The aroma of ripe strawberries evokes pleasant emotions, especially when fluffy snowflakes fall to the ground outside the window. This summer berry is a favorite delicacy of adults and children, and thanks to the freezing process, you can treat them to your family at any time of the year. Delicious strawberries, grated with sugar, will become an exquisite filling for homemade baked goods and enrich the body with many useful elements. So how do you freeze it for the winter? Are there procurement rules?

Why frozen strawberries are so popular

Fresh strawberries, of course, contain more vitamins, however, even after freezing, they remain useful.

1. It is in this product that a large amount of vitamin C is present. Scientists have proven that there is as much of it in five berries as in one orange.
2. Strawberries contain nutrients necessary to maintain normal functioning of the body: folic acid, B vitamins, sodium, potassium, calcium and dietary fiber.
3. The natural sweetness of the berry will undoubtedly appeal to children, and its unique aroma can instantly whet your appetite and save you from depression.
4. It is strawberry that is an excellent sugar reducing agent and helps to free the body from toxins and toxins.

In the absence of allergies, strawberries can be used as a valuable ingredient in the preparation of various home cosmetics. But this requires berries that are frozen without the use of sugar. In addition, the product has a number of other advantages:

• strawberries can be enjoyed regardless of the season;
• frozen berries contain less cadmium, lead and pesticides;
• bacteria harmful to the human body cannot develop in them;
• there are only slightly less nutrients in frozen berries than in fresh ones, while maintaining the taste and incomparable aroma;
• frozen strawberries are an excellent addition to ready-made cereals, cottage cheese, milkshakes, ice cream and yoghurts, and compotes from it are a real vitamin pantry;
• This product makes excellent mousses, sauces and jellies that can become a real decoration of the table, as well as fillings for biscuit cakes, muffins and yeast pies.

At home, freezers are mainly used for storing frozen strawberries, which allow to ensure the optimum temperature of -18 ° C. In such conditions, it can be kept for no more than 8-9 months.

Sometimes food stored in household refrigerators can be defrosted untimely, for example, due to an unscheduled power outage. Melted berries cannot be re-frozen and can be harmful to health. The best solution in such a situation would be to completely defrost the product, after which the strawberries must be cooked. Then the cooled berries can be frozen again.

1. To defrost strawberries, you can use airtight containers, which must be immersed in cold water for 45 minutes.
2. An even better option is to place the berries in a regular refrigerator compartment at 4 ° C. In this case, the defrosting process may take about 7 hours. This will keep the original shape and flavor of the berries.

General rules for freezing berries

There are several types of strawberries, each with individual benefits. However, whichever one you choose to freeze, you should adhere to the general rules.

1. If you're harvesting your own crops, try picking ripe strawberries early in the morning before dew appears or just before sunset. It is noticed that the crop harvested at this time retains its useful properties and aroma better, and also has a more refined taste.
2. Before starting the freezing process, the berries must be carefully sorted out, removing spoiled and deformed specimens aside.
3. If your strawberries are flawlessly fresh, you can skip the washing procedure. It is enough to lightly blow the berries with a hairdryer. This will keep the natural protection active for 3 hours after harvest. It is a thin film consisting of special substances that effectively protect the berries from harmful bacteria.
4. If you bought strawberries from the market, it is advisable to thoroughly wash them by placing them in a colander and submerging them in water. This will keep the fragile berries intact.
5. The strawberries need to be dried to prevent excess water from freezing.
6. When packing strawberries in plastic bags, it is necessary to remove as much air as possible, which can cause frost. Putting the date on the packages will allow you to track the expiration date of the workpiece.
7. When placing strawberries in the freezer, you should avoid possible proximity to strong-smelling foods, especially fish.
8. If for any reason it is necessary to defrost the freezer, a blanket will help to protect the strawberries from contact with warm air, in which it is enough to wrap the berries for a short period of time.

Something about the varieties of strawberries

There are three types of strawberries:

• garden (the largest berries);
• meadow (field);
• wild strawberry).

Meadow strawberries are often confused with strawberries, which have smaller and more fragrant berries. A distinctive feature of strawberries is that they are easier to separate from the green calyx. It also has a lot of useful properties and a whole range of vitamins. Strawberries are distinguished by their pronounced sweet taste, aroma astringency and density. It is very difficult to tear them off the branch, which makes the cleaning process somewhat difficult.

The first ripe berries appear from June 15th. When collecting field strawberries, they are cut directly with twigs and bouquets, since it is very difficult to quickly tear the berry off the stalk. Forest strawberries are distinguished by increased fragility and softness, for this reason, you need to handle them as carefully as possible so that the berries do not crumple and do not let the juice flow.

Freezing strawberries

Strawberries can be harvested in several ways to ensure good results.

Freezing whole berries without sugar

1. Take strawberries prepared in accordance with the general rules, spread them in a thin layer on plastic boards or on large kitchen plates covered with cling film.
2. Try to keep a small distance between the berries when spreading out the strawberries. This will prevent them from sticking together.
3. Then send the boards or plates filled with berries to the freezer, leave there for about a day. If your refrigerator has a Super Freeze function, it is advisable to use it. Then the process will last no more than 3 hours.
4. Remove the berries, place them in dry plastic bags, then send them back to the freezer.

Freezing whole berries with powdered sugar

It has been noticed that during the freezing process, strawberries are able to partially lose their original sweetness. It is for this reason that many people choose to freeze it with powdered sugar. Proportions: for 1 kg of strawberries, you need to take 200 g of powdered sugar.

Freezing strawberries with sugar

There is another way to freeze strawberries with sugar. When used, the berry gives juice. For this recipe for 1 kg of strawberries, you need to take 300 g of sugar.

Berry, grated with sugar

For this method you will need:

• blender;
• Strawberry;
• sugar - 300 g per 1 kg of berries.

Operating procedure:

In this case, sugar can be added both during the preparation of mashed potatoes and after defrosting.

For better storage, you can add 2 tablespoons of vodka to the strawberry puree.

You can also pour the berries with ready-made syrup at room temperature, and then send the containers to the freezer. To prepare the syrup, take:

• 1 liter of water;
• 300 g sugar;
• 5 g citric acid or 1 tablespoon lemon juice.

Mix all ingredients and put on fire. Remove from heat at the first sign of boiling.

Strawberry jam with honey for the winter

To prepare such a blank for 1 kg of berries you will need:

• 2 glasses of honey;
• 1 apple;
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice

Operating procedure:

• chop prepared strawberries in a blender until puree;
• grate the peeled apple on a medium grater;
• Mix apple mass with strawberry puree, add honey and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice;
• put the mixture on fire, bring to a boil and cook for 15 minutes;
• Arrange ready-made strawberry jam in food containers, cool and send to the freezer.

How to freeze meadow and forest berries with sugar

To freeze field strawberries, which differ in the hardness of the fruit, you can use the following recipe.

1. Mix the prepared berries with sugar: for 3 cups of strawberries, you must use 4 cups of sugar.
2. Arrange the berries with sugar in half-liter jars, filling the containers only ¾.
3. Pour sugar into the remaining free space up to the very neck of the jar.
4. Close containers with lids treated with boiling water.
5. Put the jars in the refrigerator or cellar.
6. After 2 weeks, you can again add sugar to the neck of the jar, since during this time the jam will settle down a little.

Recipes using frozen strawberries

The frozen berry can be used in a wide variety of dishes.

Frozen strawberries with sugar and sour cream

One of the simplest options is pureed strawberries with sugar and sour cream. For its preparation, you can use whole frozen fruits or mashed potatoes prepared earlier.

1. If you prefer to work with whole berries, defrost them first and soften the strawberries using a blender or other available means.
2. If the strawberries were frozen without sugar, add 2 tablespoons of sugar to 400 g of berries.
3. Then add 3 tablespoons of sour cream and mix the resulting puree. Your dessert is ready.

Frozen berry with whipped cream

Frozen strawberries can also be used to make an original dessert with whipped cream.

For this you will need:

• strawberry puree - 400 g;
• heavy cream - 400 ml;
• 2 yolks;
• icing sugar to taste.

When all the products are prepared, you can start preparing a sweet masterpiece.

1. Add yolks to thawed strawberry puree.
2. Put the resulting mixture on fire and bring until thickened, stirring constantly.
3. Whisk the cream until stiff and add to the chilled strawberry mixture.
4. Adjust the flavor of the dessert by adding powdered sugar.
5. Arrange the delicacy in vases and send to the freezer until it solidifies.
6. Serve dessert to the table.

Using simple guidelines, you can easily freeze strawberries for the winter. The main thing is to adhere to the basic rules, because thanks to them it becomes possible to preserve as many useful vitamins as possible in these berries. Such preparations will allow you to feel the taste and aroma of summer even in the middle of a cold winter, as well as diversify your home menu.

Here's an awesome way to freeze sugar-filled strawberries in the fridge for the winter! Rather, to prepare a versatile homemade product that can be used in different variations of dishes.

June is the time when the first all kinds of sweet preparations from strawberries and victoria begin. The Internet space is just bursting with a variety of recipes for jam, jelly, drinks. We also have this, for example, delicious compotes for the winter.

What if there is no time for all these preparations, but the berry is standing and waiting for it to be put into action? Freeze strawberries, strawberries in the refrigerator (freezer) with sugar for the winter, delicious and fast! We have prepared recipes with photos for you.

As a result, you will get immediately:

1. strawberry ice;
2. berry additive to ice cream;
3. a fragrant semi-finished product for a quick fruit drink;
4. a convenient product for cooking compote in winter.

And that: as many as four possible ways of using, making once frozen Victoria blanks is easy!

• Would need:
• strawberries - 1.5 kg;
• sugar - 400 grams;
• blender;
• a regular plastic water bottle (1.5 liters) and any suitable container for freezing.

How to freeze sugar-filled strawberries at home

- in bottle and containers

1. Pour the berries into the kitchen sink and rinse them under low pressure of cold water.
2. Carefully sort out the leaves and spoiled berries (if any).
3. In the prepared container, fill the strawberries with granulated sugar and turn on the blender.

4. Just a minute, and a liquid puree is formed from the berries with sugar.

5. Pour the fragrant mass into a clean bottle (or plastic container) using a funnel.

6. Put it in the freezer. Homemade berries - very tasty strawberries for the winter in bottles and containers without boiling according to our freezing recipe, will be ready for testing in 12 hours. Shelf life is eight months, subject to the conditions of the cold mode of the refrigerating chamber (from -15 to -19).

How to get frozen berries out of the bottle? Very simple - no way. The beauty is that a plastic bottle of frozen Victoria puree is taken out of the freezer and cut with a kitchen knife! The rest of the container is placed in a bag and put back into the refrigerator.

• Another delicious recipe for homemade preparations for the winter

How to dry freeze strawberries in the refrigerator: dry freezing Victoria garden and field

We do not take the overripe (the one that melts on the tongue) berry, eat it for dessert or make mashed potatoes, as advised above. Select the strongest ones, rinse them in water (in a basin, changing the water several times).

Now tear off the leaves carefully. Let dry on a clean towel (waffle, linen or parchment).

Spread the victoria out on a clean cooking board 1 cm apart and refrigerate / freeze for an hour. Then remove and transfer to food bags or containers under the lid for long-term storage in the freezer.

In this homemade way - in 2 steps of dry freezing, the strawberries will remain tasty and beautiful, they will not turn into an incomprehensible mass and you will have whole berries in winter, all year round.

And now the proven, homemade tips, recipes for a sweet menu from victoria for the holiday and every day:

what can be made from frozen strawberries

• For strawberry juice:

Fill with hot water and let it brew for a few minutes.

Strawberry is a delicate and capricious berry. It is difficult to freeze, but there are several secrets with which you can agree with it amicably - and still prepare this super-useful and tasty berry for the winter.

Strawberry selection

First you need to choose the right berry. It should be ripe but not overripe, firm, dark flesh and dry. It is best to take small strawberries - they freeze better.

Preparation of berries

First, you need to sort out the strawberries and remove all the "weak berries". It is advisable not to wash it. But you can't do that with market strawberries. Therefore, the strawberries must be poured into a plastic bowl with cool water and rinsed. Then, very carefully, with your hands, letting the water drain through your fingers, take the berries out of the water and lay them dry in one layer. The berry should dry well.

It is not very good to wash strawberries in a colander, as you will have to pour them back and forth several times, and a jet of water can also damage the berries.

The stalks, if you are going to freeze whole strawberries, do not need to be removed. As without them, the strawberries will immediately "float", release the juice and unstuck.

Preparing dishes

Freezing berries is best in plastic containers: disposable containers from the store, ice cream trays, you can even use cut plastic bottles.

The berries do not tolerate repeated freezing, so it is better to divide them into small portions, which you can definitely eat right away, overpower at a time. All freezer utensils must be well washed and dried.

You can also use plastic bags, but it must be borne in mind that cellophane becomes very fragile in the cold and can break during storage.

In the freezer

Place the berries in 1-2 layers from the tray and freeze them in the freezer for 24 hours. Then pour it into a cardboard box or plastic container and put it away for storage for a long time.

Unfortunately, after freezing, strawberries are deformed and lose some of their taste. Therefore, it is better to freeze it not solo, but with sugar.

With sugar

Yes, strawberries will give some juice during the freezing process, but when you defrost them in winter, the taste and shape of the berries will remain the same as before freezing - fresh and vibrant.

To freeze strawberries with sugar, you need to take about 300 g of fine granulated sugar per 1 kilogram of berries. If the sugar is large, then it is better to grind it into powder. Put the prepared strawberries (already without sepals) in a plastic bowl, sprinkle each layer with sugar. Put in the refrigerator for 2-3 hours at positive temperature. Wait until the strawberries produce juice. Then put the berries together with undissolved sugar into a container, put them tightly and pour over the juice.

Puree

Another way is to freeze the strawberry puree. To do this, crush the prepared dry and peeled strawberries, you can quickly puree with a blender. Pour into a plastic container and place in the freezer. Sugar is best added when you defrost the berries in winter. If there is not enough space in the freezer, then 2-3 days after freezing the strawberries can be removed from the container and wrapped in plastic wrap. This method works well for “weak” strawberries.

Many people like strawberries with sugar. Freezing such a product means preserving it for a while. The main problem is getting it right.

The basics of cooking

Freezing is one of the oldest ways to store food. It was still used by primitive people. Nowadays, it has changed a lot and has become as convenient as possible. Now you won't surprise anyone with frozen meat or fish. Modern refrigerators are capable of storing the freshness of not only a wide variety of products, but also all kinds of semi-finished products for a long time. But what about the berries? Take everyone's favorite strawberries, for example. What is the best way to freeze it? There are two main options:

1) In kind.

2) With added sugar.

The first way is, of course, good. But in the end, the berry loses its shape and tastes sour. In this case, sugar-filled strawberries are preferable. Freezing berries is very simple. You can make a fragrant puree from them. You only need two components:

strawberries and sugar in a ratio of 4: 1.

Sequencing:

1. Place the berries in a colander, rinse and drain.
2. Remove all leaves carefully.
3. Transfer the strawberries to a blender bowl.
4. Pour sugar on top.
5. Whisk the food thoroughly.
6. Pour the mass into a mold.

Now all that remains is to put them in the freezer and at any time there can be fresh strawberries with sugar on the table. You can freeze as many berries as there is free space in the chamber.

Container of your choice

Of course, having a jar of frozen berries in the fridge is good. But in the absence of special freezing compartments, it will take up all the free space. Where, in this case, to do with the rest of the products? There is also a way out of this situation. You just need to take care of a convenient container. After all, not only glass jars can contain strawberries with sugar. You can freeze the cooked puree in any container. It is very convenient to use disposable plastic dishes for this: cups, wine glasses or small containers. They are easy to fold and can be thrown away immediately after use. An even more practical option is plastic bags. The freshly prepared mass must be carefully poured inside with a ladle and tightly tied. For reliability, it is better to take two packages at once and insert them into one another. The beauty is that the plastic mass can take any, even the most unusual shape to fill possible voids in the freezer.

Blanks for future use

But sometimes, to remember all the charm of a sultry, warm summer, taste alone is not enough. I would like to see the berry itself, and not in the form of a sweet mash, but as a whole. To do this, there is another great way to freeze strawberries with sugar for the winter. Here you will need three components: berries and syrup, prepared from water and sugar in a 4: 1 ratio. The process itself consists of three stages:

1. Berry processing. The strawberries need to be washed and sorted. True, this should be done only if it was removed from the bushes long ago. It is known that during the first three hours a natural protective layer is preserved on it, which prevents any microorganisms from penetrating deep into the fetus. In this case, they do not need to be washed. Later, the protection disappears and additional processing is required.
2. Prepare the sugar syrup.
3. Fold the strawberries into prepared containers and pour over a slightly cooled sweet liquid so that the whole berries are under it.

This is a very interesting variation on how to freeze sugar-filled strawberries for the winter. Indeed, on a frosty day, it is pleasant to get fresh fragrant berries to the table as a dessert, which will warm the soul, reminding of a happy sunny summer.

Acquired knowledge

Those who first decided to tackle this kind of blanks can make unforgivable mistakes and not get the desired result. To prevent this from happening, you need to know how to properly freeze strawberries with sugar. If you need a whole berry without all kinds of syrups and mashed potatoes, then you need to proceed as follows:

1. Prepare the strawberries properly: first rinse under running water, sort out, and then dry well. If you freeze a wet berry, you will get a piece of ice, and with sugar there will be a shapeless cold slurry. Such a product is even unpleasant to eat.
2. Place the berries in a wide container.
3. Sprinkle them with sugar so that it hits each strawberry.
4. Close the container and place it in the freezer.
5. After 2 hours, you can get it out and, if desired, pour the already frozen fruits into a bag. It is easier to place it in the chamber, and the berries will no longer wrinkle.

This is how a whole berry is obtained, covered with a "fur coat" of granulated sugar. You can get it at any time and use it as directed in 20-30 minutes.

Golden Rules

It is not at all difficult to freeze sugar-laden strawberries. The proportions of ingredients in this case are different for everyone. Someone appreciates the sourness in berries, remembering that it is due to the presence of vitamin C. And others, on the contrary, prefer a sweeter version. In any case, first you need to be guided by the generally accepted norm. When freezing, half a glass of granulated sugar is taken for each kilogram of ripe strawberries. It is better not to stir the berries so as not to violate their integrity. True, this will take more time. We'll have to conduct the process in portions. But this has its own reason, and the result will justify all the costs. After the final packaging, packages or other containers with frozen food must be marked or put inside a piece of paper, on which the date of packaging must be recorded. It must be remembered that the "sugar" freezing keeps the berries for a period of 6 to 12 months. Later, they will not only lose their taste and useful properties, but may even become hazardous to health.

Frozen semi-finished product

Before choosing the method by which the berries will be harvested, it is necessary to decide how these products will be used in the future. You can prepare them in advance so that they will be, in fact, a semi-finished product for specific dishes. For example, for desserts and cocktails, sometimes they take not whole strawberries, but fruits cut into pieces. So it looks more impressive in a glass or in a bowl with ice cream. Moreover, the berry should not be sour. In this case, you need to clearly know how to freeze strawberries with sugar. This is not difficult to do in the refrigerator. It is better if it has a quick freezer chamber. This will prevent a lot of juice from leaking out of the berries. You need to closely monitor the products. First, put the processed and divided fruits into prepared dishes. Then sprinkle them a little with fine sugar and let it dissolve a little. Only then can the container be sent to the freezer. There, a sweet ice crust forms around each piece of strawberry, which will prevent it from spoiling.

Double effect

Sometimes housewives are interested in whether it is possible to freeze strawberries with sugar so that you end up with sweet puree and whole berries. Of course, this is even better than doing everything separately. To do this, you must first divide the clean dried berries into two trays. In one, the strawberries will be even and whole, and in the other - wrinkled and deformed. Pour sugar in the required amount into a container with non-standard fruits. Usually it requires no more than 4 tablespoons per kilogram of berries. Then you need to grind them arbitrarily in any convenient way. Some people take a mixer for this, but you can just use it yourself. And so that your fingers do not darken after work, it is better to wear medical gloves. Next, the resulting puree must be poured into a container prepared for this. Pour whole berries on top and shake the container slightly. After that, it can be closed and sent to freeze. If necessary, it will be possible to separate the required amount from the whole piece with a knife. The puree will be used for making smoothies, various desserts, impregnations and fillings. And a whole strawberry will effectively decorate the prepared dish.