I'm in the middle of canning a few times a week - stock, pickles, etc. Peaches will be coming up this weekend, and then there are the plums and apples from the neighbor's yard that I need to get working on...
When all is said and done, I don't have time to use all the gleaned blackberries to make blackberry syrup or jam just yet. So, I freeze those berries to do something with later. You know, when I have more "free" time. If you've ever frozen berries, you know if done incorrectly, you'll get a giant berry clump that is hard to thaw. You end up having to use the entire clump, even if you only need a handful for something. My method works great, takes little time, and keeps your bag o'berries from turning in to a berry brick.
1) Rinse your berries, and pick out any leaves that you may find.
2) Put a piece of parchment paper on a large baking sheet, and spread the berries out, trying to make sure they're not all clumped up.
3) Put the baking sheet in the freezer until the berries are frozen solid.
4) Once frozen, transfer the berries to a freezer-proof Ziploc bag.
5) Close the Ziploc all except for the last 1/2 inch in a corner. Stick a straw in that opening.
6) Suck the air out of the bag, and close that last little gap, trying to let the least amount of air escape.
Voila, you have a "vacuumed sealed" bag of berries that you can use later. Every time I open my deep freeze, I give the bag a squeeze to make sure the berries aren't clumping up.
Labels: Garden
