Wednesday, July 8, 2009

Freezing Season



Or shall I say freezing what is in season!


Berries of all kinds have been on sale at some great prices lately so I have been buying them up and freezing them to use throughout the year.
I am saving so much money by catching them in season as opposed to buying them throughout the year at regular prices or even having to buy frozen from the store.

In the past I have driven to a farm where you can pick your own for a very reasonable price but when the gas prices went up it just wasn't worth the trip. Now I just watch the grocery ads and stock up when they go on sale.

To freeze, I just wash them and then I lay them out on a cookie tray lined with a few paper towels to help soak up the moisture.
I then place the cookie tray in my freezer just long enough to freeze the berries and then I take the tray back out and place the berries into quart size freezer bags, label and toss back in the freezer.

Next time my recipe calls for berries all I have to do is go to the freezer and grab a bag out.

When I freeze strawberries I usually wash and slice them into a bowl. Then I add a bit of sugar to them and then spoon the mixture into freezer bags. They are just like the little tubs of frozen strawberries that you buy at the grocery store.

5 comments:

Carmen S. said...

Jessica, Would I be able to do this with the sweet cherries??? They are down to $2.00/lb. at walmart and I just love them. I wonder if they would get mushy being frozen? I recently found a recipe for cherry jam made in glass jars, I may try it:)

Olde Dame Penniwig said...

What a "berry" good idea! I think that not only do you save money, but flavor, too, and the nutrients, they say frozen is almost like fresh in terms of nutrients, and I know that berries in season are tastier than getting them out of season!!!

Kritter Keeper at Farm Tails said...

i did that last year...awesome idea! so funny, was eating blueberries while i read your blog! that chicken recipe made my mouth water...you are a great cook!

Country Whispers said...

Carmen,
I have frozen cherries before and then used them in baking. They worked perfect for that.

Farmchick said...

Hi~that is pretty much what I do too. Have a happy weekend and stop in and visit me too! :)