Summer always comes to us with gifts: it brings us warm days, a lot of sun, birdsong, and, of course, a sea of ​​vitamins - vegetables, fruits and berries. Among them, cherries take pride of place due to their 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, consuming cherries is indicated for respiratory illnesses and colds. It cures cough due to its expectorant properties.

The fruit contains coumarins, thanks to which the walls of the vascular system remain clean of cholesterol and reduces 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 contains a lot of pectin, malic and citric acids. Microelements include iron, copper, zinc, magnesium and others. From this we can conclude that cherries strengthen the 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 consumption of cherry juice or pulp promotes the health of the 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 delicious berries later, when the ripening season is already in the past. And the answer to this question is of course yes. Moreover, when frozen, all the beneficial substances of the product will be preserved.

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. It retains the appearance of a fresh berry, 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. You can do this using different methods, and then determine which one suits you best.

frozen cherries with sugar for the winter step by step photo recipe

Ingredients:

• fresh cherries – 2 kg,
• sugar - 1 full tablespoon per 1 half-liter jar of pitted berries,
• containers, plastic jars or any other plastic container convenient for freezing

Cooking process:

First, wash the cherries. I put it in a colander in batches and keep it under a strong stream of water for a while, turning it slightly or shaking it. Next, let the water drain for a couple of minutes and transfer it to a pre-prepared deep bowl or basin, if you have a lot of berries.

When the cherries are prepared, remove the pits.

Yes, it’s not a pleasant task, and half the kitchen will be “stained,” if not all, but there’s no getting around it. We still do it for our loved ones. Then add sugar to the berries and simply mix.

It depends on who and for what purposes you make this preparation. If you just eat it as a dessert, then you can leave the cherries whole, but if, for example, you want to add such raw jam to porridge or feed it to your baby, then you can mince the berries with sugar. The result will be a homogeneous mass that will remain just as aromatic, tasty and healthy.

Place the cherries in jars and close the lids.

The only thing left is to put it in the freezer.

There are a lot of recipes for frozen cherries. In addition to compotes, this preparation is good to use in cooking. All you need to do is let it defrost, and you can put it on a sand base. And if you pour diluted gelatin on top, you will get a culinary masterpiece. Bon appetit and good preparations. Let not a single jar swell, and let any experiments prove successful!

Few people don't like cherries. And there are even fewer who know how to properly store crops. No, compote, jam, jam - every family is full of these recipes. How to freeze cherries for the winter? To make dumplings, add to pies and whatever else your heart desires. Let's share secrets.

General rules

The cherries need to be washed. No matter how clean the berry looks, the dust from the surface must be rinsed off. Especially if the cherries were bought at the market. You don’t know where and how it was collected. For the lucky owners of their own garden, let’s reveal trick 1: cherries can be washed directly on the tree. We stretched out a hose and, under low pressure, thoroughly washed the berries right on the branches. You can do this in the evening, and in the morning you can safely collect a clean harvest.

Many people doubt whether cherries can be frozen at all? Trick 2: Go to the largest supermarket nearby. Look for the frozen fruits and vegetables section there. Surely there will be a bag of cherries or cherries there. Hence the conclusion: it is possible. By the way, in this simple way you can resolve your doubts about freezing any preparations. Found a package with the desired vegetable or fruit? This means you can make a similar preparation at home. Is there such a frozen fruit available for sale? This means that after thawing it will be inedible and it is better to prepare it in another way.

Cherries are frozen pitted. The fact is that if all conditions are met, the berries can be stored in the freezer for up to 12 months. During this time, the seeds, even at sub-zero temperatures, release hydrocyanic acid. Do you need such a dish on the table? And even after thawing, removing the seeds will only result in losing the delicious juice.

By the way, frozen cherries absorb foreign odors very well. Therefore, take the trouble to close it tightly. Otherwise, in winter you will be in for an unpleasant surprise: berries that taste like greens or raw meat.

This seems to be the basic knowledge, you will learn the rest while reading the article.

Principles of proper freezing of cherries

Berries need to be laid out separately from each other. Then in winter you will get a crumbly workpiece, and not a monolithic piece. But storing cherries this way is inconvenient; it takes up too much space. Therefore, we prepare:

• tray or baking sheet according to the size of the freezer
• old thick towel
• a piece of thick film or polyethylene
• containers or freezer bags

The film cannot be replaced with foil; it breaks quickly. But siliconized baking paper or a silicone craft mat will work. Bags and containers must be clean, dry and cool. That is, leave them in the refrigerator and get started. Procedure:

• Washed cherries are pitted.
• Place a towel on a baking sheet and cover with polyethylene on top.
• The berries are poured onto the resulting structure in one layer, at intervals.
• Place in the freezer for 40-50 minutes. During this time, you can peel a new batch of cherries.
• Now it all depends on your speed. Quickly remove the frozen berries, lift the towel by the edges and pour the workpiece into a cold container or bag.
• Just as quickly, the workpiece is put into the freezer for storage.

Why cool containers and do everything quickly? Because the cherry is only frozen, but not yet completely frozen. A thin ice crust is enough to prevent the berries from sticking together. But delay will cause it to melt, and a warm container will allow the cherries to completely soften. And all your efforts will go to waste.

Why use a towel if you can pour the berries directly from the film? It happens that the housewife does not guess the thickness of the polyethylene or does not have a suitable one at hand. This is where a towel comes in handy. It will prevent your frozen cherries from scattering all over the table and kitchen.

Advice. Crumbly frozen cherries are convenient for making dumplings, making jelly and compotes.

Principles of freezing cherries with sugar

They are very different from the points above. You will need:

• prepared cherries
• granulated sugar
• soft plastic containers or silicone baking pans

The whole secret here is that the cherries will be frozen not as individual berries, but as kind of pancakes, and in their own juice. The procedure is very simple:

1. For 1 tbsp. berries take 1 tbsp. l. topped sugar Pass through a meat grinder or blender.
2. Place the cherries in a single layer in a silicone mold or container.
3. Pour over the resulting cherry puree and place in the freezer for 4 hours. During this time, the workpiece will freeze completely.
4. Now remove the cherry pancakes from the molds and containers (remember we talked about soft plastic?). And put them on top of each other in a tight bag, preferably with a zip fastener.
5. The procedure is repeated until the required number of pancakes.

This preparation is perfectly stored in the freezer for up to 8 months. By the way, if the cherries categorically refuse to leave the container, then apply a hot, damp cloth to the bottom for a few seconds. After such help, the pancake itself will slip into your hands. In the case of silicone molds, everything is much simpler. They are soft and turn out easily.

Advice. It is very convenient to fill pies or casseroles with cherry pancakes. You don't even need to defrost it. I put the plate in, covered it with dough and put it in the oven.

Some people like to decorate even simple cocktails in an aesthetically pleasing way. How can you decorate a drink and surprise your guests? Pieces of ice with cherries.

You will need:

• clean drinking water
• fresh mint (small leaves)
• cherries
• ice molds

The procedure is incredibly simple. Place a mint leaf in ice molds and a cherry on top. Fill with regular drinking water and put in the freezer for 8-10 hours. The finished cubes are shaken out of the molds, poured into bags and stored in the same freezer.

Advice. This cube can be used to decorate a cocktail, iced tea, or any juice. There are no limits to your imagination.

Freezing cherry puree

Sometimes it happens that the berries are overripe and literally fall apart before our eyes. It would be a shame to throw it away, but don’t freeze it entirely; you’ll still end up with a sauerkraut. What to do? Of course mashed potatoes! You will need:

• meat grinder or blender
• small storage containers
• granulated sugar (optional)

The cherry pulp is ground into a pulp, and sugar is added if desired and to taste. Or they don't add it. Just don’t add too much sugar, otherwise the mixture simply won’t freeze. What if the container leaks? In winter you will wash away the fruits of your love for sweets. Recommended dosage: for 1 kg of berries - only 300 g of granulated sugar. You can do without it altogether. The taste and aroma of cherries will not suffer from this.

Then all that remains is to thoroughly mix the resulting mass and place it in prepared, clean, dry containers.

Advice. Frozen cherry puree is ideal for making sorbets, homemade ice cream and as a filling for open-faced pies.

How to freeze cherries for the winter? Now this is not a problem for you. And where to identify the berries in the cold season - you’ll figure it out yourself. There is no one here to advise you. We are sure that you will always find a use for aromatic preparations.

Video: how to prepare cherries for the winter

frozen cherries- This is a very healthy and tasty berry that can be used for any culinary purposes, after defrosting. In the summer we can enjoy cherries as much as we want, but in the winter it is extremely difficult to find them in the store. Canned cherries have a very different taste than fresh ones, so the only option for those who want to keep their cherries fresh is to freeze them.

Frozen cherries are an excellent ingredient for making various baking fillings, as well as drinks and desserts. In order for the berries to remain as juicy and retain their rich taste, they must be frozen correctly. We will tell you how to do this in our article.

How to freeze for the winter?

Freezing cherries for the winter is very easy at home. First, you need to decide how exactly you want to freeze the berries: with or without pits. Please note that cherries frozen with a pit retain their juiciness and remain just as rich in taste. We bring to your attention several different ways to freeze fresh cherries at home for the winter.

The first way is as follows:

1. Before freezing cherries, you must wash them thoroughly in running water. It is best if you start freezing the berries immediately after they have been picked. This way you will retain more of the beneficial and flavorful qualities of cherries.
2. Place the washed berries on a tray covered with a towel to allow the cherries to dry completely.
3. Place the dry cherries in freezer bags, then place them in the freezer, sealing them tightly before doing so. The temperature in the freezer should be no higher than eighteen degrees below zero. You can also use plastic containers to freeze and store berries. This way they won't wrinkle and keep their shape. If you don’t have containers, it’s better to first put the cherries on a small tray and freeze them on it, and after that put the berries in a bag.

Cherries frozen in this way can be stored in the freezer for a very long time. The maximum shelf life of the product is from three to twelve months. It is best to freeze cherries in portions of up to 500 grams to make them more convenient to store and use.

The next method involves freezing cherries in sugar syrup. To freeze berries, you will need to do the following:

1. First you need to prepare the syrup. You can do this as follows. Fill a small saucepan with water and place it on the fire. When the liquid heats up, add sugar, based on the calculation: for a liter of water you should take one and a half kilograms of sugar.
2. Heat the syrup until the sugar has completely melted. After this, you need to remove the pan from the heat and let the liquid cool.
3. In the meantime, prepare the cherries. To do this, you need to first wash them, remove the seeds and place the berries in a deep, wide container.
4. When the syrup has cooled, you need to pour it over the berries in the container and leave them to steep in the refrigerator for a couple of hours. During this time they will be properly soaked.
5. Seal the container with cherries and syrup and place in the freezer. Once the product is frozen, it can be stored for six to twelve months.

As an option, cherries are often frozen at home, simply sprinkled with sugar. This product can be used in cooking, as well as to simply enjoy fresh, healthy berries in the middle of winter. Below is a video that describes how you can freeze berries yourself quickly and easily.

Use of frozen cherries in cooking

Frozen cherries are used in cooking as an aromatic and tasty ingredient for preparing various desserts and much more. There are a large number of recipes that use frozen berries.

Compote is the most common way to use frozen cherries in cooking. You can also make jam, preserves, jelly, fruit drinks, smoothies, purees and other sweet desserts from them. Berries are often used to prepare a delicious fruit filling for a cake or pie.

Dumplings with frozen cherries are another option for using home-frozen cherries. In addition, the berry filling goes well with puff pastry. Thanks to this, you can prepare delicious charlotte, puff pastry and strudel. Other delicious desserts and baked goods made with frozen cherries include the following:

• cupcakes;
• jelly;
• cheesecakes;
• muffins;
• biscuits;
• pancakes;
• manna;
• rolls;
• pies (with sour cream, kefir, puff pastry, aspic, yeast);
• pies, etc.

Frozen cherries are also often used to make drinks. They can be either non-alcoholic (compote, juice, fruit drink, jelly) or alcoholic (moonshine, liqueur, wine, tincture, vodka, liqueur). Such drinks are often used to soak layers of baked goods after they are cooked in the oven.

You can use frozen cherries to prepare any dishes, but you should remember that their calorie content when frozen in syrup will be higher than when frozen dry. This berry can be boiled or left fresh, so here you can rely on your imagination.

Benefits and harms

Any product, including frozen cherries, can bring benefits and harm. This bright berry has not only a delicious taste and aroma, but also certain properties, which we will tell you about in our article.

I would like to note that an allergic reaction may occur to cherries, so before eating the berries, make sure that you are not allergic to this product. In addition, cherry pits contain hydrocyanic acid, which makes them extremely undesirable to swallow. Because of this, it is prohibited to store compotes and jams from cherries with pits for more than a year, since harmful substances can be released into the product and absorbed by the products.

People with diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, such as gastritis or ulcers, are contraindicated in consuming frozen cherries, as heartburn may occur.

In case of diabetes mellitus, it is also not recommended to abuse berries, as well as in case of hypotension.

• As for the beneficial properties of frozen cherries, the following can be highlighted:
• the berries contain a large amount of vitamins and microelements, therefore, due to the fact that the cherries remain fresh, they are better absorbed by the body;
• Cherries also contain many antioxidants, which helps not only strengthen the immune system, but also prevent the spread of cancer cells;
• folic acid, which is part of the berries, helps improve the functioning of the cardiovascular system and liver;
• for respiratory diseases, frozen cherry juice is used as an expectorant, which can also reduce fever;
• Thanks to fresh cherries, you can get rid of waste and toxins, to which the human body is susceptible to contamination when living in a modern city full of factories and cars.

Undoubtedly, frozen cherries are a very healthy and tasty product that every housewife should have on hand. You can not only prepare delicious desserts from this berry, but also treat your family with it. However, you should know that cherries need to be defrosted gradually: leave the container or bag of berries at room temperature and consume when the cherries are no longer too cold. But do not forget to take into account contraindications!

Beautiful cherries have ripened in our gardens, so today’s conversation will be about the health benefits of cherries and how to properly freeze cherries for the winter, so that you can enjoy the taste and aroma of this wonderful berry in the cold season.

Frozen berries have their advantages over jam, as they retain all their vitamins and beneficial properties, as well as a fresh aroma that will delight you with a piece of summer on cold winter evenings.

Dishes prepared with the addition of frozen cherries will appeal to all lovers of this berry.

Cherry berries beneficial properties

Traditional healers noted that this berry perfectly quenches thirst, increases appetite and has remarkable medicinal properties for human health.

I suggest you familiarize yourself with them in more detail:

• The beneficial properties of cherry berries are expressed in anti-inflammatory, antibacterial and antipyretic effects on the body. Eating the juice or berries of cherries prevents harmful bacteria from multiplying in infectious diseases;
• The high content of coumarins in cherries helps the berries prevent the formation of cholesterol plaques on the walls of blood vessels;
• For people with problems with capillaries and blood vessels, it is recommended to eat cherries, as these berries strengthen the human circulatory system;
• Cherry juice and berries contain a lot of vitamins C, B1, B6, vitamin PP, as well as a lot of iron, magnesium, copper, pectin, citric, malic and ellagic acid. Therefore, cherry juice is useful for strengthening the immune system, for anemia and other diseases of the circulatory system. Healers recommend drinking cherry juice for diabetes and colds and respiratory diseases;
• Cherry is useful for colds and coughs, as it destroys pathogenic microbes, bacteria and has an expectorant effect;
• Cherry improves the functioning of the digestive tract, stimulates the activity of the pancreas and gall bladder;
• Eating cherries prevents the development of cardiovascular diseases and cancer;
• Cherries contain anticyanides, substances that have an antiseptic effect. Thanks to their content, cherries and cherry juice can kill E. coli and dysentery bacteria.

Not only the berries have benefits; medicines are made from cherry resin to treat the stomach, and a decoction of the leaves of the cherry tree helps with intestinal atony and colitis.

Note!

Cherry pit kernels are poisonous - you should not eat them!

frozen cherries

To preserve all the beneficial properties and vitamins of this wonderful berry, there is a simple and accessible way for everyone - freezing for the winter. Cherries deservedly hold the lead among the most popular berries for freezing, since the taste is in no way inferior to fresh ones, and at the same time they retain all their vitamins.

Frozen berries are convenient to use for preparing various dishes, making compotes, filling for pies, and simply eating without any additives.

How to properly freeze cherries for the winter

You can freeze berries with or without pits, but you should pay attention to the fact that cherries with pits retain more juice. In order for freezing to be successful, you need to follow some simple and at the same time important rules:

1. The time between picking berries and freezing should be minimal, in this case all vitamins and nutrients are preserved.
2. We choose ripe, but not overripe, undamaged berries. Wash the cherries in cool water and dry.
3. Place the berries in bags and place the bags in the freezer. The most optimal temperature for freezing cherries ranges from minus 18 to minus 23 degrees. At this temperature, the shelf life can be from 8 to 12 months, almost until the new season.
4. It is recommended to freeze cherries in small portions, approximately 500 grams. It is convenient to use plastic containers with lids for freezing.
5. If you use regular bags, it is better to first freeze the berries on a tray, spreading them out in an even layer, and then fold them into portions, so each cherry will retain its shape.
6. The container in which you freeze the berries must be well packed, as the cherries can absorb foreign odors.

Frozen cherries in sugar syrup

I offer another good way to freeze berries with sugar. To prepare sugar syrup you need to take: one and a half kilograms of sugar per liter of water.

1. Pour water into a saucepan and add sugar, heat it over the fire until the sugar is completely dissolved, then cool the syrup.
2. Wash the cherries, remove the pits and put them in containers, pour cold sugar syrup and leave for two hours. During this time, the berries will be well saturated with sugar.
3. Place the cherries in containers and fill with syrup to the brim. Alternatively, you can freeze the cherries by sprinkling them thoroughly with sugar.

Note!

If you have frozen cherries with pits, they should be used for food within one year. The fact is that cherry pits contain amygdalin; this substance has the property that during long-term storage it breaks down and releases a very strong poison - hydrocyanic acid.

You need to defrost the berries gradually by removing the container from the freezer and placing it in the refrigerator.