How to freeze gooseberries for the winter: 4 ways

The popularity of frozen gooseberries is not so great unlike berries of the same type. A great advantage in the content of the product is a considerable amount of vitamin C, P, iron and pectin. Gooseberries should not be underestimated, the year-round presence of frozen berries at home allows you to maintain and strengthen immunity. Consider detailed ways to prepare your fruits for long-term storage.

Choosing gooseberries for storage

1. Currently, there are enough many varieties of gooseberries. In appearance, it differs only in color. Ripe berries are light, red and green. In some cases, gooseberry maturity is determined by the appearance of spots when fully ripened.
2. The usefulness of berries depends on the color of the variety. If the shade is greenish or white, this feature indicates greater usefulness. Red or brown gooseberries are often the sweetest. Before harvesting berries for the winter, select ripe and hard specimens. They should not be spoiled or immature.
3. Ripeness is determined by touch. If the berry is too hard, it means unripe. A soft specimen indicates gooseberry stale or overripe. Ideal - when pressed, the berry remains elastic.
4. If you are going to store gooseberries for a long time, try to collect or buy it with the presence of stalks. Such a minor nuance will help maintain useful properties.
5. When storing gooseberries, pay attention to its dryness, moisture particles should not accumulate in secret places. Such a move will prevent the decay and damage to the fetus. Fresh berries should be left in a dark, cool and ventilated place.
6. If you decide to keep gooseberries in the refrigerator, do not rush to wash it. Leave the berries intact so they can last up to 60 days. With full ripening of the fruits, it is worth consuming them much earlier.

How to prepare berries for freezing

1. Pick up ripe elastic berries with the presence of a stalk. Make sure that the shell is not susceptible to erosion. Unripe specimens do not convey almost no taste and healthy qualities.
2. For dry freezing, use a gooseberry variety with a dense peel and honey pulp. Thin-coated berries are preferably used to make sugar puree (to further freeze it).
3. Thin-skinned gooseberries can also be frozen in syrup. This method will help maintain the integrity of the berries. If you collect fruits yourself, do the manipulations in the early morning in the absence of dew.
4. Before freezing, sort gooseberries, remove debris, twigs, leaves. Leave only ripe whole berries with a stalk.
5. Then wash the gooseberries in cool water with a colander. Put wet berries on cotton towels, let gooseberries dry completely.

Method number 1. Gooseberry puree freezing

1. For the preparation of gruel, ripe or with thin-skinned berries are best suited. Remove the stalks from the washed gooseberries, send the berries to a blender.
2. For this manipulation, it is preferable to use a wooden press (pusher), such a move will save the greatest amount of vitamins. When metal comes into contact with gooseberries, berries are oxidized and lose their beneficial properties.
3. Pour 350 gr. granulated sugar per 1 kg. berries, mix. Put the mashed potatoes in plastic containers, send to the refrigerator.After 1 hour, transfer the mass to a glass container, close the lids, put in the freezer.

Method number 2. Sugar freezing

1. Sort the berries, wash and dry them on cotton towels. Send gooseberries to a large enameled pan.
2. Pour 400 g. sugar per 1 kg. fruits. Stir the composition, send it to pre-sterilized food containers. Close the lids tightly, put in the freezer.

Method number 3. Gooseberry frost in syrup

1. In case slightly ripe berries have a thin shell, it would be more correct to freeze them in sweet syrup. Repeat the process of selecting and drying the fruit, then place them in small containers.
2. Make syrup from sugar and water (1: 2). Allow to cool, pour into containers with pre-packaged gooseberries. Leave the distance to the edge of the container about 1.5 cm. Close the lids tightly and send to the freezer.
3. As soon as you want to taste a treat, take out any frozen containers, leave them at room temperature until completely thawed.
4. If you use whole fruits to fill any dish, you do not need to defrost gooseberries. With a strong degree of freezing, storage and usefulness of the fruit lasts up to six months.

Method number 4. Freezing whole berries without sugar

1. Spread clean and dried gooseberries in a single layer on a tray covered with parchment paper. Put the berries in the freezer for a couple of hours.
2. Pack frozen gooseberries in plastic bags in batches. Such a move will allow you to consume and thaw berries in small quantities.
3. In the event that the gooseberry has a sufficiently dense shell, after drying it can immediately be placed in larger bags (350 - 400 g.).
4. Choose a convenient container for storing berries in the freezer, so you can save chamber capacity.
5. Thanks to flat containers, the fruits freeze faster and practically do not lose their beneficial properties.

It is easy to freeze gooseberries at home. Use effective methods while preserving the maximum amount of nutrients. Thoroughly prepare and dry the fruits before freezing. The delicacy can be consumed all year round to maintain immunity. Microwave containers, plastic bags, plastic cups are suitable as containers for the procedure.

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