Freezing Berries

[bear74]

I am going to try to make homemade baby food for my twins. By the time they are ready to try more then single foods. Berries will be out of season and expensive. So my question is has any body frozen berries what is the best method and for how long did they keep?

 

[NotUrsula]

Frozen berries will keep for quite a while, but be aware that freezing really changes the texture of berries. They become very mushy and the juice oozes badly; frozen berries really are no good for eating out of hand unless you are willing to eat them whilst still frozen, like little popsicles.

This is especially important to think about when feeding them to toddlers. Berries are always messy, but frozen berries are exponentially messier than fresh ones. Blueberries are especially bad for staining. My DD is a berry fiend, and I do feed her frozen ones, but on occasion the blue staining on her lips from frozen blueberries has lasted for days; once I even had someone suggest that I take her to the ER because her lips were blue.

 

[bear74]

Frozen berries will keep for quite a while, but be aware that freezing really changes the texture of berries. They become very mushy and the juice oozes badly; frozen berries really are no good for eating out of hand unless you are willing to eat them whilst still frozen, like little popsicles.

This is especially important to think about when feeding them to toddlers. Berries are always messy, but frozen berries are exponentially messier than fresh ones. Blueberries are especially bad for staining. My DD is a berry fiend, and I do feed her frozen ones, but on occasion the blue staining on her lips from frozen blueberries has lasted for days; once I even had someone suggest that I take her to the ER because her lips were blue.

Thanks, I will be using them this year in baby food. Next year they will be able to eat them fresh. Do you put them on a cookie sheet to freeze them?

 

[LaurenLC]

I am going to try to make homemade baby food for my twins. By the time they are ready to try more then single foods. Berries will be out of season and expensive. So my question is has any body frozen berries what is the best method and for how long did they keep?

When were you planning on starting foods for your twins? It looks like they will be 6 months old at the end of June and berry season is typically May- August so I guess I don’t think you would need to freeze the fruit. They’ll be 6, 7, 8 months right in the middle of berry season.

 

[bear74]

When were you planning on starting foods for your twins? It looks like they will be 6 months old at the end of June and berry season is typically May- August so I guess I don’t think you would need to freeze the fruit. They’ll be 6, 7, 8 months right in the middle of berry season.

Strawberries are usually march to June for the decent prices. So that is what I was mainly wondering about. Hopefully I can get the rest of them at decent prices. The main reason I am asking is so that I can have them all fall as well.

 

[My3kiddos]

I freeze blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries that we pick at a local orchard. I have never had problems with them being mushy. I do put them on a cookie sheet and freeze then transfer to a ziploc. I have been told to not wash them before freezing only after (was told at the orchard).

 

[Fly4free]

Berries do freeze much better if you do not rinse them first. They don't "bleed" so much. I just put them in quart size ziplocks and freeze them, laying flat.

It's wonderful to have extra frozen berries to make pancakes or muffins with.

 

[Sorsha]

Strawberries are usually march to June for the decent prices. So that is what I was mainly wondering about. Hopefully I can get the rest of them at decent prices. The main reason I am asking is so that I can have them all fall as well.

We grow our own strawberries, and always freeze them. I didn't know you weren't supposed to rinse them - learn something new every day!

I always hull them (cut out the stem and core at the stem end) and usually cut them in half or quarter them. I do rinse them - but then again they have been outside in my completely organic beds so I want to be sure I wash any bugs/bird residue/dirt off of them. Then I just let them dry completely on a paper towel, put them in a single layer in a gallon size ziploc freezer bag, and freeze them. Never had any problems!

Mind you, we usually aren't defrosting them to eat out of hand. They become topping for pancakes or waffles, topping for angel food cake with whipped cream, etc. They are always delicious!! I imagine they would be perfect for pureeing into baby food, as long as the little ones didn't mind the texture of the tiny little seeds.

Now I am totally craving some... Good thing I froze some last summer!

 

[Colleen27]

I freeze blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries that we pick at a local orchard. I have never had problems with them being mushy. I do put them on a cookie sheet and freeze then transfer to a ziploc. I have been told to not wash them before freezing only after (was told at the orchard).

I do the same. For strawberries, I hull them and cut them in half and freeze the same way - single layer on a cookie sheet and then transfer to a freezer container. I mostly use frozen-then-thawed berries for cooking or making pancake/sundae toppings, but the kids really like blueberries and raspberries as a summer snack straight from the freezer too.

 

[bear74]

thanks

 

[gudrench3]

WOW! I had NO IDEA you could freeze your berries. I have recently gotten BIG on smoothies...and there are times when we have to throw out the berries because they are so yucky. How long do they normally last like this, and would you say that they taste as good as the fresh fruit?

 

[karemore]

Frozen berries are great for smoothies!

I freeze strawberries and blueberries every year. They do come out mushy. I use them for toppings on pancakes, waffles, and for muffins.

Blueberries I don't wash, I freeze them on a cookie sheet then bag. I double bag them, a serving in a ziplock bag then all the berries from that particular batch in a bigger bag. I mark the bag with a sharpie, which orchard or market they came from.

Strawberries I do wash, then cut up and put a tiny amount of sugar in with them. That's how my mom always did it....

 

[Purseval]

If you like making blueberry muffins you should add your blueberries to your mix while they are still frozen. That way they won't stain the batter and make your cooked muffins look sickly.

 

[tripletots]

I am no help with the berry question, but I did want to congratulate you on the birth of your twins. What a nice Christmas present times 2!