I wash some of my blueberries, drain, and store them in a freezer bag in the freezer. They are great in recipes, and just to snack on. Refreshing in this hot weather!
By patty60 from TX
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Keeping Cherries and Blueberries Tip. I put my fresh from the grocery store blueberries and cherries into separate Freshvac containers from Target. These containers have little dials on the top with the calendar number date as reminders.
Here are the questions asked by community members. Read on to see the answers provided by the ThriftyFun community.
I was wondering if anyone knew how to put up blueberries either in the freezer or by canning where the skins of the berries will not get tough? I have canned the berries. I have put them in the freezer without washing in ziplock bags, but the skins get tough. The berries in the blueberry pie filling you buy are tender. Maybe it is the type of berries they are? If anyone has any ideas - Please Help! Thanks in advance.
I freeze them flat on a cookie sheet not touching then when they are frozen I transfer them to zip loc bags.
I have had this problem before, but then I bought a Food Saver and the skin of the berries did not get tough. I always had to toss bags of blueberries due to tough skins, but since using the Food Saver... works great....
Q. What is the best way to freeze blueberries. Also, once they have been frozen, if you cook with them, do you defrost them first? Do you wash blueberries, before you freeze them?
The best way to freeze blueberries is in a single layer on a baking sheet. Dry them as well as you can first without bruising them by laying them on a layer of paper towels and covering them with more paper towels. Place them lovingly, and without crowding them, on the baking sheet, pop it in the freezer, and wait. Once frozen, pack the berries into appropriate storage containers and return them to the freezer.
There are certainly some applications where you don't need to thaw the berries before use blueberry muffins, for example, where they will thaw and cook in the muffins. Where they will be used as a topping or garnish, however, it is nice to thaw them first so that you don't wind up biting a crystallized berry.
On freezing blueberries--First do not wash--second place berries on a cookie sheet and then freeze. When berries are frozen then place in zip lock bags.
Lois from Oak Lawn, IL
This is a page about washing blueberries. Here is a great tip about washing blueberries and preventing them from becoming mushy in the process.
