TOP 10 recipes for freezing gooseberries for the winter at home in the refrigerator

Ripe berries bring the maximum amount of benefit to the body. A larger amount of vitamins is contained in gooseberry peel; they disappear during heat treatment. Therefore, freezing is the optimal way to prepare berries for the winter, which preserves the aroma and taste.

To enjoy this natural delicacy all year round, you need to know how to properly freeze gooseberries.

Is it possible to freeze gooseberries?

The product is well stored at low temperatures and retains:

  • nutritional quality;
  • structure;
  • taste qualities;
  • vitamins.

Selection and preparation of berries for freezing

Useful qualities depend on the color of the fruit:

  • green or white are the most useful;
  • brown or red are the sweetest.

Specimens with thick skin and sweet flesh are ideal for the dry freezing method. Thin-skinned gooseberries are frozen with sugar. To preserve the shape of the thin-skinned berries, they are frozen in sugar syrup.

Preparation rules:

  • collected in the morning. The weather should be dry;
  • twigs and leaves are completely removed. They lay spoiled and unripe berries. Only dense specimens are left, which remain elastic when pressed. Unripe berries are very hard. Soft – stale or overripe;
  • cut off the tails;
  • washed;
  • transfer to a towel and dry. There should be no excess moisture remaining, otherwise an ice layer will form on the surface.

It is necessary to follow certain rules for choosing berries:

  • when purchasing, choose dry berries with stalks, which help preserve beneficial qualities;
  • choose mature ones, without signs of disease and without damage;
  • unripe ones have poor taste, so they are not suitable for winter storage. An exception can be made if you plan to cook compotes or jam in the future.

Methods for freezing gooseberries at home

Before freezing, you need to prepare the freezer. Wash thoroughly and wipe with a dry cloth. There should be no foreign odors, since the gooseberries will absorb them, which will negatively affect not only the aroma, but also the taste.

To preserve the aroma of the berries, they should not be stored in the same compartment along with fish and meat products.

Whole berries

Whole berries are great for filling pies and cakes. With their help, you can cook delicious compote or jam at any time of the year. To properly freeze gooseberries, you need to follow simple recommendations:

  1. Sort the fruits, then carefully rinse and dry.
  2. Place on a tray and place in the freezer. Turn on deep freezing. Wait an hour.
  3. Place in prepared containers or bags. Place containers in the freezer. After two days, close the lids. Release all the air from the bags and close them. It is necessary to package quickly so that the berries do not have time to defrost. Without cooking, frozen gooseberries can be stored until next season.

Freezing gooseberries sprinkled with sugar

You will need:

  • sugar – 600 grams;
  • gooseberries - 2 kilograms.

Preparation:

  1. For harvesting, only strong, dense specimens are used, which are washed and dried. Add sugar and stir.
  2. Place in containers. Freeze for two days. Then close with lids. Or package it in bags that need to be tightly tied. This method prevents the workpiece from turning into an ice block.

In sugar syrup

This option is suitable for harvesting specimens with thin skin and slightly overripe. This type of freezing will help turn the berries into an independent dessert.

You will need:

  • sugar – 500 grams;
  • gooseberry;
  • water – 1 liter.

Preparation:

  • Pour water over sugar. To improve the taste, you can add a sprig of mint. Boil. Boil for three minutes. Cool.
  • Place the prepared berries in a container. Pour in syrup. Do not top up to about two centimeters.

  • Place in the freezer. To freeze. Keep the containers open for two days, then close the lids. The smaller the container, the faster the product will freeze.
  • Defrost in the refrigerator. Frozen products can be stored for no more than six months.
  • If you need whole berries to prepare a dish, add them without defrosting.

As a puree

It is delicious to prepare gooseberries in the form of puree. Overripe but not rotten fruits, as well as berries with thin skins, are ideal for this.

You will need:

  • sugar – 350 grams;
  • gooseberries - 1 kilogram.

Preparation:

  • Remove leaves and twigs. Rinse and dry with paper towel. Place in a blender bowl and blend.
  • You can use a masher. In this option, it will be possible to preserve a larger amount of vitamins, since upon contact with metal, oxidation of the berries occurs, as a result of which the beneficial properties are lost.

  • Pour through a sieve. The mass will be homogeneous, without skin. This step can be skipped, since the peel contains the largest amount of vitamins.
  • Add sugar and stir. Pour into plastic serving containers. Place in the freezer. Freeze for an hour, then cover with lids. The fruits retain their beneficial properties for no more than 6 months.
  • You can pour the prepared mixture into ice molds or plastic cups. To freeze. Then take out and pack small cubes into bags. The product in glasses is wrapped in cling film.

Shelf life of frozen gooseberries in the freezer

Supermarkets sell berries that have been blast frozen. Therefore, their color remains rich and their taste is fully preserved. It is difficult to carry out such a process at home, so follow the recommendations:

  1. Fruits frozen at temperatures of -18 degrees and below can retain their properties for about a year.
  2. Frozen product can be stored at a temperature of -3 degrees for no more than three months.
  3. At zero, the berries will remain edible for two months.

The latest models of freezers have a “deep freezing” function, which brings the process closer to shock. In order to achieve the desired, fast freezing, it is recommended to turn on the mode in advance, at least two hours in advance.

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