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Perhaps the most popular among berry crops is red currant. It is considered a hypoallergenic product and has a pleasant sour taste. Even if you freeze red currants, they retain a lot of substances that are beneficial to humans.
The juice of this berry perfectly quenches thirst, tones, restores the strength of people weakened by illness, and increases appetite. As a source of ascorbic acid and vitamin P, red currants are indicated for colds and as their prevention.
The benefits of frozen red currants
When frozen, the berry retains all its beneficial properties, as well as vitamin and mineral reserves, while practically not losing its taste - that is why it is advisable to freeze red currants for harvesting for the winter. The advantages of freezing over heat treatment are obvious: although the jam is tastier, it does not have many benefits for the body, since heating inevitably destroys most of the vitamins.
Preparing red currants for freezing
What are the steps involved in preparing red currants for freezing:
- In order for frozen berries to be suitable for consumption after defrosting, at the very first and most important stage it is necessary to sort out and remove overripe, cracked or rotten berries, as well as leaves and insects that sometimes end up in the harvested crop.
- The next step is to rinse the currants. The best way to do this is to put it in a colander and place it under running cool water.
- Then you should spread the red currants on a clean, dry cloth to remove excess moisture. Additionally, you can blot the berries on top with a soft cloth or paper towel.
How to freeze red currants for the winter in the freezer
Next, it is necessary to carry out preliminary cooling so that the currants do not suffer from subsequent intense freezing. In addition, this procedure will allow it to retain its juiciness and taste even after defrosting.
So:
- Place the dried red currants in an open container; it is advisable to use something like a colander.
- Place in the refrigerator (not the freezer!) for two hours.
- Place in containers or plastic bags.
- They are already thoroughly frozen.
Dry freezing of whole berries
This is one of the most popular freezing methods, since it relieves the housewife of some of the hassle of drying currants and pre-cooling. In order to properly freeze red currants in the freezer using the dry method, you should:
- Blot the washed berries with a cloth.
- Place in bulk on a flat surface, such as a tray, in the freezer.
- After some time has passed (no more than an hour), put the currants, already frozen by frost, into bags or containers.
- Return to freezer.
Freezing berries on branches
For preparation, it is advisable to use fresh, recently picked berries.
The sequence of actions is similar to the previous method. Here also:
- The washed branches are washed and dried.
- Pre-frozen.
- This is followed by placing the berries into containers and thoroughly freezing them in the freezer.
This method, of course, can be shortened and done without drying: the currants are simply placed in a colander to drain the water, and after several hours, placed in bags or jars, they are immediately frozen. But then you need to be prepared for the fact that after freezing, ice crusts may appear on the berries.
Red currants with sugar
This simple method of freezing raw berries is otherwise called “raw jam”. It, of course, cannot replace the usual one, but it is an almost natural crushed berry, only slightly sweetened. They don’t take a lot of sugar - 1 kg (or less) per 2 kg of currants is enough.
Algorithm of action for obtaining this product:
- The washed raw materials are covered with sugar and mixed.
- Let it sit for several hours.
- Then passed through a meat grinder.
- The resulting mass is laid out in plastic containers (you can use yogurt bottles).
- Place in the freezer.
Berry puree
This product is usually made using a blender or meat grinder.The resulting mass is passed through a sieve. You can add sugar to such a preparation, but if it is then frozen, only a little: for 1 kg of berry mass, only 200 g of granulated sugar.
The procedure is as follows:
- Pure selected currants are crushed with a blender.
- Add sugar in small portions, stirring.
- Let the mixture sit until the sugar dissolves.
- Grind again.
- Pass through a sieve.
- The finished product is laid out and covered with lids.
- The puree is placed in the freezer.
How to defrost berries correctly
There are several ways. Here is one of them:
- The currants are removed from the freezer.
- Spread a thin layer on a flat surface and let the berries lie at room temperature on a clean, dry cloth or simply on a plate.
Jars of frozen puree are simply placed on the table as needed.
For slow, but most gentle defrosting, the container with berry raw materials is simply placed in the refrigerator. Defrosting 1 kg of workpiece usually takes at least 5-6 hours.
Modern housewives, of course, will prefer to place the container in the microwave oven chamber, setting the “quick defrost” mode. It is worth keeping in mind that red currants are small berries, so it is important that they do not begin to heat up after they melt.
Terms and conditions of storage
It is believed that any frozen fruits can be safely stored throughout the winter-spring season until the next harvest. In fact, a lot depends on whether high-quality ripe raw materials were taken for freezing, whether they were processed correctly, and whether premature defrosting occurred. Storage temperature is also very important.
On the contrary, having undergone proper preliminary preparation, well frozen in deep freezing (not higher than -18°C), red currants are able to retain their taste and beneficial properties for up to three years. But puree with sugar - no more than a year.
Conclusion
Freezing red currants is quite simple. It can be stored for a long time and then easily defrosted. Thawed berries are used to prepare many drinks and dishes. But it is quite possible to simply enjoy red currants - they perfectly retain all their beneficial properties.
