Blueberries: Storage And Processing

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Video: Blueberries: Storage And Processing

Video: Blueberries: Storage And Processing
Video: Blueberries: Harvest, Storage & Handling 2024, May
Blueberries: Storage And Processing
Blueberries: Storage And Processing
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Blueberries: storage and processing
Blueberries: storage and processing

Previously, blueberries were considered a forest berry, but recently the fashionable trend of growing this berry in gardens has been gaining momentum. And this is not surprising, because these tiny and very tasty berries can get rid of stomach problems, improve blood composition and even cure a cough. And during the Second World War, British pilots feasted on blueberries and blueberries in order to improve their eyesight. Well, since this beautiful berry has reached our latitudes, the question of how to store it correctly became quite natural

How to choose a good berry?

Only ripe blueberries should be bought, since after harvesting the delicious berries do not ripen anymore. Therefore, it is extremely important to choose only blue berries that do not have reddish hues. In addition, the blueberries must be strong and firm enough. You should not buy soft and watery berries, as well as berries with mold.

Anyone who grows blueberries in their own garden needs to be aware that weather conditions greatly affect the taste of berries. For example, when dry weather is established, due to a lack of moisture, the growth of blueberries is significantly inhibited, and the berries are often insufficiently saturated and small. And heavy rains often lead to decay of the skin of the fruit, which is also extremely undesirable.

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Harvesting blueberries must be very careful, trying not to damage the incredibly delicate skin of the berries, otherwise it will be very problematic to keep the harvest.

Fresh berries that are not damaged can be stored for two weeks. Ideally, however, blueberries are recommended to be eaten right away or processed after purchase or collection. After all, if juice begins to form in containers with stored berries or moisture appears, the blueberries will become unusable. It can also be affected by diseases such as anthracnose or gray mold when stored in the refrigerator.

Freeze blueberries

Blueberries are excellently frozen. By the way, it is categorically not recommended to wash it before freezing, since under the influence of water, the skin of the berries almost always becomes tough. The blueberries should be doused with water immediately before serving after the berries are removed from the freezer.

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In order to freeze the blueberries, the berries are placed in tight-fitting containers, leaving about three centimeters of free space - you do not need to fill the blueberries to the top. The containers filled in this way are sent to the freezer. And you can freeze the berries in a syrup made from water with sugar in a ratio of 4: 3. The berries are poured with such syrup directly in containers, after which the container is tightly closed and placed in the freezer.

If you plan to use frozen berries for cooking various dishes, it is important to try to prevent them from completely thawing before adding them to the dishes being prepared. Such a trick will allow you to preserve their structure, prevent the berries from secreting juice and prevent the dish from discoloration.

Dry blueberries

Another option to save blueberries for the winter is to dry them in the oven. The berries are sorted out and cleaned of impurities, after which they are thoroughly washed and discarded in a colander so that water is completely drained from the blueberries. Then the berries are laid out on a baking sheet and sent to an oven preheated to forty-five to fifty degrees. The blueberries are kept in the oven for about two hours. At the same time, the oven door is not completely closed, and the berries are stirred from time to time - they should dry out evenly. After two hours, the temperature in the oven is increased to sixty to sixty-five degrees and the berries are dried for about an hour.

The dried blueberries are transferred to suitable containers and stored in a dry place.

In addition, blueberries can always be canned - the blanks from it are also unmatched!

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