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To freeze honeysuckle for the winter in the refrigerator and preserve all its beneficial properties, it is not necessary to pre-heat it; there are many other recipes. After all, honeysuckle is a berry that strengthens blood vessels and normalizes blood pressure and body temperature. After heat treatment, not even half of the nutrients remain.
Is it possible to freeze honeysuckle for the winter?
Honeysuckle is ideal for freezing. In this form, it retains almost 100% of all useful substances contained in it. Following all the rules for preparing berries for the winter in the refrigerator will preserve their taste and even color.
The freezing process takes little time and it is not necessary to add sugar, which is not a healthy product.
Beneficial properties of frozen honeysuckle
Honeysuckle is considered not only a food product, but also a therapeutic and prophylactic agent. Depending on the variety and climatic conditions of growth, the quantity and quality of biologically active substances may vary.
Honeysuckle helps remove heavy metal salts from the body and has the following beneficial properties:
- relieves pain of various origins;
- has a diuretic effect;
- helps reduce body temperature;
- increases immune strength;
- stabilizes blood pressure;
- enhances visual acuity and prevents the development of cataracts;
- promotes weight loss;
- is a preventative against the development of cancer.
Honeysuckle is also called the berry of youth and beauty. It is often used to make face masks. These berries are often used to treat ringworm, acne and eczema. Juice from the fruit is an excellent anti-aging remedy. A mask made from gruel (puree) allows you to get rid of fine wrinkles and pigmentation.
The fruits are recommended for consumption in diabetes mellitus. Honeysuckle helps strengthen blood vessels and make them elastic. Honeysuckle fruits help cope with iron deficiency during the menstrual cycle and eliminate discomfort.
Frozen berries retain all their beneficial properties
Preparing honeysuckle for freezing for the winter
To properly freeze honeysuckle for the winter, you will have to choose mature, but always elastic, fruits. Ripe berries have a rich and bright blue color. They must not have any damage or defects. Such fruits will not be able to withstand extreme cold and will certainly burst, just like overripe honeysuckle.After harvesting or purchasing, the fruits are carefully sorted, all debris and damaged berries are removed.
It is recommended to wash honeysuckle before freezing. This is done step by step as follows:
- The berries are placed in a sieve.
- Send them under warm running water or collect it in a container with a larger diameter than the sieve, and dip the berries into it several times.
- Take out the sieve and leave it until all the liquid has drained.
- Place the berries on a towel or cloth, always in one layer.
The berries are left on the towel until the moisture has completely evaporated, usually this takes about 2 hours. After this, the fruits are placed in a dry container and sent to the refrigerator for 2 hours to cool.
How to freeze honeysuckle for the winter
After cooling the fruits, it is recommended to pre-freeze them. Honeysuckle is placed in a plastic container, which is necessarily intended for use in the freezer and refrigerator. The container is placed in the freezer to freeze for at least 3 hours.
This stage will allow the honeysuckle not to stick together and be consumed in the winter in crumbly form. However, plastic containers for permanent storage are not the best option. Oddly enough, storing berries in a bag is considered the best option.
After preliminary freezing in the refrigerator, the fruits are sent to a bag and closed tightly. The package in the freezer can take any shape and takes up much less space than a special container.
Freezing whole honeysuckle berries
There is a recipe for frozen honeysuckle in bulk. After cooling, the berries are laid out on a tray in the shape of pyramids, which should not touch each other. The tray goes into the freezer for 2-3 hours, if possible, lower the temperature to -21 degrees. After the specified time, the honeysuckle scatterings can be placed in one bag, without fear that in the future you will have to break off the desired piece from the total mass of frozen fruits.
Honeysuckle berries can be used as a cold remedy
Honeysuckle can be frozen for the winter with sugar. After preparing the berries:
- Lay out in one layer.
- Make a layer of sugar.
- Again we put a new layer with fruits.
- Sprinkle with sugar.
There should be about 2 cm of air space between the lid and the last layer of berries.
You can prepare an original preparation for the winter with orange. To do this you will need:
- 5 cups of berries, grated;
- 5 glasses of sugar;
- 1 orange, sliced and peeled.
Cooking process:
- Honeysuckle and sugar are mixed.
- Add the orange to the prepared base and distribute into molds for freezing in the freezer for the winter.
Freezing honeysuckle puree
Not only ripe, but also slightly overripe fruits are suitable for cooking. It is better that their peel is as thin as possible.
The whole process consists of:
- Place the berries in a blender or mixer and bring to the desired consistency.
- Add sugar to the resulting puree in a ratio of 4:1.
- The resulting mixture can be filled into containers, plastic cups and other containers.
The main thing is not to add puree to the very edge; there should be at least 1 cm of reserve left.
The puree can be frozen in the form of briquettes. You need to first put a plastic bag in a container for freezing, and only then place the puree there. After complete freezing, remove the bag of puree from the container, tie it and put it back into the freezer.
Eating berry puree in winter will boost the body's immune system.
Honeysuckle puree can be prepared according to another recipe:
- Fill the pre-cleaned honeysuckle with water and place the container on the fire.
- Bring to a boil and use a blender to puree the berries.
- Afterwards, put the honeysuckle back into the pan.
- Add sugar at the rate of half a kg of sugar per 1 kg of fruit.
- Put it on fire again.
- Heat the container to approximately 85 degrees and cook at this temperature for 5 minutes.
- Place the cooled mixture into freezer containers and place in the freezer.
You can freeze honeysuckle along with other berry purees. This mixture is called blending. If the berries ripen at different times, then first fill the container halfway with honeysuckle puree. After other fruits appear, they are pureed, poured with honeysuckle on top and frozen.
Freezing honeysuckle juice
Frozen honeysuckle is also useful in juice form.The easiest way is to squeeze out the juice using a press, strain and put on fire. Bring to a boil and cook for literally 3-4 minutes. Leave to cool completely and pour into containers for storage in the refrigerator in winter.
Juice canned with or without sugar
The juice can be prepared with sugar. To do this you will need:
- 200 g sugar;
- 1 liter of juice.
Sugar can be added in less or more quantities, depending on individual preferences.
Terms and conditions of storage
It is best to consume the berries during the first three months from the moment they are frozen in the refrigerator. Such fruits retain the most nutrients and vitamins.
If you freeze honeysuckle berries according to all the rules and store them at a stable low temperature of -18 degrees, then they can be stored for 9 months.
In cases where the preparatory stage, namely washing, drying and cooling, was not carried out, the shelf life in the refrigerator in winter is reduced by 3 months.
Conclusion
To maintain the maximum concentration of vitamins and freeze honeysuckle for the winter in the refrigerator in the form of juice or puree and whole berries, the product should be defrosted gradually. The required amount of fruit is taken out of the freezer and placed in the refrigerator for 12 hours, after which it is brought to room temperature in the room. For this purpose, it is best to lay out the material for freezing in portions and, as needed, defrost the required amount.
