How to Freeze Fruit

Preserve fruit by freezing it.

Freezing fruit is a convenient way to extend the bounty of summer into the fall and winter. You can also use it to save money because you can buy large amounts while on sale and preserve them for later. The fruits can be used for foods including smoothies, ice cream toppings and pies. Techniques differ according to how you plan to use the fruit. Serve fruit that you are not cooking when it is still slightly frozen for best results.

Difficulty:

Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• fruit of any kind
• waxed paper
• cookie sheet
• Ziploc bags
• cutting board
• knife

1. Clean and drain the fruit. Remove stems, leaves and pits.

2. Separate small fruits such as berries into ice cube trays and freeze them in small batches.

3. For dessert fruits, pack them in a sugar syrup, store them in a plastic container and freeze.

4. For sour fruit, sprinkle sugar or artificial sweetener on the fruit. Place the fruit in a freezer bag, seal it and put it in the freezer.

Tips & Warnings

• If you have a very small amount of fruit and you want to freeze it, you can use ice cube trays instead of the cookie sheet lined with the waxed paper.

• Try using the frozen fruit in pancakes, muffins, cakes, tarts, and even milkshakes. Enjoy

• You can even freeze vegetables, try freezing bell peppers cut into strips or chunks, onions, carrots, or even potatoes. Then just toss them into your meals when you are cooking. It saves time.

• When freezing fruit, place the fruit apart from each other because if you place them too close the fruit will get stuck together, forming one big piece of fruit and it will be hard to divide into the Ziploc bags.

References

• University of Georgia: Preserving Food: Freezing Fruit