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Freezing fruit is an excellent idea. We have all felt that excitement of seeing an in-season fruit at an incredibly low price. Some of you may even know the excitement of having copious amounts of fruit coming straight from your garden. However, if you have eaten everything you can of the fresh variety and are still looking at a lot of fruit, you have three options. The first option is to continue eating. This is the option I often fall victim to. No matter how full I am, I don’t want to let that delicious fruit go to waste, so I continue eating. The second option is to give that delicious fruit away. While this may seem kind and smart, it is not the best option as you get to eat less fruit. The third option is to freeze the fruit. It is amazing how many people never consider freezing fruit. It is a great way to hold onto in-season fruit until it is out of season and to hold the flavor. Follow our tips and you will have a freezer full of delectable fruits in no time at all.
I remember the first time I ever tried to freeze fruit. My partner was heading out the door and pointed to the bananas. “Would you mind freezing those bananas honey, they are starting to turn bad”. Of course, I said, it sounded straightforward forward and I would do anything to help a loved one. I got up off the couch, grabbed the bananas, and put them in the freezer. Job well done. It turns out that was not a job well done at all.
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My partner came home and found that the now frozen bananas were not peeled and not chopped. This made using the bananas in the future pretty difficult. I know, I know, that was silly. Most of you are reading this article thinking you would never make that mistake. Very fair, but I have since become a master of frozen fruit so listen up. I am sure you will learn something.
The key to frozen fruit is in the preparation. There are some subtle differences with fruits depending on the moisture content but in general, the rules are the same. Start by washing your fruit so there is no dirt on it. Dry it thoroughly and if there is anything to peel, of course, peel it.
Next, cut away any bits of the fruit that don’t look so healthy. Any bruises etc will not look good if frozen so get rid of them now. The next decision is how small you want your fruit. This will likely depend on what you will use it for. If you don’t know then cut it into bite-size pieces. If it is a particularly moist fruit give it another pat-down (looking at you pineapple).
Put the fruit on some greaseproof paper and place it on an oven tray. Cover it with cling film and place it in the freezer overnight. The next day you can simply peel it off and pop it into fresh food bags and it will be stored for later. This should stop you from ending up with large clumps of fruit and you should be able to retain the individual pieces.
Freezing fruit is a fantastic way of retaining your fruit for longer but it can also be delicious. Placing some frozen blueberries in your porridge in the morning makes it feel like there is some ice cream in there. Using frozen bananas in a smoothie is a great way to thicken it up. The uses are endless so start freezing your fruit today.
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