Freezing cherries for the winter at home: with and without seeds

Freezing cherries is one of the best ways to preserve the maximum nutrients of the berry.

There are several proven ways to properly freeze cherries for the winter.

Is it possible to freeze cherries?

You can freeze cherries in the freezer. If you follow all the nuances of this storage method, the vitamins will remain almost in full. And the aroma and taste will also be preserved, especially if it is quick frozen.

Early varieties are not suitable for freezing for the winter. They are distinguished by a disproportionate ratio of pulp and juice. Therefore, frozen fruits do not have their beneficial properties and lose their taste.Late varieties with dense pulp are suitable for freezing.

Methods for freezing cherries

There are several ways you can properly freeze berries at home.

Shock (fast). Features a three-stage temperature reduction. The first is cooling to 0 °C, the second phase is reducing to -5 °C, the third is freezing to -18 °C.
In one layer (in bulk). The option with or without a bone is suitable. It's much faster with whole fruits.
With sugar.
With syrup.
In its own juice.

Preparing cherries for freezing

In order for the freezing process to go well, it must be carried out correctly.

Do I need to wash cherries before freezing?

Be sure to wash the fruits. At the same time remove the stalks and low-quality specimens.
Place on a napkin or towel to drain.
Important! It is necessary to spread the fruits for drying in a thin layer.
After drying, spread in one layer on boards (glass, plastic) and place in the freezer.
To get a multi-tiered masonry, you can arrange the cherries with different objects - small boxes or cups.
After 2 days, pack into bags and send to the chamber.

How to freeze cherries with pits in the freezer

Freezing fruits with seeds is the best option for making compotes. This is the fastest way.

Preparing berries for freezing

It is important to remove the stalks and remove spoiled and overripe specimens. To do this, the crop is sorted, removing low-quality fruits.

How to properly freeze cherries

Place on a tray and place in the chamber. As soon as the berries have “set”, pour them into a storage container.

How to freeze pitted cherries for the winter

Frozen seedless is used in winter as a filling for pies, dumplings or jelly. The procedure is longer due to the preliminary preparation stage.

Preparing the berries

Wash, remove stems, dry.

To perform the pitted freezing option, you first need to remove them with a toothpick, pin or special device.

Important! The kernels must be removed carefully so as not to damage the pulp or release the juice.

Cherry freezing process

For prepared seedless berries, use a colander to drain excess liquid. Then place on flat plates or containers and place to freeze. After a day, you can already divide the entire volume into portions and pack them in bags.

How to freeze cherries with sugar

This option is used for sweet dishes.

Freezing fruits with sugar can be done in different ways. The method depends on further use and the preference of the cook.

With bones. Sort, wash, remove stems. Place in one layer on a board and place in the freezer. When the layer freezes, fill the container, sprinkling each layer with granulated sugar. To pack well.
Seedless. Remove the seeds from the fruits and place them immediately into containers in layers. Sprinkle each layer with sugar. Set to freeze.

Frozen cherries, pureed with sugar

In other words, it's a puree. Remove the seeds, grind the fruits in a blender, mix with sugar. Then put it in containers and put it in the freezer.

The puree can be made smooth or with pieces of pulp. Pre-cover the container with film. Then in winter it will be easier to cut off the required amount of workpiece.

How to freeze fresh cherries in their own juice for the winter

For this method, seedless berries are suitable.

Select the most overripe and softest fruits.
Place separately, then grind with a blender, add a little sugar to taste.
Place the rest in containers, filling the containers halfway, pour in the prepared puree, cover with a lid, and place in the freezer.

How to freeze cherries in syrup for the winter in the refrigerator

To perform this freezing, you will need to boil the syrup. Take the proportions of sugar and water 1:1.

Boil until the granulated sugar is completely dissolved, then cool. The temperature of the solution should be lower than that in the room. This can be done quickly by placing the container on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.
Cover the container with a plastic bag.
Place clean, pitted berries and pour in syrup.
Place to freeze.
Then remove from the container, release the air, and tie the bag.

Is it possible to freeze yellow cherries?

Of the yellow varieties, those with thick skin and pulp are suitable for freezing. Another sign is that the bone should separate well.

If the peel is thin, then after defrosting it will burst and the pulp will spread.

Important! Yellow fruits change color after freezing.

How to freeze yellow cherries

Select berries with thick, intact skins, wash, and place in a container.
Alternate each layer with granulated sugar.

You can prepare a mix by combining red and yellow varieties of the same ripening period.
A good way is puree. It does not distort the taste and retains its beneficial properties after defrosting.

What can you cook from frozen cherries in winter?

Frozen berries are a unique product for preparing in winter

aromatic drinks;
compotes;
fruit drinks;
fillings for pies and dumplings;
jelly;
berry puddings.

Many housewives independently create recipes for exclusive dessert dishes from frozen fruits and spoil their family members with them in winter.

Frozen cherries: benefits and harms

Like any product, this frozen berry has beneficial qualities, but it can also cause harm. The main thing is that after freezing the benefits do not decrease.

Benefits of frozen cherries:

relieves painful manifestations;
can reduce cholesterol levels;
smoothes wrinkles and removes acne;
regulates intestinal function;
has low calorie content.

The harm of the berry occurs with excessive consumption. You have to be careful

with gastritis;
for diabetes mellitus;
for allergic manifestations.

Rules and terms of storage of frozen cherries

The optimal shelf life is 10–12 months. This is the period during which the berries are well stored if the freezer temperature is strictly maintained. It should be -18 ºС.

The fruits are stored tightly packed and well insulated so that they are not saturated with foreign odors over the winter.

Conclusion

Freezing cherries is one of the economical options for preserving fruits for the winter. The method is selected depending on how the workpiece is planned to be used.

Reviews

Elena, Novocherkassk

I recently discovered frozen berries: I read reviews about freezing cherries for the winter in a culinary magazine. I am very pleased with the late-ripening red-fruited varieties. I freeze it with or without kernels; last season I liked the puree. This is an almost ready-made filling, so the pies turn out tasty and quickly. It’s very nice to enjoy berries in winter!

Tatiana, Belgorod

From my own experience I will say that white varieties are not suitable for freezing. They change color greatly and become tasteless.Maybe this is my variety, but I was disappointed. But red is a completely different matter. In winter it is suitable for compotes, fruit drinks, dumplings. It is very profitable because the harvest is not lost. In the summer everything goes into preparation.