The best methods and rules for storing blueberries at home for the winter after harvesting

How to properly store blueberries is an urgent issue that worries thrifty housewives during the berry season. Wild berry is a valuable gift of nature, endowed with healing power, thanks to its unique chemical composition, characterized by a huge amount of vitamins and minerals. Therefore, everyone tries to prepare it for future use, resorting to different methods, the choice of which depends on both the volume of the crop and personal taste.

Blueberry Storage Features

Storing blueberries is a process that requires the right approach and the right knowledge. It is important to store the product correctly so that it is useful and stays fresh for a long time. Blueberries store well, both fresh and mixed with sugar. It is advisable to send the fruits to be stored in the freezer with the possibility of rapid freezing. The drying method is also suitable.A wild-grown wild berry harvested by any of the methods will stand out for its usefulness and exquisite taste.

How to choose the right one

To make blueberries last longer, you should:

1. Harvest in sunny, warm weather, preferably in the morning when the dew has melted.
2. Fresh berries should be sorted immediately, clearing them of foliage, branches and removing damaged and crushed ones, as well as fruit stalks.

When buying, it is important to make sure that the product does not contain nitrates and seek expert advice, since this forest berry absorbs radiation and other dangerous substances. It is also important to pay attention to their appearance. The presence of white and pink fruits indicates an early harvest, and the presence of a wax coating indicates improper transportation.

Blueberries should be firm, odorless and sweet in taste.

Optimal storage conditions

Compliance with storage rules guarantees the preservation of product quality. The main parameters that determine the storage conditions are: temperature, humidity and lighting.

Temperature

Fresh blueberries are stored in the refrigerator at a temperature of +4 degrees, and in dry conditions at room conditions - +20 degrees.

Humidity

In addition to temperature, the relative humidity of the room is also of great importance, which should not exceed 70% for dried berries. Exceeding this indicator leads to the development of pathogenic microorganisms and mold. The level of humidity created in the refrigerator compartment is suitable for storing fresh and frozen blueberries.

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Lighting

The forest gift of nature should be stored without natural light.

Storage methods

There are different ways to preserve blueberries, the main ones being fresh in the refrigerator, in sugar, frozen, dried, preserved in their own juice.

In the fridge

A cold room is essential for storing fruit. If you put a bowl of berries there, they can be used for 3-4 days. To extend the storage period, you must:

1. After harvesting, sort the berries, removing spoiled and overripe fruits, as well as waste in the form of foliage and twigs.
2. Take a small container with holes and cover the bottom with a paper towel 4 times to absorb moisture and protect the blueberries from mold.
3. Send the berries to the prepared dishes, evenly distributing the napkins over the surface, then put them in the refrigerator, giving preference to the middle or bottom shelf of the household appliance.

This preservation method will help you feast on blueberries for 10 days.

In sugar

It is also possible to store the berries for later marketing as sugar, but this requires compliance with all storage rules.

Composition of ingredients:

• 1 kg of blueberries;
• 1.5 kg of sugar.

Sequencing:

1. Sort the harvested berries and, after washing, dry.
2. Cover the prepared product with sugar in the amount of 750 g.
3. After 20 minutes, when the fruits settle and the juice drains, fill the dry, sterilized jars with the berry mass, sprinkle sugar on top so that it is not visible. On the surface, it must remain dry.
4. Cover with parchment and tie with twine.

It is recommended to store blueberries in sugar in a cold place. Such a part does not undergo heat treatment and retains a maximum of vitamins.

Frozen

To make do with blueberries in winter, you can try freezing the product.There are many ways to freeze, each of which does not take much time and effort.

Sugar free

A simple method for freezing a berry product. For this you need:

1. Pour the dried fruit onto a palette covered with cellophane or aluminum foil.
2. Place the container in the pre-freezer for 1 hour.
3. Transfer the berries to a bag and, tightly squeezing, place them in the freezer.

With sugar

Component set:

• 1 kg of berries;
• 0.5 kg of sugar.

How to prepare properly:

1. Spread the selected fruits in layers in a container, sprinkling them in layers.
2. Close the containers tightly and place them in the freezer.

Healing berries frozen by this technique will serve as a filling for dumplings, as well as for making fruit drinks, jelly.

Puree with sugar

Harvesting for the winter, which contains the maximum taste, is beneficial. To prepare blueberry puree with sugar, you need to take:

• 1 kg of blueberries;
• 500g of sugar.

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Algorithm of actions:

1. Rinse the ripe berries and drain them with water, distributing the fruits on a colander.
2. After drying, mix blueberries with sugar and chop with a blender.
3. Transfer the berry mass to portioned containers and place in the freezer.

A good filling for desserts and pies is obtained from this blank.

Puree without sugar

This blank will be a good complementary food for babies. Carefully chop the clean berries using a blender so that the skins are not felt when using. Fill the resulting puree into plastic cups or small containers tightly closed with cling film and place in the freezer.

Juice

To prepare a healthy drink, you need to squeeze the juice from the berries in a way suitable for this type of raw material and fill them with glasses or bottles, and tightly close with lids or foil. It is important to pour the juice into the container not to the rim, since the liquid expands when frozen.

Dried

To get good quality dried blueberries, you need to spread the sorted fruits on a baking sheet in 1 layer and send them to the oven, preheated to +40 degrees and keep for 4 hours. Then raise the temperature to 70 degrees and dry in these conditions for another 8 hours. It is important to leave the door ajar to vent the fumes.

Drying can also be done under natural conditions. To do this, leave the fruit under cover in a shady, well-ventilated place with low humidity. The sun's rays can be harmful to blueberries, so avoid exposure to the sun. It is necessary to dry the berries for 4 days.

When the simple drying process is completed, you need to put the resulting product for further storage in paper bags or in wooden or glass containers. It is not recommended to use plastic bags and metal cans, as well as a cloth bag due to the increased interest of insects.Send dried blueberries for storage in rooms with a temperature of +20 degrees and a humidity of 70 percent. Under these conditions, it can be used for about 2 years.

Preservation in its own juice

You can also pamper your loved ones in winter with blueberries in their juice with sugar, which are prepared simply and quickly. It needs:

1. Wash and dry the sorted fruits.
2. Pack the berries in 0.5 liter jars, add a layer of sugar on top.
3. Send the containers to the jar for sterilization, covered with lids. Boil for 20 minutes.
4. Cover the jars with lids and turn over, let cool.

The part is stored for up to 2 years, provided that it is placed in a room with a temperature of 18-20 degrees.

Storage periods

Blueberries have their own conditions of use, provided that all storage conditions are observed.

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Fridge

In the refrigerator on the bottom or middle shelf, blueberries will stay fresh for 7-10 days. And berries treated with an aqueous solution based on vinegar can be stored in refrigerated rooms for up to 1 month.

Freezer

If blueberries are properly frozen, they can be stored in the freezer for 1 year.

At room temperature

Fresh blueberries are stored at room temperature for 4 days. To increase its shelf life, it is recommended to dry the berries and store them in a room for about 2 years.

Some features of defrost

To retain as many valuable substances as possible, blueberries should be frozen quickly and thawed slowly. To do this, put the berries in the dishes, send them to the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. Since the fruits thaw a little, they should be removed from the refrigerator and allowed to warm up in room conditions.

When planning to use frozen berries for making compote, pie, it is not necessary to thaw the product in advance.

Important! Do not refreeze thawed blueberries.

Signs of product deterioration

When storing blueberries, you should regularly check the berries for spoilage and discard them immediately.A spoiled product is easily distinguished from a quality fruit by the following parameters:

• the softness and moisture of the fruit, which indicates that the process of decomposition has already begun;
• heterogeneous color of berries;
• lack of taste.

These berries can harm human health.

Common Mistakes

The main errors include:

1. Wash the berries before freezing them, this removes the special plaque that protects the blueberries from rotting.
2. By storing fruits near fish and meat, while absorbing odors, blueberries lose their taste characteristics.
3. The location of the berry product on the top shelf of the refrigerator, which reduces its shelf life.

Additional tips and tricks

How to store blueberries so that they remain usable for a long time, expert advice and recommendations will help:

1. It is not recommended to wash the fruits before sending them for storage, as this will lead to rapid rotting and the appearance of mold.
2. Before putting the berries in the refrigerator, you need to put them in a shallow container in 1 layer, which will contribute to longer storage. If the fruit is stored in a pile, the mold will become active and quickly spread from fruit to fruit.
3. Store crops only in plastic, glass, ceramic containers. Do not use metal dishes to avoid oxidation of the berries.
4. Blueberries absorb extraneous odors, so it's best to store them in tightly sealed containers.

If you adhere to blueberry preservation technology, you can provide the whole family with a healing product for a whole year.