Content
- 1 Is it possible to freeze chokeberry
- 2 How to properly freeze chokeberries
- 3 How to freeze chokeberry in containers
- 4 Shock freezing of chokeberry for the winter
- 5 How to freeze aronia with sugar for the winter
- 6 Freezing chokeberry with sugar in the form of puree
- 7 What can you cook from frozen chokeberry?
- 8 Shelf life of frozen berries
- 9 Conclusion
The berries of chokeberry or chokeberry have been known in Russia not so long ago - just over a hundred years. Due to their peculiar tart taste, they are not as popular as cherries or strawberries. But the plants are as unpretentious as they have powerful healing powers. Among other ways to prepare healthy berries for the winter, freezing chokeberry is perhaps the easiest. And then use its miraculous properties in a variety of dishes and drinks all year round.
Is it possible to freeze chokeberry
Freezing chokeberries is not only the fastest and most convenient way to prepare berries for the winter. When frozen, chokeberry berries completely retain all their healing substances and properties. And she has a lot of them. Minerals, vitamins, organic acids and pectic substances, which chokeberry berries are full of, allow you to:
- improve the functioning of the endocrine system,
- strengthen blood vessels,
- optimize liver function,
- remove salts of heavy metals and radioactive substances from the body;
- improve vision.
One of the advantages of freezing aronia is the fact that after thawing, the berries practically do not lose their shape, look like fresh and therefore can be used for any purposes for which fresh fruits are usually used. Including for decorating confectionery products and for making a variety of liqueurs and wine. That is, the berries can be used all year round at any time convenient for the housewife, and not just in the autumn, when there are already a lot of worries with the harvest.
How to properly freeze chokeberries
The most important principles that must be taken into account in order to properly freeze chokeberries at home for the winter are the appropriate harvest time and careful preparation of the berries.
It is necessary to collect fully ripe chokeberries for freezing. Depending on the climatic conditions of the region, it ripens from late August to late September. Berries collected at the time of full ripening, but before the onset of frost, retain their shape well, but have a pronounced tart taste. The berries reach their maximum filling with nutrients and healing substances just at the time of the first frost. Therefore, it is more advisable to collect chokeberry berries for freezing for the winter around this period, before or immediately after the first frost.
The next important stage is preparing the collected berries for freezing. They are first removed from the brushes and cleaned of all kinds of natural debris. Then they are washed in several waters, finally rinsed in cool water and laid out in a single layer on clean kitchen towels to dry.
True, there is one peculiarity here.If in the future you plan to cook from the chokeberry after defrosting Home wine or liqueur, it is not advisable to wash the berries. Because wild yeast lives on the surface of unwashed fruits, which, by the way, are perfectly preserved even in deep freezing conditions. They contribute to the natural fermentation of chokeberry wine. Of course, for good fermentation, you can always add artificial yeast to the wort, but this will not affect the taste of natural homemade wine for the better.
In this case, you just need to carefully sort the berries, free them from debris and spoiled specimens, and dry them thoroughly.
Depending on how you plan to use the chokeberry berries in the future, there are several ways to freeze them. But no matter what method is chosen, you should be aware that when re-frozen, chokeberry loses a significant part of its beneficial properties. This means that freezing must be carried out in small portions, so that one portion is enough to prepare a particular dish or drink.
As an exception, we can only mention the method of shock freezing, in which the berries are frozen in such a way that they are stored in bulk and the required number of fruits can be easily separated at any time.
It is better to use a separate freezer compartment to preserve fruits and berries.
How to freeze chokeberry in containers
This freezing method can be called the most universal in use and simple in the process itself.
To freeze and store chokeberries for the winter, use containers of any convenient size and shape. Most often, these can be plastic boxes for a variety of salads or ready-made dishes.
The most important thing, as mentioned above, is the preliminary preparation of the berries. Completely dried chokeberry fruits are loosely laid out in clean and dry containers, covered with lids and sent to the freezer.
Chokeberry berries frozen in this way can be used for almost any dish: compotes, fruit drinks, jelly, healing syrups, preserves, jam, pie filling. They are added to dough when baking instead of raisins, they are used to make smoothies, tinctures, liqueurs, homemade wine, or simply added to tea along with decoctions of other medicinal herbs.
For the same reason, chokeberry, which when fresh is distinguished by the relative dryness of its fruit, becomes especially juicy after defrosting, and is much more pleasant to eat simply for food.
Shock freezing of chokeberry for the winter
Blast freezing provides all the same benefits, but in addition, the ideal shape of the berries is preserved, so they can be used to decorate cakes, pies, casseroles and other baked goods.
The essence of shock freezing is that the berries are frozen at a temperature of at least - 18 ° C very quickly, literally in 1.5-2 hours.As a result, the sugar contained in chokeberry fruits does not have time to turn into starch and the berries completely retain their original structure.
At home, the following technology is used. Washed and well-dried chokeberry berries are laid out strictly in one layer on a flat tray or baking sheet and placed in the quick-freezing compartment.
After a few hours, the frozen fruits are taken out and poured into conveniently sized plastic bags for storage. It is most advisable to use bags with a zip fastener. They are filled with frozen berries, as much air as possible is released from them and sealed tightly. After which they are placed in a general compartment for long-term storage.
The berries are stored in bulk, do not freeze into one continuous mass and are therefore very convenient for further consumption.
How to freeze aronia with sugar for the winter
Since sugar, unlike fresh berries, is easy to find and use throughout the year, freezing chokeberries with sugar does not make much sense. Moreover, when the berries come into contact with sugar, they can release juice quite quickly. This means that as a result, instead of individual berries, a sticky fruit mass may form when frozen. But there is one trick when freezing chokeberries with sugar makes sense.
Freezing chokeberry with sugar in the form of puree
It is very convenient to freeze chokeberries in the form of puree, mashed with sugar. In this case, after defrosting, you can get a completely ready-to-eat delicious and very healthy dish. This is a practically ready-made filling for pies, a base for jam, and an additive to cottage cheese dishes.
Freezing chokeberry in this way is very simple:
- The prepared fruits are simply mixed with sugar in a ratio of approximately 2:1. Then grind using an immersion blender or mixer.
- Leave for about an hour at room temperature.
- Place the prepared puree into clean and dry plastic or glass containers with lids so that there is free space at the top of the container.
- Close with hermetically sealed lids and place in the freezer.
What can you cook from frozen chokeberry?
Defrost chokeberry fruits in the lower section of the refrigerator or under normal room conditions.
Often, chokeberry fruits, after defrosting, are used to make homemade wine, tinctures and medicinal teas. In winter, compotes and other non-alcoholic drinks with the addition of frozen chokeberries will be healthy, tasty and beautiful.
It is also often used as an additive to any prepared jam, especially with a sour taste. It can increase its value and improve its taste. And homemade chokeberry jam has an original taste and is very healthy.
Finally, once frozen, this berry is invaluable when used in any baked goods, both for fillings and decoration.
Shelf life of frozen berries
Frozen chokeberries can be easily stored in the freezer for a year or even more. But it makes sense to use it before the fresh harvest.
Conclusion
Freezing chokeberry is not difficult at all, and the benefits of this action are enormous. After all, all the same dishes can be prepared from frozen berries throughout the year as from fresh ones.And its taste will only improve.
