Creative Cooking Tips - Freezing: Fruits and Berries

Cooking Tips
Freezing Fruit

[ Freezing Fruits & Berries | Fruit Preparation | Approximate Yields ]

Freezing Fruits & Berries

Preparation

Once preparation begins, work with small quantities and work rapidly. Gently wash the fruit in several changes of cold water and drain. Prepare as for fresh. Use your favorite pack.

Filing Containers

Fill the container so as to leave no air pockets. For dry pack, fill the container full. For syrup pack, leave 1/2" head space in quart containers and 1/4" head space in pint containers. Ball plastic freezer boxes have the fill line marked for you. Wipe mouth of container with a clean wet cloth.

Seal: Remove all air and seal container so it is air-tight.

Label: With name of product, date and any other information needed.

Quick Freeze: Place sealed packages in food freezer in single layers, leaving 1" space between each package. They should freeze solid in less than 24 hours.

Store: Stack frozen containers compactly and keep stored at 0 degrees F. or lower until ready to use.

Thawing & Preparing Fruit

When serving frozen fruits for dessert, open the package just when you are ready to service while there are still a few ice crystals in the fruit. Frozen fruits may be used the same as fresh fruits in most recipes. When using frozen fruits in cooking, allowance should be made for any sugar that was added at the time of freezing.

Some fruits, especially youngberries and boysenberries, make better jellies when frozen than when fresh because freezing and thawing cause the juices to be released from the cells and the natural fruit color dissolves in the juice. Freshly made jellies, jams, marmalade, and preserves from frozen berries, are superior in flavor, color, and texture to those made from fresh berries.

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Approximate Yields
selected frozen fruits from fresh

Fruit Fresh,
as purchased or picked Frozen

Apples 1 bu. (48 lb.)
1 box (44 lb.)
1 1/4 to 1 1/2 lb. 32 to 40 pt.
29 to 35 pt.
1 pt.

Apricots 1 bu. (48 lb.)
1 crate (22 lb.)
2/3 to 4/5 lb. 60 to 72 pt.
28 to 33 pt.
1 pt.

Berries ¹ 1 crate (24 qt.)
1 1/3 to 1 1/2 pt. 32 to 36 pt.
1 pt.

Cantaloupes 1 dozen (28 lb.)
1 to 1 1/4 lb. 22 pt.
1 pt.

Cherries, sweet or sour 1 bu. (56 lb.)
1 1/4 to 1 1/2 lb. 36 to 44 pt.
1 pt.

Cranberries 1 box (25 lb.)
1 peck (8 lb.)
1/2 lb. 50 pt.
16 pt.
1 pt.

Currants 2 qt. (3 lb.)
3/4 lb. 4 pt.
1 pt.

Peaches 1 bu. (48 lb.)
1 lug box (20 lb.)
1 to 1 1/2 lb. 32 to 48 pt.
13 to 20 pt.
1 pt.

Pears 1 bu. (50 lb.)
1 western box (46 lb.)
1 to 1 1/4 lb. 40 to 50 pt.
37 to 46 pt.
1 pt.

Pineapple 5 lb. 4 pt.

Plums & Prunes 1 bu. (56 lb.)
1 crate (20 lb.)
1 to 1 1/2 lb. 38 to 56 pt.
13 to 20 pt.
1 pt.

Raspberries 1 crate (24 pt.)
1 lb. 24 pt.
1 pt.

Rhubarb 15 lb.
2/3 to 1 lb. 15 to 22 pt.
1 pt.

Strawberries 1 crate (24 qt.)
2/3 qt. 38 pt.
1 pt.

¹ Includes blackberries, blueberries, boysenberries, dewberries, elderberries, gooseberries, huckleberries, loganberries, and youngberries.

Source: Ball Corporation

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