrup. The fruits are placed in a container and filled with chilled sugar syrup. We prepare it from 1 glass of sugar. 500 ml water and 50 ml lemon juice.

Enjoy the aroma and taste of sunny fruit at any time of the year. And a portion of apricots, frozen with your own hands, will help you with this.

Apricot is an amazing fruit given to us by nature itself, an excellent source of vitamins.

It contains a large amount of vitamin A, an antioxidant that actively fights cancer cells, iron, which increases hemoglobin levels, potassium, which is necessary for the prevention of cardiovascular diseases, and many other beneficial substances.

Compotes are made from apricots, and jam is prepared for the winter.

However, to preserve the nutritional value of this fruit, it is best to freeze it.

Today I would like to talk about how to freeze apricots for the winter.

Are apricots frozen?

Apricots with sugar are prepared for the winter in the form of puree, slices in syrup, whole or in halves. Since heat treatment is insignificant, it in no way affects the beneficial properties of the fruit.

Freezing has recently gained popularity among the population and is gradually replacing the usual preservation. There is a simple explanation for this - when frozen, fruits retain all their beneficial properties. Naturally, not all vegetables and fruits can retain their taste when exposed to low temperatures. What's the deal with apricots?

The freezing process for these fruits has its own distinctive features. You can freeze them, but some housewives are afraid to store them in the freezer, because apricots, like peaches and plums, begin to darken under the influence of enzymes and lose vitamin C. Thus, when defrosted, their color and shape are lost.

To prevent this from happening, you need to take into account all the nuances of freezing this fruit, which will be discussed a little later.

The nutritional value

For people who are still in doubt whether it is worth freezing fruits or canning them “the old fashioned way,” it must be said that vitamins are preserved in full only in the first case.

In addition, frozen apricots have excellent preventive and healing properties for the treatment of vitamin deficiency, anemia, and heart problems. It also helps to gently remove excess cholesterol from the body, and due to its low calorie content (45 Kcal per 100 g of product), it can be used as a fat-burning agent.

People suffering from problems of the cardiovascular and digestive systems (for example, constipation) need to eat 100 g of this product every day. So, until the season comes, frozen fruit can be considered as an excellent alternative to fresh apricots.

Is it possible to freeze apricots, what is the best way to do it?

Before you start freezing fruit, study the capabilities of the refrigerator; their shelf life will directly depend on this. For example, at -18 °C fruit will be stored for 1 year.

The process of freezing fruit is as follows:

1) the collected fruits are thoroughly washed and dried so that they do not stick to each other during freezing;

2) after that they must be cut into the specific shape you need: slices, cubes or any other shape;

3) dried clean fruits should be placed on a tray in one layer and frozen;

4) after this they need to be transferred to bags or plastic containers.

Be sure to also label the containers if you are making multiple deposits to determine their shelf life.

Freezing apricots: recipes

So, we come to the most interesting part - recipes for freezing apricots.

Apricot puree

To prepare puree from these fruits we will need:

ripe apricots – 3 kg;

granulated sugar – 1–2 kg;

citric acid – 6 g.

The amount of sugar in this recipe does not make much difference, since apricots do not spoil when frozen, so it is used here more as an additional sweetness than as a preservative, so adjust the amount to taste.

1. The fruits are washed under running water. If there are bruises or damaged parts, cut them out.

2. Divide all the fruits in half, removing the seeds from them.

4. Then sugar and citric acid are added to this mixture and set for 20 minutes to let the sugar brew.

5. After this, the puree should boil - 5 minutes from boiling. Don't forget to stir often.

6. After cooling, the mass is laid out in plastic containers and set to freeze.

That's all, the apricot puree is ready!

How to freeze apricots for the winter whole or in halves

When freezing fruits in this way, you can then prepare a compote by adding them to the compote without separating them from the stone, or make a sauce or smoothie by adding other fruits. This is done like this:

1) choose suitable fruits;

2) rinse them thoroughly under warm running water;

3) dry it by placing it on a towel; dry;

4) make cuts and take out the bone (optional);

5) place the dried fruits on a tray in one layer and place it in the freezer.

For convenience and cleanliness, line the bottom of the freezer with a clean bag and place the fruits on it. When the fruits are frozen, they should be removed and placed in a dry bag and placed back in the freezer.

Important point: Before you start freezing fruit in the freezer, it is recommended to remove all excess food from it, since apricot has the ability to absorb odors. Well, you probably don’t want to cook compote that smells like fish...

Frozen fruits in syrup

To preserve the entire vitamin complex of fresh apricots as much as possible, they can be cooked in syrup and used as a filling for various baked goods, since this way they keep their shape perfectly and the juice does not leak out of them when defrosted.

To prepare apricots in syrup you need:

1) wash the ripe fruits and dry them on a towel;

2) cut in half and remove the pit;

3) take a deep saucepan and place fruits in it in layers, adding sugar (1 tbsp) to each layer;

4) leave in this form until sugar is converted into syrup;

5) after complete transformation, transfer the fruits to previously prepared containers;

6) cover the lids tightly and place in the freezer.

Ground fruits with sugar

This option for preparing frozen apricots can be used as a delicious jam, and since there is no heat treatment in it, this delicacy will not lose any of its beneficial substances. The cooking process is as follows:

1) prepare the fruits: wash and dry them;

2) cut in half and remove the pit;

3) grind the fruits using a meat grinder or blender;

4) add sugar at your discretion and 1 tbsp. l. lemon juice;

5) leave until sugar is completely dissolved;

6) put the grated fruits in containers, cover with tight lids and put in the freezer.

In addition, apricots can be combined with other berries and fruits, after which a variety of compotes can be cooked. For example, we cut apricots into slices and freeze them along with apples and cherries, so you can get a storehouse of vitamins that will be useful to all your family and friends.

So let your imagination run wild and put the fruits of your experiments in the freezer!