Is it necessary to wash blueberries before freezing and in what form is best to prepare it for the winter?

Blueberries for winter It is harvested in advance and processed for further long-term storage. Since it is a seasonal berry containing a huge amount of vitamins and nutrients, it is recommended to eat it throughout the year. And to make stocks of delicious blueberry fruits can be independently.



Most berries have a delicate structure. After washing, their fruits begin to produce abundant juice and deteriorate faster. For this reason, many housewives are concerned about the question: is it possible to wash blueberries before freezing?

In enterprises that harvest blueberries on an industrial scale, no one washes large volumes of berries. They use dry quick freezing for its fruits.



At home, before processing and freezing, blueberries should be digested, that is, remove debris, spoiled and unripe fruits. If the berries are covered with dust, then they can be washed under running water. Then selected specimens should be evenly distributed on a clean towel and dry well. Now the blueberry is ready for further processing.

Blueberry berries are prepared as follows.

1. Fruit freezing. Pure dry fruits blueberries are poured into convenient containers and hidden in a chamber for freezing. For need, ice berries are taken from the tray and used in frozen form.
   
   
   
   
2. Berry drying. Blueberries are better to dry under the influence of sunlight or in a special dryer. Dried fruits should be kept in dry containers. From them prepare decoctions, compotes and tea.
3. Grinding fruit with sugar sand. Prepared blueberry fruits should be crushed. In the resulting mass, sugar is added at the rate of 500 grams per 1 kilogram of puree (or 1 to 1) and everything is mixed.
   
   
   
   Peels Then add 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice or 1/2 tsp citric acid. All ingredients are mixed and allowed to stand for about a quarter of an hour. After 15 minutes, the grated blueberries are poured into sterile cans. You need to store it in a cool place.
   
   
4. Preparation of jam without heat treatment. Clean berries are filled with sterile cans. Then the blueberries are poured with hot syrup and tightly closed with metal or plastic covers.
   For a 1 liter syrup, you will need 1 cup of pure water, 2-3 cups of sugar and 1 tbsp of lemon juice (a pinch of citric acid). All ingredients are placed in an enameled container and boiled until the sugar crystals are completely dissolved.
   
   

Other workpiece methods Preparation of jam with short-term heat treatment. Prepared berries should be poured into enameled dishes and sprinkled with sugar sand at a rate of 1 to 1. Blueberries will take 6-12 hours to release the juice. Next, you need to pour 1 tbsp. l. lemon juice (1/4 tsp. citric acid) and you can start cooking. Mass is advised to mix smoothly, so as not to damage the delicate fruits. After boiling, the berries are boiled no longer than 6 minutes. The jam is still hot rolled into sterile jars.



Peels

Jam preparation. Blueberries are crushed and poured into an enameled container. To the berry puree add a double serving of sugar and a tablespoon of lemon or lime juice. All the ingredients are combined and cooked. After boiling, the mixture reduces the temperature to a minimum and grinds the jam for 25 minutes. It must be constantly stirred with a wooden spoon. Hot jam is laid out in clean cans and rolled.





Peels

From blueberries, jelly and compotes are preserved, wine and tinctures are prepared, and berry assortment is made. Remember: without heat treatment, more vitamins are stored in the fruits.

Blueberry season has begun - stock up for winter!