Freezing raspberries

[JLJ_]

Any tips on freezing raspberries? Dry freezing is easiest, and easiest to get out desired amount to use, but I've seen some say that they seemed to become more tart when frozen that way. Could sweeten them, but then there's that sugar in them when it may not be wanted. Haven't frozen berries for years and am not up on the tips to get best performance, and don't want these autumn berries to be lost if I can help it.

[coronabarb]

I've had best results by freezing on a cookie sheet, as individually as I can get them. Then I vacuum seal, which lasts longer in quality than freezer loc type bags. Adding sugar does increase the quality but I don't usually add it.

[Worth1]

Just my opinion but unless you are making juice adding sugar to berries does nothing for me.
If the berry isn't sweet it isn't sweet and is made sweet by soil and growing conditions.
As far as freezing either the open layer method and vacuum like Barb said or put in bags.

I always blanch berries an fruit before I freeze them.
Just a quick dip in scalding hot water is enough.

Dip and cool in ice water as fast as you can for the best results.
Regardless nothing is going to take the place of a fresh berry and the best I have seen were what they call flash freezing where they freeze them at extremely low temperatures.

The longer it takes something to freeze the more and larger the ice crystals will be.

I dont have a flash freezer but I do have a freezer that will get well below zero.
Everything I freeze it set out on shelves and allowed to freeze then it is put in bags.
I then use a homemade vacuum contraption to suck the air out.
Works pretty good.
Another option would be to can them with hot water bath in jars for later use.

Worth

[Zenbaas]

Vacuum sealers tend to be so expensive. You do get the cheapies of course but we've been through three of them and they're honestly not worth it.

[coronabarb]

Worth, adding sugar can keep the color and flavor more intact. Not just for sweetness.

I have a Foodsaver sealer and I love it. One of the more expensive ones I got on sale, with a coupon and another coupon, so got a good deal on it. It works very well and I can attest to the effectiveness. My son went ocean fishing years ago for tuna. One of those sealed packages was lost in the freezer and found 3 yrs later. The fish was almost as good as fresh. I couldn't taste any difference. Oxygen in a freezer package is a food killer.

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by coronabarb

Worth, adding sugar can keep the color and flavor more intact. Not just for sweetness.

I have a Foodsaver sealer and I love it. One of the more expensive ones I got on sale, with a coupon and another coupon, so got a good deal on it. It works very well and I can attest to the effectiveness. My son went ocean fishing years ago for tuna. One of those sealed packages was lost in the freezer and found 3 yrs later. The fish was almost as good as fresh. I couldn't taste any difference. Oxygen in a freezer package is a food killer.

Barb I was thinking about eating them fresh and them being so sour you cant eat them.
That is how bad they are on the wet coast.

My Vacuum sealer is a football air needle and the vacuum port on a carburetor.
Did a 5 year test and they came out great.

I wonder what a tank of nitrogen gas would cost?

Worth

[rxkeith]

we freeze them on a cookie sheet overnight, then bag them up in freezer bags once they have hardened. easier to handle, they don't get smushed.
no added sugar.

we add them to smoothies, oats, whatever needs raspberries added to it.


keith

[JLJ_]

Thanks for all the suggestions. Freezing as fast as possible on a tray, preferably not touching, is my preference and sounds as if it's that of most.

I was startled about Worth's blanching suggestion. I do blanch most things, but I thought it was important to have raspberries dry when putting them in to freeze?

Is the purpose of the quick raspberry blanch to preserve quality or to be sure the berries aren't inhabited?

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by JLJ_

Thanks for all the suggestions. Freezing as fast as possible on a tray, preferably not touching, is my preference and sounds as if it's that of most.

I was startled about Worth's blanching suggestion. I do blanch most things, but I thought it was important to have raspberries dry when putting them in to freeze?

Is the purpose of the quick raspberry blanch to preserve quality or to be sure the berries aren't inhabited?

Kills enzymes that cause degradation of the fruit.
Worth

[JLJ_]

By quick dip -- roughly how many seconds -- what quantity at a time?

After blanching -- quick hot water/cold water to chill and stop the "cooking" -- do you dry them before freezing?

[Worth1]

Originally Posted by JLJ_

By quick dip -- roughly how many seconds -- what quantity at a time?

After blanching -- quick hot water/cold water to chill and stop the "cooking" -- do you dry them before freezing?

I haven't done it in years and looking it up I couldn't find information that was the same.

I might not even bother with it because you may end up cooking them.
One place said to boil corn for 9 minutes heck that is longer than I cook it fresh.

I was thinking more in the line of 10 seconds but it might bust your berries.
I would try a cup to see what happens.

Worth

[coronabarb]

You don't need to blanch berries before freezing.

[JLJ_]

Originally Posted by Worth1

. . .
One place said to boil corn for 9 minutes heck that is longer than I cook it fresh. . . .

I do have some experience with that corn timing. Several years ago I tried all sorts of different suggestions for freezing corn on the cob. Even just putting corn in the freezer with no processing worked OK, but if kept longer it got "cobby" tasting. Other methods were OK, but I finally tried the suggestion to "blanch" the corn in boiling water for ten minutes (for four large ears or similar mass in smaller ears in a two gallon kettle.) Then, of course, to promptly move it to ice cold water -- keeping the water ice cold -- for at least another ten minutes to immediately chill it through. Then to collander to drain, from there to freezer on wax paper lined trays until frozen hard. Then each ear wrapped snugly in plastic wrap and stored in larger freezer bags -- as much as will fit in one while keeping it flat for secure stacking.

Like you, I had thought it was an absurd suggestion because blanching time is usually much less than cooking time.

But it worked. It worked unbelievably well. We've eaten corn on the cob that's been frozen for three years and it was great -- tasted as if it had been frozen yesterday.

When ready to eat -- take it from the freezer when the water is boiling, and boil it ten minutes, as you would fresh corn.

Couple of caveats that might affect results -- we grow 'sugar enhanced' corn -- not super sweet, we grow Bodacious, Ambrosia, Frosty -- and the corn is originally processed in the "from the garden right into the boiling water" fashion -- so it is about as fresh as corn can be and for those varieties, it's easier to pick in prime condition -- the optimum picking time is a little longer interval than some varieties, which have more of an optimum day for picking.

And sometimes when I've mentioned this people get the idea that it means cook the corn as usual and freeze the leftovers -- they miss the importance of the immediate cold water chilling.

I'd never have believed it until I tried it, but for corn on the cob, that "long as cooking time" blanch seems to be the secret to long term quality storage in a home freezer.

As to the raspberries, what I have is clean and dry so I think I'll just put them on some trays in the freezer and then save suggestions to try if it doesn't freeze tonight and there are more berries. It's the Autumn Britten that have been really producing recently, with the Carolines just beginning to ripen a big crop now -- if they don't freeze.

[Lindalana]

Yep, just freezing them on a sheet will do. Attempt to pick them up clean. Raspberries are no no for washing. Blanching will get you mushy produce.
I get mine at organic u pick place and owners insist that we bring a cooler and pack our harvest right into it, it keeps better this way.

[Zenbaas]

Originally Posted by coronabarb

Worth, adding sugar can keep the color and flavor more intact. Not just for sweetness.

I have a Foodsaver sealer and I love it. One of the more expensive ones I got on sale, with a coupon and another coupon, so got a good deal on it. It works very well and I can attest to the effectiveness. My son went ocean fishing years ago for tuna. One of those sealed packages was lost in the freezer and found 3 yrs later. The fish was almost as good as fresh. I couldn't taste any difference. Oxygen in a freezer package is a food killer.

Ironically the three I am referring to that have broken have all been foodsaver ones as well..! Go figure. They normally broke by losing the ability to keep a seal when sucking (so they would keep on sucking and never reach the poi T where the machine stops) and the last one stopped sealing after all the air was out of the bags.

Now I am wondering if they have improved at all over the last 10 years or so.