What a sweeeet time of year Spring is! We love those local, fresh, delicious berries. Berries are great on their own, but don’t always last long in your fridge. We’ve put together some tips on how to freeze your berries so you can enjoy them year-round.
And even better, we’re letting one of our TPB Kids, Isaac P., tell you all about it! Grab YOUR TPB kid and get some help getting those berries in the freezer today!
Quick tips on freezing berries:
- Wash your berries just before you are ready to eat or freeze them. Dry them quickly and thoroughly by patting them with a paper towel so they don’t absorb the water. Too much water makes them mushy!
- Freeze them whole. Remove the strawberry cap, removing as little as possible of the strawberry.
- Place the berries on a cookie sheet or flat pan, making sure they do not touch each other — otherwise they will freeze together. Put the pan in the freezer until the strawberries are completely frozen.
- Store your strawberries in a zipper bag, removing as much air from the bag as possible. ***Hey kiddos – A neat tip is to use a straw to suck out all of the air in the bag!
- Store your strawberries in small quantities so you don’t open and close the bag too much, letting in
- air.
- Don’t defrost your strawberries before using them. Toss them right in the blender!
Some of our favorite uses for frozen berries:
-Make a drink festive by placing frozen berries in water in an ice cube tray and freezing for a few hours. Then add them to your favorite lemonade or spritzer and viola! You have a beautiful and colorful springtime drink – great for entertaining!
-Make a delicious smoothie. Combine your favorite fruits, fruit juice, and yogurt in a blender. By using frozen berries, you won’t have to add as much ice or any ice at all depending on how cold you want it! Goodbye watered down smoothies!
-Drizzle hot chocolate sauce over frozen berries for a hot and cold treat.
-Make berry ice cream or sorbet.
-Make homemade popsicles for kids to enjoy that are healthier and full of antioxidants.
-Pop a few frozen berries into cupcake batter before baking for a delicious, sweet surprise in the middle!