Who doesn’t want to prolong the summer, to take as much heat and vitamins as possible with them in the winter? Probably there are none. That's why we will talk about how to save more nutrients in a berry like raspberry.
Useful properties of raspberries
Before we talk about how to freeze raspberries for the winter, we will talk about the beneficial properties of this berry. Red, juicy, ripe raspberries have long been used for colds. But its leaves are no less useful if you throw them in hot tea. The plant has a rich chemical composition. Its fruits contain vitamins B and C, PP, E, carotene, as well as phosphorus, sodium, calcium, iron, copper, potassium, zinc, cobalt. In addition, raspberries have a certain amount of pectin, tannic and nitrogenous substances, citric, formic, caproic, tartaric, malic and salicylic acids. Seeds are rich in fatty oil and phytosterol. The leaves contain sugar, organic acids, pectins, volatile and trace elements.
And the berries are very tasty, retain their healing properties even after heat treatment and are able to cheer up. Therefore, information on how to freeze raspberries for the winter will be useful to everyone.
Fruit preparation
For storage in the freezer, you need to choose large, ripe and whole fruits. They should be washed, preferably in running water, and let the liquid drain. If possible, it is better to dry by spreading the berries in one layer on a paper towel. Many housewives do not, but after defrosting it will be inconvenient to wash raspberries, and it is strictly forbidden to eat dirty berries. Next, you need to choose a method of freezing: with sugar or without.
Option one
How to freeze raspberries for the winter? Very easy! The washed and dried berries are sent to the freezer for quick freezing. We lay it out in one layer and wait for the fruits to freeze. Then we put them in portioned bags made of dense polyethylene, preferably with a clip for closing, and transfer them to the storage compartment. All is ready. In winter, we just get raspberries, defrost and enjoy the divine taste.
Second option
Want to learn how to freeze raspberries with sugar? Then read! We dry the washed berries, put them in plastic trays in layers and pour them abundantly with sugar. As an option, you can also grind the fruits with sugar, as for jam, and divide into small containers. Then we freeze it in the freezer, and then transfer it to the storage compartment (the same as in the first version).
What to cook from berries?
So, how to freeze raspberries for the winter, we learned. Now let's talk about what can be cooked from it. Its application is very wide. For example, a berry frozen in the first way is suitable for eating fresh, for making desserts, adding to cereals, compotes, and you can decorate a cake with it. Especially small children will be happy with such a treat, because in winter there are not enough fresh fruits, and their variety is limited by the assortment of a nearby supermarket. Raspberries with sugar are suitable as additives in porridge, compote, tea, ice cream.
Frozen raspberries can transform even a familiar dish. Recipes you can take your favorite, proven. For example, mix rustic cottage cheese with sour cream, vanilla and regular sugar, thawed berries. Or turn kefir with raspberries and sugar into a mouth-watering cocktail. And you can cook a cheesecake, on top of which lay red fruits.
So, take 400 g of shortbread cookies, 800 g of cottage cheese, 250 g of sour cream, 150 g of butter, 3 eggs, 200 g of sugar, a package of vanilla sugar, 400 g of raspberries. Grind cookies until crumbs, mix with melted butter and ram the mass into a split mold (23 cm in diameter). Be sure to cover the bottom with parchment and make the sides of the cookie. Put the form in the refrigerator. Mix cottage cheese, eggs, sugar and vanilla in a blender. Fill the mold with the curd mixture and bake in the oven for 50 minutes at a temperature of 170 degrees without opening the door.
Mix sour cream with 2 tablespoons of sugar and a pinch of vanilla and pour it onto the curd mass. Then, increasing the temperature to 200 degrees, bake another seven minutes. Decorate with raspberries and set in the cold until completely solidified. Bon Appetit!