Content
- 1 Is it possible to freeze bird cherry?
- 2 How to properly freeze bird cherry for the winter
- 3 Bird cherry frozen on branches
- 4 Freezing bird cherry berries in bags or containers
- 5 Freezing bird cherry twisted in a meat grinder
- 6 How to freeze bird cherry ground with sugar
- 7 What can you cook from frozen bird cherry?
- 8 Shelf life of frozen bird cherry
- 9 Conclusion
Many people think that berries, including bird cherry, are frozen only for compotes. And after defrosting, it turns into an unsightly-looking homogeneous mass, which is difficult to use anywhere. But this is not true at all. You can freeze bird cherry with individual berries, or you can freeze it directly with the branches. There are several techniques to preserve the natural taste and aroma of berries. In addition, bird cherry can be frozen practically in the form of a ready-made dish, which can then be used at any time without fear of it turning sour or mold appearing on it. All this will be discussed later in the article.
Is it possible to freeze bird cherry?
Feasting on tasty and juicy berries when a snowstorm is blowing outside and the frost is getting stronger is not the dream of every summer resident and gardener. And if the jam retains, at best, an attractive aroma and a taste somewhat distorted by sugar, then frozen berries and fruits can turn out to be almost fresh after defrosting. Especially if you know some of the secrets of freezing.All of the above applies fully to bird cherry, although this berry is not particularly loved by gardeners. It is even called bird fruit, as if hinting that its fruits are only suitable for bird food.
But in fact, this berry is not only quite tasty, but also healthy. Lovers of unusual dishes will definitely appreciate the very attractive taste and aroma of bird cherry. And its healing properties were recognized and used by our distant ancestors. And all these tastes and properties can be perfectly preserved in frozen berries. In addition, the process of preparing and freezing bird cherry is very simple and takes very little time, unlike other methods of preservation.
How to properly freeze bird cherry for the winter
The most important thing that is absolutely necessary for proper freezing of bird cherry is the freezer compartment in a modern refrigerator or a free-standing freezer. It is better if it maintains a temperature of about -18 °C or less. It’s even better if it has a “shock freezing” mode, which will allow you to quickly and easily freeze the berries.
But as for the bird cherry itself, the main secret is that you can only freeze berries collected from bushes or trees within the next 24 hours. Berries that have been stored for a longer period after picking are no longer recommended to be frozen, since their taste and aroma cannot be preserved in their original form. The conclusion is quite simple - you should not mess with freezing bird cherry fruits purchased at markets or, especially, in stores. You need to look for bird cherry bushes from acquaintances, friends or relatives. Or in the nearby forest.
All damaged, wrinkled, unhealthy bird cherry fruits should be removed. It is this selection that will help best preserve the taste and aroma of the berries left for freezing.
Then the bird cherry should be washed well. It is best to do this in cool water, in a large container, changing the water several times to minimize mechanical stress and not damage the rather thin shell of the berries.
The last procedure for preparing for freezing is thoroughly drying the bird cherry. The berries are scattered in one layer on a paper or fabric towel and placed in a dry and warm place for several hours. It is important to dry the bird cherry thoroughly, since the degree of preservation of the berries during freezing and subsequent thawing will depend on this.
2 hours before the start of the freezing process, the freezer is set either to blast freezing mode or to the lowest possible temperature (usually 20 °C).
Next, the bird cherry is frozen using one of the convenient methods described in detail in the following chapters.
Bird cherry frozen on branches
Freezing bird cherry on branches is another way to preserve the freshness and taste of an almost natural berry after defrosting. In addition, sorting the berries becomes much easier. It is better to rinse the branches under a small stream of running water, but drying the bird cherry before freezing still remains a mandatory procedure.
To freeze sprigs, you need to prepare flat trays that are sized to easily fit into the freezer.
The trays are covered with sheets of parchment paper, dried bird cherry branches are laid out on them and placed in the freezer for several hours.
After 12 hours, the trays are pulled out, the bird cherry branches are transferred to special plastic containers, preferably rectangular for greater capacity. The containers are labeled and placed in the freezer for storage.
When defrosted, bird cherry berries are easily removed from the stalks and are practically no different from fresh ones. They can be used to prepare any dishes, including decorating pies and cakes.
Freezing bird cherry berries in bags or containers
This is one of the most popular ways to freeze bird cherry.
After sorting, the berries are separated from the stalks and washed and dried in this form. In the future, proceed as described in the previous chapter, only the berries on the tray are placed strictly in one layer.
Since bird cherry berries are relatively dense, you can try to freeze them by immediately pouring them into prepared containers.
But there is another secret here. In order for the fruits to retain their color and taste as much as possible, they can be frozen as a whole, sprinkled with sugar in layers. For 1 kg of fruit you will need no more than 1 cup of granulated sugar. And the berries must be completely dry.
To do this, take a plastic container of suitable size, pour a layer of berries, sprinkle a little sugar on top, again a layer of berries, and repeat until the container is completely filled.
Bird cherry stored in the freezer using all the methods described above should be defrosted in the refrigerator. Although it will take a lot of time, the berry will best retain all its best properties.
Freezing bird cherry twisted in a meat grinder
Since bird cherry is rarely used for fresh consumption, the method of preserving its berries in a ground state is very popular.
To do this, you just need to sort out the berries and wash them. They do not need thorough drying. Moreover, even berries with mechanical damage can be used. But, nevertheless, carefully weed out fruits with traces of diseases and parasites.
The washed berries are twisted through a meat grinder. You can even do this several times if the holes in the meat grinder are too large.
Then the resulting mass is laid out in small molds and frozen. If you want to reuse the molds, then after a day they are removed from the freezer by lightly pressing, pulled out of the molds and distributed into special bags. Place it back into the freezer for storage.
How to freeze bird cherry ground with sugar
An even better option would be if you add sugar in a 1:1 ratio to the berry mass ground through a meat grinder. The result is an almost ready-made filling for pies, pies, pancakes, casseroles or dumplings. In general, ground bird cherry with sugar is quite tasty just like that, in the form of cold jam for tea.
By the way, if you freeze bird cherry, ground with sugar, in small ice cubes, you can get a wonderful ready-made cure for stomach disorders. If such a problem occurs, you just need to dilute one cube in half a glass of warm or hot water and drink the finished medicine.
What can you cook from frozen bird cherry?
Of course, most often various drinks are prepared from frozen bird cherry: compotes, jelly, cocktails and even alcoholic liqueurs and liqueurs. Whole berries are perfect for decorating desserts and cakes.
A variety of baked goods with frozen bird cherry are popular. After all, it makes excellent fillings for pies and pies.
In addition, it can be used to add to sweet milk porridges, cottage cheese casseroles and desserts, cheesecakes, and pancakes. Various desserts are also prepared from frozen puree with sugar in the form of puddings, smoothies, jelly and other things.
Shelf life of frozen bird cherry
In general, at a temperature no higher than 18-20 °C, frozen bird cherry can be stored for up to one year. It is advisable to consume pureed berries within a shorter period of time, since they contain ground seeds, which can cause an increased concentration of hydrocyanic acid.
Conclusion
Many novice housewives do not even suspect that it is possible to freeze bird cherry in order to preserve it for the winter. But in this way they get not only a tasty addition to many dishes, but also a valuable medicine for stomach and colds.
