When it comes time to harvest, for many, the issue of its storage becomes relevant. Something can lie almost all winter without additional processing, and something needs to be canned, dried, frozen. Today, the latter method is increasingly being chosen, as it helps to preserve most of the vitamins. But not everyone knows how to freeze apricots for the winter and whether it is worth doing it at all.

Apricots can and should be frozen. This fruit is just a storehouse of vitamins C, E, groups A and B. They help to gently cleanse the body, fight cholesterol, help with anemia and beriberi, and are indicated for problems in the cardiovascular and digestive systems. In addition, apricots have a low calorie content, which is important for overweight people.

Another reason to freeze apricots for the winter is that they spoil quickly. After the fruits are taken from the tree, you only have a couple of days left to eat them. Then they will inevitably begin to turn black. When there is little fruit, this will not be a problem. But if the harvest is large, then The best way to save it is to freeze it.

Preparing apricots for the process

First you need to choose the right apricots: they take only ripe fruits that are still hanging on the tree. Those that are raised from the ground cannot be used for freezing, as they will already be spoiled. The skin of the apricot should be smooth, without pronounced defects, and the fruit itself should be elastic and moderately ripe.

Plucked fruits should be washed and dried naturally, laid out on a towel. If, in general, the fruit is suitable for freezing, but small dents appear on it, it is better to carefully remove them with a sharp knife. You can start freezing after the apricots are completely dry.

When freezing these fruits, many people make the same mistake, due to which the fruits lose their shape and shape when defrosted, and the pulp becomes mushy. To avoid this, you need to use shock freezing - immersing fruits in the lowest possible temperature. Modern freezers usually offer minus 24 degrees. It's enough. Before freezing, sprinkle the slices with a lemon solution (lemon juice and water in a 1: 1 ratio).

Recipes for freezing apricots at home

There are several ways to freeze these fruits. Which one to choose depends on your desire, free space in the freezer and the purpose of the further use of apricots.

whole

To enjoy fresh fruit in winter, you can freeze whole apricots. The main thing is to do it right. Prepared fruits must be laid out on a tray covered with parchment, foil or cling film and send it to the freezer for just a couple of hours until it hardens.

Apricots should be dry and placed on a tray with a small distance from each other. Make sure that the tray is level, otherwise the fruit may roll and stick together. Try not to put them at the initial stage in the compartments of the freezer with products that have a specific smell - apricots tend to absorb it. After a couple of hours, remove the fruits and transfer them to bags or containers for further storage.

Now the temperature can be lowered to minus 18 degrees.

Slices

Fruit frozen in this way will take up less space in the refrigerator, but the preparation process will be slightly longer. Washed dry fruits are cut in half and the stone is removed. If desired, each half can be cut into slices or cubes, or you can leave it like that. Fruits should be laid out on a tray, sprinkled with lemon solution and left for a short time so that they dry slightly.

Then the tray is sent to the freezer for shock freezing. After 1-2 hours, apricots can be taken out and transferred to a container for storage. Don't forget to sign the packing date. Already packaged fruits are sent for storage in the freezer at a standard temperature.

With sugar

Prepared pitted fruits are laid out in a single layer in a storage container, sprinkled with sugar on top and repeat the layers. The top must be a layer of sugar. After that, it is necessary to close the container with an airtight lid and send it to storage in the freezer. Sugar will keep the original shape and color of the fruit after defrosting. It is better to have 1 serving of fruit in the container, because they cannot be re-frozen.

in syrup

This method is similar to the previous one. Putting it in a container is exactly the same. The only difference is that apricots are not immediately sent for freezing. You need to leave them to stand at room temperature so that the fruits let the juice out. And only after that they can be frozen.

This method is suitable if you plan to use fruits for baking in the future: pies, pies, buns. You can eat them as an independent treat or add them to ice cream.

Freezing apricot puree

If you plan to add fruit to cereal, shakes or smoothies, and also want to use it as a baby food, or you have limited storage space, you can freeze the puree. Pour the prepared apricot slices into a colander and hold for 5 minutes over a pot of boiling water. After that, grind the fruit with a blender or in any other way that is familiar to you (with a mixer, meat grinder or using a food processor) until smooth.

In puree, add a little lemon juice (about a tablespoon) and sugar to taste.

Pour the finished puree into molds. These can be small cups, plastic containers, and even molds for freezing ice. If you chose the latter option, then after about a day, take out the frozen figures and put them in a bag or container for storage.

Further storage

As mentioned earlier, in order to preserve the appearance, taste and shape of fruits, it is necessary to use shock freezing. Further, already frozen fruits are stored in the freezer at a temperature not higher than minus 18 degrees. Frozen fruit in such conditions can be a year.

Do not forget to sign the packaging date on each container so that the apricots do not disappear.

You need to defrost them gradually in the refrigerator, so make sure to get the product in advance. Fruit cannot be re-frozen.

In summer it is so nice to eat delicious fresh and sweet apricots, but how to please yourself with these fruits in winter? Of course, you can buy it in the supermarket, but there will be nothing useful in them, and the taste leaves much to be desired. In this case, frozen apricots come to the rescue.

Hard apricots are suitable for this method, which are well separated from the stone, it is best to pluck them from the tree, and not wait until they fall.

Wash the fruits well, dry on a towel and separate from the stone. We put the resulting halves with the skin down on a spacing or a wide plate and send it to the freezer for 5-6 hours. During this time, the apricots will freeze well, and they can be safely folded into a plastic bag, they will never stick together and will be even and beautiful in winter.

Usage

In winter, apricot halves can simply be eaten thawed, or can be used in baking. open pies, tarts or for compote.

The second successful type of freezing apricot is mashed potatoes. This method is very suitable for overripe or bruised fruits, as well as for varieties in which the stone is difficult to separate.

Wash apricots well, clean and puree with a blender. And then it all depends on the imagination of the hostess, you can pour the resulting puree into different molds, you get beautiful apricot ice, you can put it in a regular container, or you can put it in a plastic bottle.

Usage

Apricot puree is very fond of children, you can add it to porridge, ice cream, yogurt, cottage cheese or just eat it with a spoon, it turns out very delicious pies and casseroles.

See video: Apricot ice cream

Everyone who has a special compartment in the refrigerator in which you can set the temperature from -18 C and below, tips on how to freeze fresh apricots for the winter will come in handy. The process is simple, you just need to follow the rules so that the fruit does not darken, does not turn into a tasteless gruel when defrosted. Recommendations experienced housewives will help you enjoy winter compotes and pies from "practically fresh", thawed apricots.

Benefit

Juicy, yellow-orange fruits are not only organic acids and fiber.

Apricots contain a lot of:

• gland,
• b vitamin,
• carotene (provitamin A),
• ascorbic acid.

As part of bright fruits, there are many other useful substances:

• flavonoids;
• polysaccharides;
• potassium;
• polyphenols;
• carbohydrates;
• amygdalin (anti-cancer component);
• copper;
• iron;
• magnesium;
• phosphorus;
• calcium.

Useful properties of juice and pulp of apricots:

• normalize the state of the vascular wall;
• strengthen immunity;
• positively affect vision;
• prevent a decrease in hemoglobin levels (in combination with other components);
• restore bone density;
• accelerate the cleansing of blood vessels;
• reduce nervousness, calm the nervous system;
• activate the excretion of salts from the joints in arthrosis and arthritis;
• indispensable for the prevention of beriberi and iron deficiency anemia during pregnancy and debilitated people;
• activate the excretion of sputum, reduce inflammation in case of damage to the respiratory tract;
• normalize the process of cleansing the intestines with constipation, are a mild laxative;
• exhibit a slight diuretic effect, cleanse the kidneys;
• have a positive effect on the liver;
• moderately allowed for diabetics;
• lower blood pressure, positively affect the cardiovascular system;
• exhibit an antioxidant effect, maintain skin elasticity, good condition of blood vessels, positively affect the functioning of the body, slow down cell aging;
• are part of home peels and masks for facial skin: gently cleanse the epidermis, moisturize, tone, give a pleasant tan color;
• They contain an important amino acid tryptophan, during the transformation of which, the body produces the hormone of happiness - serotonin.

On a note! With increased sensitivity of the body, you need to carefully use sunny fruits: many allergy sufferers react negatively to berries and bright fruits, including apricots. If a child or an adult has at least once encountered hives, Quincke's edema, eczema, food allergies, then you can not eat a lot of fruits with red, yellow, orange flesh and peel. In a serious illness, an acute immune response, the use of inappropriate fruits and berries often provokes a second reaction.

Frozen apricots will be delicious in the following cases:

• For harvesting for the winter, ripe fruits with dense pulp are needed. Most the best varieties for freezing - saturated orange color.
• Do not place overripe fruit in the freezer. This variety of sunny fruits is suitable for making such a popular dessert as apricot jam.
• Pressed, spoiled fruits cannot be processed, harvested for the winter in any form.
• The stone is easily separated - this sign indicates a sufficient degree of ripeness of the sunny fruits.
• You should always wash fruits before placing them in the freezer: you should not save harmful components, dust and dirt particles that remain on unwashed berries and fruits.
• There is no need to rush after washing the fruit raw material: let the fruit lie on a towel or clean linen cloth so that all the water from the skin dries up, the drops are absorbed into the material. With this approach, the apricots will not stick together.
• Shock freezing at t -18 C… -24 C - best option conservation natural color and density of apricots after defrosting for winter consumption. If the hostess puts the fruit in the freezer with a higher temperature, the cold penetrates the pulp gradually, then the defrosted fruits will be soft, dark (brownish), similar to gruel.
• The fruit is easy to cut into halves. If the fruits are ripe, with dense pulp, then you can cut the apricots into cubes or plates at the request of the hostess. In this form, it is convenient to use sunny fruits as a filling for pies.
• After defrosting, you need to use the entire portion of the fruit: you should not re-place the fruit in the freezer. If the rules are violated, the hostess gets a pulp that resembles gruel of an unpleasant brownish color: apricots lose their rich orange hue. In addition, there is a risk of microbial growth.

How to freeze apricots

How to freeze apricots in the freezer for the winter? Procedure:

• first you need to prepare orange fruits. Be sure to sort through the fruit, cut off the rotten or crushed parts, wash well;
• be sure to spread the apricots on a waffle or linen towel so that all the water is glassed;
• divide the fruits into halves, carefully remove the seeds (it is advisable not to disturb the shape of the cut fruit). If the hostess decided to chop the fruits (cut into medium cubes), then you need to do this carefully so as not to crush the natural raw materials;
• the first step is freezing halves or sliced ​​apricots on wooden trays. It is important to spread the fruit raw material in a thin layer so that the cold quickly penetrates into the pulp. To maintain color, better preservation of fruits, it is useful to sprinkle prepared raw materials with freshly squeezed lemon juice;
• only after the fruits on the trays have become hard, well frozen, they can be shifted for long-term storage in a flat or bulky plastic container for fruits and berries with holes;
• you can arrange halves or quarters of apricots in disposable cups for coffee or tea, be sure to sprinkle the pulp with sour lemon juice. Next, top with fruit. apricot puree, prepared in a blender from fresh fruits (if desired, add a little sugar to maintain a pleasant orange color of the dessert);
• there is another popular way to place frozen apricots in the freezer. Halves or cubes of juicy fruit are conveniently stored in thin plastic bags. With this method of placement, cellophane packages of frozen fruit can be easily stacked on top of each other, which helps to fit in the freezer. a large number of fruit raw material. The first stage does not change: freezing fruits on wooden trays, always in a thin layer;
• you can put the boneless fruits in a blender, mash, mix with sugar and citric acid, spread out in a thin layer in molds or portioned cups, place in the freezer. Be sure to cover the containers with polyethylene to avoid the penetration of foreign odors and particles of various substances into the frozen fruit mass.

Some housewives fill beautiful molds (in the form of flowers, muffins, hearts) with apricot puree with sugar and lemon juice. The main thing: use small containers so that the mass quickly freezes to the desired state.

On the page, read about how to prepare and store jam from felt cherry with bones.

Freezing fruit in syrup

An interesting option for harvesting not only fruits, but also a sweet liquid based on natural juice and sugar. After defrosting, the hostess receives not only practically fresh fragrant fruits, but also ready-made syrup for compote.

What to do:

• wash, dry the apricots according to the rules, divide into halves, remove the seeds;
• put the fruit in an enameled container, sprinkle with lemon juice, sprinkle with sugar. Take enough sweet bulk product so that the halves of the fruit are covered;
• let the fruit mass brew: it is important that the apricots let the juice flow well;
• left carefully, trying not to crush the halves, shift the workpiece into flat plastic containers, put in the freezer. At the end of the quick freezing process, be sure to cover each tray or portion cup with a lid or cellophane.

Subject to the rules, it is easy to keep apricots fresh for several months: it is enough to subject the fruits to a quick freeze. The lower the temperature, the more actively the process proceeds, the brighter the color of the frozen product. The hostess can cook several varieties of healthy fruits in the freezer: delicate orange puree with sugar, apricot halves in syrup or without the addition of sweet liquid. The only limitation is that you should not freeze fruits with a stone: when defrosted, fruits lose their shape and density. The maximum shelf life of natural raw materials is 12 months: you should not keep fruits that have lost some of their vitamins in the freezer for one and a half to two years.

This season is richer than ever in apricots, so many preparations have been made and several pies have been baked. Decided to freeze fresh apricots will not be redundant. Such fruits, frozen for the winter at home, are useful for making jelly, compote, jelly, they can be put in pastries and even cook meat. In general, there are many applications. There would be a larger freezer, you can harvest in large volumes, and a little bit of everything.

Ingredients

In order to freeze fresh apricots for the winter, we need:

apricots - 500 g;

a bag with a fastener - 1 pc.

Cooking steps

Apricots for freezing should be taken dense, preferably small. Wash the apricots under running water, dry on a towel and remove the pits. Lay the apricot halves cut down on a clean kitchen towel to completely remove the moisture.

After that, fold the halves of the apricots in one layer into a bag with a zipper, placing it first on the board.

Directly on the cutting board, remove the bag into the freezer for complete freezing. Then the board should be removed from the freezer, and the frozen bag should be placed in a convenient place in the freezer.

Fresh apricots frozen for the winter are perfect for cooking various dishes. In the cooking process, such apricots can be used without defrosting them.

I was recently asked: is it possible to freeze apricots in slices. Therefore, today I will show you how to freeze apricots for the winter in a simple way so that they retain their color and taste. A lot of things can be made from them in winter, for example, cook apricot compote or bake charlotte. Some even make jam from them when the prepared summer is over. Frozen fruits are definitely a great way to preserve them, and this method is the fastest and does not require long cooking or drying.

Ingredients:

Apricots - any quantity

How to freeze apricots in the freezer

Freezing apricots for the winter is a simple process and I start it by preparing the fruits themselves. To begin with, I choose only whole apricots so that there are no crushed or spoiled parts. Then I wash them under running water to remove dust and dirt.

Next, I break each of them in half and remove the bones. I put paper towels on the table and lay the broken halves on them. The paper will remove the remaining moisture, so that ice will not form on them, and they will not stick together in the freezer.

In a dry container, I put the halves next to each other, but do not press them down so that the juice does not flow out. First lay out the bottom row.

Then I lay out the second row and the third, if necessary. It depends on their size and the volume of the container. I cover the container with a lid and put it in the freezer to completely freeze.

Now you know how to freeze apricots for the winter so that they remain just as juicy and bright. Each slice is frozen separately, which is convenient for their further use. When you want something apricot, then this blank will be a great find for you. Do not miss this opportunity and freeze them in the summer.

Advice:

Apricot blanks for the winter can be frozen in special bags with a zipper that do not allow air to pass through. In ordinary plastic bags, I do not advise freezing anything, because with the slightest damage, all fruits will take on the smell of the freezer, and this is not the most pleasant. It is also very important to store frozen fruits and berries in specially designated compartments of the freezer, and not where meat or fish is. I hope my tips on how to freeze apricots for the winter were useful to you, and in the future you will add them to various recipes.