I've been thinking about freezing certain fruit or doing something with it so I can have it in wintertime without incurring sky-high prices. Right now I'm mostly thinking cantaloupe... Does anyone freeze anything? Peaches, plums, berries, grapes, etc...
I just bought a 3L quart of peaches, and I thought maybe I can do something with them but all I can think of is jam, and I don't want all that sugar. Any ideas?
I started reading freezing basics online, and they mentioned dipping the fruit in ascorbic acid or sugar... Is that a must? I was hoping to just kinda pop sliced pieces of fruit in the freezer with as little air as possible, and let them freeze. I'm also wondering if frozen produce loses its nutrients.
I freeze strawberries, raspberries and rhubarb regularly. The berries I spread out on a cookie sheet (don't wash the raspberries - they'll fall apart) and freeze them. Then I put the frozen ones into freezer bags. That way you can just take out what you need. This works for blueberries too, though since I have to buy those, and they cost so much I never buy a lot, they never make it to the freezer. The rhubarb I just cut up and put in freezer bags. DH likes it cooked into a sauce (with sugar of course) and mixes it with yogurt, or puts it on ice cream.
The ascorbic acid keeps the peaches from turning brown. If you don't mind that you can skip it. I've never tried freezing cantalope. It has so much water in it I think it'd be a weird texture after freezing - as are peppers imho!
Strawberries, blueberries, and grapes should freeze okay, but I'm not so sure about melon. We used to freeze sliced peaches all the time and I think we just peeled them, sliced, then put in bags and froze them. We sprinkled something called Fruit Fresh on the peaches first.
Pat - why do some fruits have to be frozen individually? Like berries on a baking sheet? I imagine they'd stick to each other if they all froze together, but don't other fruits like peaches, rhubarb, etc?
I wouldn't dream of freezing watermelon, I don't think that would work out too well but I think those "Europe's Best" frozen fruit mixes include honeydew and cantaloupe, which is why I thought about freezing those. I think I'm going to give it a try and see what happens - if anything I'll just throw them into smoothies after
What about making peach sauce? Is there a special way to make applesauce or is it just ascorbic acid that keeps the apple sauce from rotting? I was thinking of doing the same thing with peaches and pears.
I tried freezing cantaloupe balls and they got kind of rubbery. Ick.
I do berries, individually on cookie sheets, then dump them in a bag so they don't clump together.
Peaches I dip into boiling water for a few seconds, then let them cool. When cool, the skin slips off easily. Slice them, and freeze them either on a cookie sheet (with a piece of wax paper under the slices) or in individual baggie portions.
I've done peaches, cherries and all kinds of berries. I just wash, cut and freeze in zipper bags. (in the case of cherries, I do pit them) I like to keep the skin on the peach, more fiber. They do turn a bit, but mine just go into smoothies any way and I don't care.
If you were going to do smoothies also, I don't see that cantalope or even watermelon would be a problem. Yes, there is a lot of water in them, but that gives a smoothie more of the slushie/icy texture which I like.
Now that I think of it, why not try making a watermelon puree/water like some of my Mexican friends do and freeze it in ice cube trays and use those instead of ice in smoothies or other drinks! I wouldn't do those if I just wanted to present them as is.
Thanks for the idea!
Last edited by cantforgetthis; 08-28-2006 at 12:53 AM.
Cantaloupe you can freeze in balls or chunks in either an orange juice syrup (add about 1/4 cup of sugar per cup of orange juice) or a lemonade syrup (just reconstituted lemonade). That way they don't get rubbery (you want to eat them when they still have a few ice crystals on them).
You can freeze grapes with them in the syrup or freeze grapes individually on the cookie sheets (& eat them frozen).
Peaches you can either freeze in orange juice with a little "fruit fresh," or like other people said, individually, on cookie sheets. When you freeze them individually, peel them after boiling them for about 30 sec, as noted above, slice them into a fruit fresh mixture, drain them, then freeze individually. Stick them in a Ziploc, and you're set.
I love blueberries. Got 36 pints a few weeks ago on sale. Washed, froze individually, stuck in Ziplocs & I'm in heaven.
I pick blueberries at a local u-pick farm. I freeze them in small bags (don't wash them). If they are frozen dry they don't stick together. I get them ready for use by taking a serving from the bag--put it in a collander under running water and I have the wonderful taste of summer in my winter oatmeal. Also grapes are wonderful eaten as a frozen treat. I find they quench my sweet tooth.
Freezing summer fruit?
The rhubarb I just cut up and put in freezer bags. DH likes it cooked into a sauce (with sugar of course) and mixes it with yogurt, or puts it on ice cream. 
