How good it is in summer. And all because summer is the time for berries. Probably there is no such person in the world who would not like to enjoy a berry. But the summer does not last forever, and the berries do not grow and do not ripen all year round, and the greenhouse is not at all rich in vitamins. To ensure a cold winter with a piece of summer in the form of berries, you can just freeze them. And then make various sweets out of them, and just eat it by defrosting.

Is it possible to freeze berries

It is believed that frozen berries are not only tasty, but still not at all useful. But no, we tell you. Scientists have found that when sending berries to deep freeze, only ten percent of the useful qualities are lost. For comparison, when boiling berries, vitamins are completely lost, and when drying, only half remains. Conclusion is not difficult. Deep freezing is the best way to store berries year-round.

In addition, frozen berries will not only provide indispensable help during colds and viral diseases, but also help to make the dishes on your table more tasty, colorful and varied.

Another nuance for those who are losing weight or just watching weight, frozen berries are low-calorie. By calorie content, they are on par with fresh ones.

It is best to freeze the berries yourself, observing all the rules. Then you will have a wonderful supply for winter times. You can, of course, buy berries in a supermarket, but who knows if all the rules of storage and transportation were followed. And if the packaging is closed, then it is not known at all what kind of surprise awaits you. Therefore, do not be lazy, but do the freezing process yourself, if possible.

Frozen Berry Jelly

Before cooking jelly from frozen berries, any housewife needs to know a few basic rules:

• If the recipe does not require it, then the berries do not need to be defrosted first.
• Begin cooking with a decoction.
• The thickener should be starch. It is he who determines how much jelly will be thick.
• Before adding starch to the broth, it must be diluted with liquid.
• And the last step is the introduction of starch into the broth, gradually.

Berries in the snow

For cooking, you need the following products:

• 400 g of frozen berries, different, of your choice;
• starch 90 g;
• sugar 120 g;
• water - a liter for broth and a glass of water for starch.

Cooking:

1. Mix the berries, pour a liter of water and put on fire. You need to let them boil for five minutes. Then you can strain them and squeeze, or leave them in the broth.
2. Add sugar to the hot broth and let it dissolve for several minutes. You can speed up the process by stirring with a spoon.
3. Dilute the starch in a glass of water and carefully, constantly stirring with a spoon, enter to the broth.
4. Then bring the resulting jelly to a boil. Chill.

According to this recipe, you will get a sparse, but very tasty and healthy jelly.

For those who like to eat jelly exclusively with a spoon, cutting the density, there is the following recipe:

• take your favorite frozen berries in an amount of 400 g;
• 150 g of starch;
• water - a liter for broth and a glass of water for starch;
• sugar 170 g

Cooking:

1. Berries should first be thawed and ground with a blender.
2. Pour a liter of water into the resulting mixture, add sugar and put everything on fire.
3. Once the water begins to boil, start kneading the starch in a glass of water.
4. Let the broth boil for a couple of minutes and pour in the starch.
5. Now constantly stir and boil the jelly until thickened. But do not boil!

Compote of frozen berries

Stewed fruit from frozen berries is both healthy, tasty and very simple! And to cook it a lot is not required:

• frozen strawberries 150 g;
• frozen raspberries 150 g;
• frozen currants (black) 150 g;
• water 3 l;
• sugar 600 g

Preparing:

1. Put a pot of water on the fire.
2. Process the berries in a blender into the pulp.
3. As soon as the water boils, pour sugar into it. Then the berries.
4. Wait until the water boils and immediately remove from heat.
5. It is necessary to let the compote cool. Then you can drink it.

Frozen berry fruit drink

Morse is very tasty, healthy and refreshing. It will suit any table, it can be given to children. And he is preparing very simply. For fruit drinks, it is best to use juicy, medium-sized berries:

• frozen blueberries 200 g;
• frozen cranberries 200 g;
• frozen raspberries 200 g;
• frozen seedless cherries 200 g;
• sugar 500 g, if someone thinks such an amount of sugar is small, then you can pour and more, to your taste;
• water 3.5 l.

Cooking:

1. Take a saucepan so that you can conveniently set a colander on top of it.
2. Fill the pan with water, then make sure that the liquid does not reach the colander and does not get into it when boiling.
3. Put the resulting structure on fire, wait until the water boils and pour the berries into a colander.
4. Gradually, the berries will begin to thaw and secrete juice. You just have to add sugar and stir in them. This is done so that the juice flows into the pot with water, and does not evaporate. Doing these simple manipulations is until all the juice from the berry comes out. Water will turn bright red.
5. Then remove the colander with the remaining berry.
6. Try fruit drinks to taste. If it seems too viscous and sweet to you, dilute it with boiled water and boil.
7. Strain the fruit drink, let it cool completely.

The remaining berry mixture can be thrown out or used for baking.

Frozen Berry Pie

Option 1

For cooking you need:

• 100 g of frozen strawberries;
• 100 g of frozen cherry (seedless);
• 150 ml of yogurt;
• half a banana;
• sweet tooth can add honey or sugar.

Cooking:

Option 2

You will need:

• frozen gooseberries, cranberries 200 g each;
• 200 ml of orange juice;
• honey tsp;
• mint to taste;
• 50 grams of cereal.

Cooking:

Put all the ingredients in a blender and mix. Berries do not defrost. Smoothie is ready.

Unlike perishable fresh berries, frozen ones retain their aroma and taste for 3 years. They greatly help the hostesses in the winter, when they really want juicy and bright pastries, summer desserts. We will tell you whether you need to defrost berries when cooking different dishes and how to do it right.

If the berries are thawed correctly, they will not lose their appetizing appearance.

Where to use frozen berries

At any time of the year, frozen vegetables and fruits can be purchased at the supermarket. In industrial conditions, berries are harvested by shock freezing. Subject to proper storage in the store, the fruits do not lose shape, have the same color and taste as fresh.

If you want to prepare berries for the future, using the freezer, you can do it yourself. The most popular hostesses are strawberries, cherries, blueberries, currants, raspberries.

Berries frozen at sub-zero temperatures (–18 –23 degrees) are suitable for 8–12 months. At a temperature of 0 to –8 degrees - no more than 3 months.

From frozen berries you can cook jelly, fruit drinks and compotes. They are used as a component of milk and alcoholic drinks, smoothies. They serve as the basis for the creation of berry creams, sauces, mousses, jellies.

Frozen berries are ideal for ice cream and sorbet. They can be stuffed with dumplings, pancakes, muffins, pies, pies, cottage cheese casseroles. However, thawed fruits are not suitable for decorating cakes and desserts. They do not look appetizing in fruit salads.

How to defrost berries in different ways

Without defrosting, the fruits are put in compotes and cereals during cooking. When half-thawed, they can be crushed with a blender for smoothies, fruit drinks or cocktails. You can only make jelly from thawed products, otherwise it will not freeze.

Do berries defrost before baking? If you put the fruits as they are in the pie, it is highly likely that they will flow heavily. On the other hand, thawed berries in pastries lack juiciness. You can get out of the situation by mixing frozen fruits with two tablespoons of starch. During baking, the thickener absorbs all the excess berry juice and prevents it from flowing out of the pie.

You will not have to defrost berries before baking, if you add a little starch to them

To defrost berries, you can:

• place in a closed container in cold water for 10 minutes;
• put on a plate in one layer, pre-laying paper towels;
• in a tightly closed bag, put under a cold stream of water;
• shift to the main compartment of the refrigerator for 6 hours.

Recently, frozen foods have become increasingly popular: berries, fruits, vegetables, mixes. And this is quite justified: frozen berries are an opportunity to get vitamins and minerals in the winter season; their nutritional value is often higher than that of fresh ones that are sold in supermarkets; they perfectly preserve the natural aroma and taste, allow you to cook various dishes. So let's talk today about frozen berries, recipes from frozen berries.

You can freeze almost all “seasonal” berries: raspberries, gooseberries, strawberries, cherries, plums, cranberries, lingonberries, grapes, sea buckthorn, currants, apricots, blackberries and many others.

But often the question arises: what can be prepared from frozen berries? You can, of course, just fill them with sugar after thawing and eat. But there are many different recipes for cooking in which there are frozen berries. Therefore, I will offer you some simple recipes from frozen berries.

Frozen Strawberry Tart. For the dough, we need a glass of flour, butter (100 grams), a bag of baking powder, sugar, beaten with eggs (2 eggs for 100-150 grams of sugar). From the dough, bake the cake with the edges raised high, put it on a flat dish, cool. Lubricate the cake with sweet butter (beat with a mixer or a little butter in a blender with 2-3 teaspoons of powdered sugar). Cut the frozen strawberries in half, lay tightly on the cake. We make jelly (preferably red) and fill the berries. When the jelly hardens, the cake can be decorated with whipped cream.

Very easy and quick to cook another cake: take two flat cakes of dough (you can take ready shortbread, puff, yeast), spread the frozen berries between them. We fix the dough around the perimeter and bake in the oven until golden brown (the cake can be greased with whipped egg yolk with sugar). Sprinkle the finished cake with icing sugar, cool. The dough is very well saturated with berry juice, and the cake preserves their flavor.

Very easy to cook with frozen strawberry puff. For their preparation you will need puff pastry (yeast-free). You can also take it frozen. Defrosting the dough, and at the same time defrosting strawberries (it is better to do this in the refrigerator). We cut the dough into small squares, spread the strawberries, sprinkle it with sugar, wrap it with an “envelope”, and bake in the oven until golden brown.

Frozen Strawberry Smoothie. Smoothie is a cocktail of berries or fruits with yogurt. Mix in a blender one glass of natural yogurt, orange juice (1/3 cup), 7-8 berries of frozen strawberries, add sugar to taste. Serve this beauty better in a tall transparent glass, with a straw.

From frozen berries, very delicious fruit drinks. You can experiment with any berries, I suggest trying this composition: 100 grams of black currant, 3-4 pieces of strawberries, 2 tablespoons of lingonberries, sugar to taste. Wash the berries, put them in a glass dish and pour boiling water (water should only cover the berries). Stir until the currants melt. Then add boiling water (up to one liter), add sugar (3 tablespoons), cover the dishes with a lid and insist 3 hours. We squeeze the berries and filter the fruit drink, pour it into a decanter or a bottle. Serve fruit juice better chilled (you can add ice cubes to it).

Can cook fruit drink in another way - any frozen berries are crushed with a sugar mixer (or blender) and the resulting mass is poured with cold boiled water. We filter - and the fruit drink is ready!

Frozen Berries Can Be Used For cooking compotes. Chokeberry is good, which will give any stewed fruit an amazing rich color, especially in combination with currants and cherries. For one liter of boiling water, it is enough to take one or two handfuls of berries. You can add mint or cinnamon, sugar.

From frozen berries you can cook jelly. Any berries are suitable: sea buckthorn, raspberries, black currants, strawberries, cranberries, aronia and a mixture of berries. It is enough to take a handful of two berries per liter of water, add sugar to taste, bring to a boil, and pour in a thin stream of starch, diluted in water. Cook for 5-10 minutes, stirring constantly. Cool.

Also, frozen berries are a good foundation. for making desserts. Take black currants (strawberries, blackberries, raspberries) - 300-350 grams, icing sugar (2-3 tablespoons), 150 grams of natural yogurt, a teaspoon of vanilla sugar. Thaw the berries a little and beat with a mixer with vanilla sugar and icing sugar, add yogurt, and beat for another minute. Arrange in vases or bowls, garnish with berries.

As a basis for desserts with crushed berries, you can take kefir, cottage cheese, ice cream.

New Year is coming soon, so it will be very original to cook new Year's shake (cocktail). To prepare it, you will need a glass of frozen berries, a bottle of champagne, a bottle of white wine, a little sugar (add to taste). Berries, sugar are placed in a wide glass carafe, pour champagne, and leave for 1.5-2 hours. Add chilled wine, pour together with berries into wide glasses.

If you just defrost the berries, then it is better to do this gradually, in the refrigerator, so that the berries do not lose their appearance and do not run out of juice.

Berries are a source of vitamins, minerals, fiber, antioxidants and other substances important for the body. But you can enjoy fresh berries only in the summer. The rest of the time you have to be content with berries that have undergone heat treatment: in compotes and jam.

Are frozen berries healthy?

The benefits, harms and composition of frozen berries are almost no different from fresh ones, because with the right process of freezing, almost all substances remain in the same quantitative composition as in fresh ones. Hence the recommendations do not overdo it with the amount of product used to avoid undesirable consequences. Caution in the use of berries should be shown to those who are prone to allergic reactions.

In other cases, frozen berries are a tasty and nutritious product. The benefits of frozen berries are manifested in such moments:

• they preserve a complete set of vitamins and minerals, so during the period of vitamin deficiency frozen berries can be a good help for an exhausted body. From frozen berries, you can get almost all the vitamins of groups B, C, A and some rare vitamins;
• with instant freezing, berries retain their palatability. They can be used as fillings for pie, cake, compotes and decorations for ice cream and souffle;
• the calorie content of frozen berries remains at the same level as in fresh ones. For example, the calorie content of frozen cherries and sea buckthorn will be 52 units, sweet cherries - 50, raspberries - 42, strawberries - 34, cranberries - 26 kcal .;
• each of the berries has its own beneficial properties, so you must choose the berries for the prevention and treatment of diseases with knowledge. For example, blueberries are good for vision, black currants and raspberries for colds, cranberries for heart diseases.

In summer, people have a great opportunity to enjoy a variety of delicious berries, saturating the body with vitamins and minerals. But what to do in the winter when the need for useful substances is especially urgent? Each solves this problem in his own way: someone makes jam and stewed fruit for the winter, someone dries the berries, someone buys expensive fresh berries brought in from warm countries in the winter, but nowadays more and more people prefer frozen tasty fruits . And, according to many experts in the field of nutrition, it is frozen berries that are more useful than other harvesting options. There are several reasons for this:

• Frozen berries retain in their composition most of the substances useful to the body. This is especially true of fruits subjected to shock freezing at a temperature of -50 degrees.

• Only fruits of high quality are selected for freezing. Crumpled, rotten and unripe berries are not suitable for these purposes.

• After thawing, most berries retain the taste and aroma of fresh berries.

• Many experts say that frozen berries are much healthier than berries brought out of season from warm countries. During long-term transportation and storage, fresh fruits lose many useful properties. While berries for freezing, as a rule, are frozen in the first hours after collection, which allows you to save most of the healing properties.

• The calorie content of frozen berries practically does not differ from the calorie content of fresh fruits. While various jams and compotes due to the high sugar content differ in a large number of calories.

Contraindications frozen berries.
  The contraindications of frozen berries are completely identical to the contraindications of fresh berries, i.e. if raspberry is contraindicated for a person, then it should not be used frozen. About the beneficial properties and contraindications of various berries can be found in the "Useful Products" section.

What berries can be frozen:
  The most popular berries for freezing are strawberries, cranberries, lingonberries, blueberries, cherries, cherries, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries, black currants and honeysuckle. Almost all types of berries are suitable for freezing. Usually only red currants do not freeze.

Shelf life of frozen berries:
  Typically, the shelf life of frozen berries is one year.

Eat frozen berries and be healthy!

With the onset of winter, we begin to think about vitamins. Imported vegetables and fruits, plucked from the branch still green and lying on the counter for several months, are unlikely to contain these vitamins in sufficient quantities. If contain at all. A special talk about tablet vitamins. Scientists have proven that even from a quality pill, the body will absorb a maximum of 30-50% of the nutrients. And the keyword here is maximum.

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Repeatedly noticed that at the grocery counter our person is often suspicious. Especially when he meets products that are not very well known to him. So with frozen fruits and vegetables. After all, they relatively recently began to enter our diet. Hence the doubt. What if berries or vegetables were frozen spoiled? What if they are harmful? Are there any vitamins in them?

Let's try to dispel these doubts. It has long been known that berries are a source of many beneficial substances. Vitamins, glycosides, antioxidants, trace elements and bioflavonoids are necessary not only for the normal functioning of the cardiovascular, digestive and immune systems of our body, but also for many internal organs of a person. In addition, berry carbohydrates are of great value. They contain fructose, which is twice as sweet as glucose, so the calorie content of the berries will be lower. This is especially important for people with diabetes and those who persistently want to lose weight.

The benefits of berries

Useful can be considered all edible berries. The most useful among them is blueberries.  It improves eyesight, and lowers cholesterol in the blood, and sharpens memory, and resists cancer, and restores the nerve cells spent in our difficult life. In addition, blueberries are useful for anemia. It contains vitamins of group B, P, trace elements: iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium and copper. If you take blueberries in the form of tablets, a set of useful elements, of course, will be preserved. But do not forget that it was created in the laboratory, and the body will absorb all 90 percent of the useful substances from the berries. However, do not get too carried away with blueberries, as it has a side effect. The berry has a tanning effect and can contribute to constipation. Therefore, people who have problems with the intestines, with blueberries need to be careful.

Among the most useful berries, it should be noted raspberries. This is a good antipyretic, the berry contains salicylic acid, it acts like aspirin, only without a harmful effect on the gastric mucosa. Raspberries have the ability to remove fluid from the body.

A storehouse of vitamin C - black currant.  This vitamin helps to retain iron in the body, accelerates the healing process, and maintains healthy bones, teeth and skin. To meet the daily requirement for vitamin C, it is enough to eat 50 g of black currant. Doctors have proven that berry is useful in preventing heart disease, diabetes, and even cancer. She also fights against age-related changes in brain cells, thereby preventing memory loss and senile dementia.

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Cranberry It has long been used as an anti-inflammatory and antifungal agent, as well as for the prevention of diseases of the kidneys, urinary tract and urinary bladder. It has a pronounced tonic effect, stimulates appetite and improves digestion. It is also used for colds. It is recommended for vitamin deficiency. It also lowers cholesterol and prevents the formation of atherosclerotic plaques in blood vessels and the formation of blood clots. Cranberries increase the elasticity and strength of the walls of blood capillaries. Its berries are useful for high blood pressure.

Blueberry  also has a number of unique properties. It is used for anemia and vitamin deficiency, helps to reduce blood glucose levels. It stimulates the metabolism and enhances immunity, removes toxic substances from the body, and improves eyesight. Possessing an anti-sclerotic effect, blueberry strengthens the walls of blood vessels, normalizes the functioning of the heart, and slows down the aging of nerve cells. Blueberry tea drink is effective for atherosclerosis, hypertension, capillary disease. In addition, blueberries have a choleretic and anti-inflammatory effect.

Chill around head

There is no better preservative than cold. After all, it retains the best qualities of a frozen product. That is, it is in frozen berries (and not in jam, juice and other products) that the largest amount of vitamins and nutrients is stored.

The secret of “berries with ice” is well known, for example, to residents of the north of Russia, who from time immemorial kept cranberries and lingonberries in a frozen state. Blueberries, for example, were placed in birch bark boxes and poured with fat. In this form, it was stored in moss until spring, without losing its nutritional properties.

Today, grandfathering methods have given way to modern technology. For example, quick freezing allows you to almost completely preserve vitamins and minerals in berries and vegetables. Both in taste and in nutritional value, frozen vegetables and fruits are in no way inferior to fresh ones. But under two conditions. First, they need to be stored in the freezer. Secondly, it is impossible to thaw and then freeze again, otherwise the products can definitely go bad. Fortunately, the most advanced manufacturers are already putting special paper indicators in fruit packaging. From the juice of the products, they change color, warning us of a defrost that has occurred.

But you can freeze in different ways. The classic way of freezing is at a temperature of minus 30-40 ° C using a low-temperature liquid or cold air. Water in the cells of the berries does not have time to turn into large crystals of ice, destroying the cell membranes and thereby damaging the contents of the cells. In addition to this method, there is a more modern cryogenic or shock freezing at temperatures below -60 ° C. It is proved that such a product in its nutritional value is practically not inferior to fresh.

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How to choose?

Some berries, vegetables and fruits lend themselves better to freezing and tolerate it better than others. So, from berries - this is strawberries, strawberries, cherries, raspberries, currants, cherries, gooseberries. The best vegetables for freezing are asparagus beans, sorrel, bell pepper, eggplant, tomatoes, cauliflower, carrots. Of fruits - apricots, plums, pears, peaches, grapes.

Scientists have long been discussing how many berries make up a useful daily dose. The principle “the more the better”, which has long occupied our minds, is completely unsuitable here. After all, anyway, the body will absorb exactly as many useful substances as it needs. So, from the point of view of the number of anthocyanins - useful substances contained, for example, in blueberries - it is enough to use from 1 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon of this berry per day, for example, adding yogurt, cottage cheese or kefir. During the year, scientists recommend eating blueberries for 10 months a year (for example, eat 5 weeks and take a break for one week). It turns out that per year per person needs from 1.5 to 4.5 kg of blueberries. Agree, not so much. That is, it is important not so much the quantity as the regular consumption of berries.

Frozen berries retain twice as many nutrients as cooked ones. By freezing a couple of packets of treats in the summer, even in the spring you can enjoy them. Or, if you are late in the summer, buy at the store.

Why in winter it is worth making a choice in favor of frozen vegetables and berries

The fact that frozen fruits and berries are harmful or healthy is a long-standing debate. There are scientific studies proving that frozen foods not only keep up with fresh nutrients, but often surpass them. Product critics say the packaged frozen product does not inspire confidence in the customer. But there is one point of contact. Both critics and advocates of this method agreed that products produced and frozen in the summer are healthier than “artificial” winter fruits and vegetables.

Judge for yourselves: only fruits of the best quality are selected for freezing. Yes, then they are washed thoroughly, cleaned, crushed, packaged and frozen. But the product remains high quality. In winter, it is much better than other freshly brought fruits that can be stored for months without signs of decay.

Overcoming your own slowness is always difficult. But you can, if you see the ultimate goal - improving your own health.

Vladimir Tretyakevich,

candidate of Medical Sciences, lecturer at the Grodno State Medical University.

Health Nutrition Specialist.

Berries are rich in vitamins and minerals. They are very healthy and incredibly tasty. But are fresh, frozen berries as healthy as they are? And how to freeze them in order to maintain the maximum amount of nutrients?

What is the use of frozen berries?

If you are lucky and there is a shock freeze function in your refrigerator, then frozen berries  in it, they will preserve much more vitamins and nutrients than if you kept the berries fresh. But, even if your refrigerator does not have such a function, then even ordinary freezing will cope with the preservation of vitamins no worse.

• One of pluses of frozen berries  - you can eat off-season fresh products, without worrying about their quality.
• Frozen berries have an advantage.before fresh ones - frozen ones contain much less lead, pesticides and cadmium. When you purchase fresh berries in the supermarket during the cold season, often even the supermarket employees themselves do not know where they were brought from. And even more so, how and under what conditions they were grown there.
• Frozen berriesretain almost all the taste qualities that they had before freezing. You can not be afraid that thawing them, you will not get any pleasure from the food. In the freezer of your refrigerator, unlike supermarket shelves, various microbes do not develop at all. They just do not live at such low temperatures.

• Carotene, vitamins B1 and B2 are stored in frozen berries. Vitamin C is stored in almost the same amount as in fresh berries.
• The aroma and taste of berries that you freezewill be saved almost in full. Imagine how cool it is in winter, when a blizzard sweeps outside, eat a vase of fresh fragrant berries!
• Us women frozen berries very, very much help in culinary creativity. Thawing berries, you can decorate them with a cake, dessert or semolina for the baby.

Most of all, for freezing, berries such as strawberries, currants, raspberries, gooseberries are suitable.

How to freeze berries?

First of all, when you just brought home freshly picked or bought berries, you need to sort them out.

• To freeze, you need to select  only ripe berries. Those that are not yet or have matured are not suitable. Also spoiled berries, with traces of bugs, larvae and worms, will not work. Tear off all the stalks, remove the leaves, in general, all that they do not eat. Only the finest berries need to be frozen.
• After you sorted through all the berries and selected the best of them, you should rinse thoroughly and dry. To dry, you can lay them out on blank sheets of paper, paper or waffle towels. You need to lay out in one layer.

• The highest quality freeze will occur if you will freeze berries  in batches. To do this, lay them out in a single layer on paper or on a flat bowl. After the berries are sufficiently frozen, you can sprinkle them in bags, or arrange them in specially prepared jars.
• Different types of berries are a must freeze individually. The only thing that can be frozen together is red, black and white currants. Everything else is separate.
• You can not just freeze fresh berries, and grind them with sugar, and freeze in this form.

Bags or jars you will be in store berries until winter, must tightly, one might even say, hermetically closed. Because the berries very quickly absorb various odors. For example, if raw fish or frozen greens lie nearby, then the berries can absorb the smells of these products. For the same reason, it’s best to set aside a separate compartment in your refrigerator, specifically for storing frozen berries.

When storing berries in a refrigerator, avoid freezing berries. Try to prevent the berries from thawing ahead of time.  Upon repeated freezing, they will lose most of their beneficial nutrients, lose their mouth-watering appearance, and taste. In addition, when the use of frozen berries  even indigestion and food poisoning are possible! So, be extremely careful!

In winter, when there are so few natural vitamins, it is so pleasant and useful to eat fresh berries! So pamper your family, freeze at least some berries for the winter!

Bon Appetit!

Especially for LadySpecial.ru - Vitalina

1. Scientists have found that they are only ten percent less vitamins than fresh ones.
2. Jam and stewed fruits contain a large amount of sugar, and they are almost useless.
3. The price of frozen berries is much lower than for overseas goodies sold in containers in hypermarkets.

They can be frozen for future use by yourself, but you need to know a few rules.

How to freeze berries for the winter?

• We use only ripe, fresh berries.
• Thoroughly wash, sort and dry from excess moisture.
• Freeze at a temperature of -19 to -22 C, preferably laying them in one layer (so as not to stick together and not be damaged).
• It can be stored after freezing in a container or bag with a zip fastener.

Of course, on an industrial scale, they use the shock freezing method, which makes it possible to freeze berries perfectly. With a slow freezing at home, the liquid inside the pulp expands and upon subsequent defrosting they often acquire a watery taste and lose their shape.   But still its berries are always nicer to eat, right?

How to defrost berries to make them tasty?

• The most favorite way is to put them in cold water. The main thing is to track the moment when the berry defrosts and immediately drain the water, otherwise the flesh will become sour and tasteless. Due to the pressure of the liquid outside, raspberries, blueberries, currants, wine keep their shape - therefore, with this technique, you can enjoy an almost fresh summer treat!

• The second effective way is to put a paper towel on a plate, and on it make a “lattice” of sticks or toothpicks and put the berries on it. Put the plate in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours. Thus, defrosting will be gradual, which means that the berries will retain their benefits. Thanks to the grate, excess liquid drains onto the towel, and they will not become sour in the frozen juice and will preserve the sweetness and taste!

• A less original way is defrost in the package.  It is necessary to place the berries in a tight bag and hold in cold or slightly warm water. However, it will collect thawed liquid, so the taste of goodies can change.
• Do not defrost the heat of summer in the microwave - there they will definitely lose all the benefits. Leaving the gifts of summer at room temperature also should not be: the uneven effect of heat will give them a sour taste.

I repeat, these methods will be useful to you only if you decide to enjoy the whole berry or treat your child with fresh raspberries or blueberries ... In pastries, cocktails or cereals you need to add an frozen product!

How long can berries be stored in the freezer?

• Subject to storage standards at temperatures below -17 degrees, you can store berries from 1 to 2 years.
• At temperatures from 0 to -7 C - no more than three months.

What to cook from frozen berries?

Yes, anything! The main thing is to follow the rules of cooking to preserve maximum vitamins.

A great option to make up for the lack of antioxidants and vitamins is to drink a freshly brewed drink from the harvest harvested in the summer.

Compote recipe from frozen berries.

• 3 liters of water
• 500 g of frozen cherries, cherries, sea buckthorn, currants, blueberries and any berries available to you.
• We bring the water to a boil and put the berries in it, without first defrosting them: this is how we store maximum vitamins in them.

• Let the compote boil for 5-7 minutes and remove it from the heat. It does not need to be cooked for a long time: a prolonged thermal effect destroys the nutrients in the berries and spoils the taste of the drink.

As a sweetener, you can use freshly squeezed grape or apple juice- add it to the compote before serving.

For conservatives and people not afraid of sugar  You can offer this option - then sugar will have to be added to the finished compote.

Sweeteners can be used. The most popular and safe enough - erythritis and stevioside, but you also need to add them to the brewed drink.

In addition to compote, you can enjoy berries in smoothies, sorbets, milkshakes, cook porridge with them and make pies. The main thing is to put berries in dishes without defrosting in order to preserve all the beneficial substances.