There are several ways to preserve the harvest of fruits for the winter. One is canning and another is freezing. Some believe that freezing keeps more to the original flavor and texture of the fruit than canning.
Types of Freezing Methods for Fruits
There are three different methods of freezing fruits. They are:
dry pack, sugar pack and syrup pack.
- Dry Pack - nothing is added to the fruit before freezing. The only thing that has to be done is to wash and drain the fruit.
- Sugar Pack - sugar is added to fruit before freezing. Sprinkle sugar over top of the fruit and then let it stand 10 to 15 minutes at room temperature. This will make the fruit juicy and disolve all the sugar. It is common practice to add 1/2 cup sugar to 1 quart of fruit.
- Syrup Pack - takes a little more preparation. Sugar and water are combined and boiled in order to make a syrup to be added to the fruit. To make a light syrup place 5 cups of water in a sauce pan and bring to a boil then add 2 cups sugar. Heavy syrup is made by combining 4 cups water and 4 cups sugar. Boil both until sugar is dissolved then cool before adding to fruit..Containers for Freezing
Containers must be air proof. Be sure to use bags specifically for freezing as they are made with a thicker plastic. In all containers including bags, be sure to leave ½” head space to allow for expansion during freezing. If this isn't done bags and containers will pop open when they freeze causing freezer burn on the fruit. If using bags be sure to squeeze out as much air as you can before you seal them. Syrup packed fruit needs to be completely submerged in syrup so be sure nothing is sticking up above the syrup level before freezing. If the fruit insists on floating crumble up a piece of wax paper and place it on top of the fruit before sealing the container. Always label packages with what is in them and the date they were frozen. Frozen fruit can be kept from 6 months to a year in the freezer and still come out tasting fresh.
Thawing Frozen Fruit
To thaw your fruit place on a shelf in the refrigerator. Bags should be placed in a bowl first just in case they decide to leak. This is the safest method but you can defrost on the kitchen counter as well. A one pound package will thaw in 6 hours in the refrigerator and 3 hours on the counter. You can thaw airtight containers by running cool water over them for 40 minutes.
Use your frozen, thawed fruits as soon as possible just as is or use them to make pies, jams, or jellies. Fruits particularly good for freezing are berries and peaches.
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