How to freeze gooseberries for the winter: 4 ways

The popularity of frozen gooseberries is not so great, unlike berries of the same type. A great advantage in the content of the product is a considerable amount of vitamin C, P, iron and pectin. You should not underestimate the gooseberry, the year-round presence of frozen berries at home allows you to maintain and strengthen the immune system. Consider detailed ways to prepare the fruit for long-term storage.

Selection of gooseberry for storage

1. Currently, there are enough many varieties of gooseberry. In appearance, it differs only in color. Ripe berries are bright, red and green. In some cases, the maturity of the gooseberry is determined by the appearance of spots when fully ripe.
2. The usefulness of the berries depends on the color of the variety.If the shade is greenish or white, this feature indicates greater utility. Red or brown gooseberries are often the sweetest. Before harvesting berries for the winter, pick ripe and hard specimens. They should not be spoiled or immature.
3. Ripeness is determined by touch. If the berry is too hard, it means unripe. A soft specimen testifies to the inability or overripe of the gooseberry. Ideal - when pressed, the berry remains elastic.
4. If you are going to store gooseberries for a long time, try to collect or buy it with the presence of stalks. Such a minor nuance will help preserve useful properties.
5. When storing a gooseberry, pay attention to its dryness; particles of moisture should not accumulate in secret places. Such a move will prevent rotting and damage to the fetus. Leave fresh berries should be in a dark, cool and ventilated place.
6. If you decide to keep gooseberries in the fridge, do not rush to wash it. Leave the berries intact, so they can last up to 60 days. When fully ripe, the fruit should be consumed much earlier.

How to prepare the berries for freezing

1. Pick up ripe elastic berries with the presence of the stem. Please note that the shell is not subject to erosion. Immature specimens do not convey virtually any taste and healthy qualities.
2. For dry freezing, use a gooseberry variety with dense skin and honey pulp. It is preferable to use berries with a thin shell for making puree with sugar (for its further freezing).
3. Also, the gooseberry with a thin peel can be frozen in syrup. This method will help preserve the integrity of the berries. If you are collecting fruits yourself, do the manipulations in the early morning in the absence of dew.
4. Before freezing, sort out the gooseberries, remove debris, twigs, leaves. Leave only ripe whole berries with a stem.
5. Then wash the gooseberries in cool water with a colander. Put the wet berries on cotton towels, let the gooseberries dry completely.

Method number 1. Freezing gooseberry puree

1. For the preparation of gruel, ripe berries with thin skinned are best suited.Remove the stems from the washed gooseberry, send the berries in a blender.
2. For this manipulation, it is preferable to use a wooden press (tolkushka), such a move will allow you to save the most vitamins. When metal is in contact with the gooseberry, the berries oxidize and lose their beneficial properties.
3. Pour 350 gr. sugar per 1 kg. berries, mix. Put the puree in plastic containers, send in the refrigerator. After 1 hour, transfer the mass to the glass container, close the lids, put in the freezer.

Method number 2. Frozen berries in sugar

1. Loosen the berries, wash and dry them on cotton towels. Send the gooseberry in a large enamel saucepan.
2. Pour 400 gr. sugar per 1 kg. fruits. Mix the composition, send it to pre-sterilized food containers. Cover tightly with lids, place in freezer.

Method number 3. Freezing gooseberry in syrup

1. If the slightly overripe berries have a thin shell, it would be better to freeze them in a sweet syrup. Repeat the manipulation of the selection and drying of fruits, then place them in small containers.
2. Prepare syrup from sugar and water (1: 2). Let cool, pour into containers with packaged gooseberries. Leave a distance of about 1.5 cm from the edge of the container. Close tightly with the caps, send to the freezer.
3. As soon as you want to taste the delicacy, remove any frozen container, leave it at room temperature until it is completely thawed.
4. If you use whole fruit to fill any dish, you do not need to thaw the gooseberry. With a strong degree of freezing, storage and fruit usefulness is maintained up to six months.

Method number 4. Frozen whole berries without sugar

1. Spread out the clean and dried gooseberries loosely in a single layer on a tray covered with parchment paper. Put the berries for a couple of hours in the freezer.
2. Prepack frozen gooseberries in plastic bags in batches. Such a move will allow to consume and thaw berries in small quantities.
3. If the gooseberry has a sufficiently dense shell, after drying it can be immediately placed in sachets of a larger volume (350 - 400 gr.).
4. Pick a convenient container for storing berries in the freezer, so you can save camera capacity.
5. Thanks to flat containers, fruits freeze faster and practically do not lose their beneficial properties.

It is easy to freeze gooseberries at home. Use effective ways to preserve the maximum amount of nutrients. Prepare and dry the fruit thoroughly before freezing. Treats can be consumed year-round to maintain immunity. As containers for the procedure suitable containers microwave, plastic bags, plastic cups.

Video: Unusual gooseberry jam