Freezing Apples

Sally
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August 25, 20080 found this helpful

Selecting High-Quality Apples: If you're purchasing apples, fall offers the greatest selection. Choose ripe apples for freezing that feel firm and crisp in hand and have a bright color. Avoid apples that feel soft and mealy or have cuts or punctures in the skin.

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Preparing for Freezing: Wash, peel, core and cut apples into quarters for freezing. Approximately 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds of sliced quartered apples fills one pint, and approximately 2 1/2 to 3 pounds of slices or quarters fills 1 quart.

Preserving Fruit Color: There are three ways to keep apple flesh from turning brown before and during freezing: (1) dip slices in a solution of 1/2 teaspoon of ascorbic acid to 3 tablespoons of cold water ( or use a commercial antioxidant), (2) soak them in a solution of 2 tablespoons of salt and 1 gallon of water, (3) steam-blanch them for 1 1/2 minutes and cool them in ice water before freezing.

Best Freezing Method(s):

Unsweetened Dry Pack: This is the simplest and fastest method for freezing apples, but it is not as good for retaining texture and flavor as the other methods. Treat apple slices with ascorbic acid or blanch to preserve color, pack them into a suitable container leaving 1/2 inch of headspace and freeze.

Sweetened Dry Pack: Place 1 1/4 pounds of quartered or sliced apples into a shallow bowl or pan. Dissolve 1/2 teaspoon of ascorbic acid in 3 tablespoons of cold water and sprinkle over the apples. Mix in 1/2 cup of sugar and pack apples in container, leaving 1/2 inch of headspace per pint and freeze.

Syrup Pack: The syrup pack method is useful if you plan to serve the apples uncooked (desserts or fruit cocktail), because it preserves a fruit's flavor and texture the best. Use a medium syrup (1/2 to 2/3 cup for each pint). Combine sugar and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil until the sugar is dissolved. Chill. Add 1/2 teaspoon of ascorbic acid to each quart of syrup. Pour 1/2 cup of syrup into the freezer container and add apples. If necessary, add more syrup until apples are covered and place a small piece of water-resistant paper on top to keep apples submerged. Leave 1/2 inch headspace for pints, 1 inch for quarts.

Containers & Packaging: Containers suitable for freezing should be airtight and include plastic bags, rigid plastic containers, heavy-duty aluminum foil, oven-ready casseroles sealed with freezer tape or glass containers.

Maximum Storage Time: Apples in syrup packs or sweetened dry packs will keep 10-12 months when stored at 0ºF. Unsweetened dry packs should be used within 3-6 months.

Tips: Some types of apples freeze better than others. In general, those that work well for making pies or sauce freeze well. Granny Smith, Golden Delicious and Winesap hold up well to freezing and resist bruising. McIntosh bruises easily and Red Delicious is the least desirable to freeze.

Shortcuts: If you're freezing apples for pies, place sliced apples in a pie tin lined with heavy-duty aluminum foil or a freezer grade plastic wrap. Wrap the apples and place the pie tin shaped package into the freezer. When you're ready to bake your pie, simply remove the wrap, place the slab of apples directly into the pie crust, add sugar and spices and bake. The syrup used for syrup packs can be prepared a few days ahead of time and kept refrigerated.

Refrigerating Apples: Sprinkle fresh apples with a little bit of water and place them in a perforated plastic bag in a cold part of the refrigerator. Apples give off an ethylene gas that can speed up ripening, so keep them away from other fruits and vegetables in the refrigerator. Store apples in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 months.

Ellen Brown

If you don't mind mushy apples; freezing them is fine. We like ours with some texture and a slight crunch as baked goods taste fresher that way. If you prefer your apples like that, you have to use fresh apples. We think it's way worth it!

Fix them as though you would for a pie, then put in containers and freeze them. They are then ready for your pies. I do it this way. They do just fine.

tina

I just got a pack of apples out of my freezer the other day that had been frozen for 3 years and they were wonderful. I have an apple peeler that peels, cores and slices into rings. I just cut the rings in half and make half moon slices. Next I put them in salted tap water. Take out and put in colander and let drain. Then I put them into freezer bags and let them sit and whatever water collects in the bottom I pour it out. Get out as much air as possible and seal. I like to freeze the golden delicious or fuji.

Louise B.
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August 26, 20080 found this helpful

I prefer to cook the apples for my pie filling, so I do that, and then freeze them. Another good method is to prepare the pie, and freeze that. You have a lot of different ways that you can do this.

We always bought a couple bushels of apples in the fall and kept them in styrofoam coolers in the garage. They stayed fresh for a long time so we had apples well into winter. Any that turned we fed to the horses.

You can make apple pies in pie tin with crust and apple and sugar /flour /spice and freeze. When frozen take out of pie tin put in plastic and put back in freezer.

Can you use lemon juice on apples to keep them from turning brown rather then ascorbic acid?

I peel and slice enough to fill a gallon jar, sprinkle 3/4 cup sugar over them and let them sit at room temperature for 12 hours. Then decant into freezer bags and freeze. They keep their texture beautifully and won't turn brown. Good luck!

Good info! Good read! Thanks, Ken

Thank you for all the info on freezing apples.