Freezing Berries

It was early in the morning, before the sun was blaring down from the sky.

The girls and I put on long sleeves.

We tucked our jeans into muck boots.

We hopped on our ATV's.

Went splashing through the creek and into the woods.

We were hunting...

black berries.

I recently shared pictures of the beautiful berries that were just starting to turn black.

I want to cease the opportunity to pick the berries as they become available, harvesting as many of these delicious berries that I can.

As we harvest the ripe berries, I  flash freeze them.
(I use this technique to freeze other berries also.)

Freezing the berries helps to keep the flavor and nutrients in tact, almost as if they were freshly picked.
If I put them in the refrigerator after I cleaned them they would be susceptible to mold.

First and foremost it is extremely important to thoroughly clean the berries.

I cover them with water, picking out leaves and debris that float to the top.  I then rinse and drain them in a colander a couple times.

Next, lay them evenly onto a cookie pan that is covered with wax paper.

Put them in the freezer for at least an hour.
Sometimes I forget them and it is longer. ;-)

Using a spatula, gently remove the berries from the wax paper.

Put them in a freezer bag (or freezer storage container), label them, and store in the freezer.
They should be used within one year of freezing them.  Ours never last that long!

Using this method allows for easily getting as few or as many as you need at a time, without them being all stuck together.

I love to pull a few berries from the bag and add them and almonds to vanilla yogurt.

I keep adding more berries to the freezer as we harvest them.
I will be sharing a blackberry cobbler recipe soon...