Freeze or Pulp!

Here are a couple of ideas for you to try out in 2019 to help you manage those large fruit crops. Often our customers have grown or been given excess fruit and the question is what to do with too much fruit?

Methods For Freezing Fruit

Most fruits will keep well for up to 12 months if the correct method of freezing is employed and they are stored at 0 degrees or below.  Unsweetened fruit loses quality faster than those packed using syrup or sugar.  There are three principle approaches to freezing fruit.

Tray Pack:

Suitable for blackcurrants, raspberries, blackberries or strawberries - spread them out on a kitchen roll or tea towel and remove all the leaves and stalks, but don't wash them.  If possible, lay them on a plastic tray for freezing so that each fruit remains free and only once frozen transfer them to a thick freezer bag or boxes with the minimum air possible.

Syrup Pack:

Recommended for most fruits. A 30% syrup (1 x ¾ cup sugar per 4 cups of water) is ideal for most fruits.  Lighter syrups are lower in caloric content and especially desirable for mild-flavoured fruits, such as melons.  Heavier syrups may be needed for very sour fruits.  Allow ½ to ⅔ cup of syrup for each pint of fruit.  Make sure to use headspace in the container for expansion.

Sugar Pack:

Place prepared, cut fruit in a bowl or shallow pan.  Sprinkle sugar over the fruit.  Mix gently with a large spoon until the sugar dissolves and juice is drawn out.  Pack in containers, allowing the headspace as recommended for syrup-packed fruit.

Pulped Fruit is Delicious!

Imperfect (and perfect) fruit and vegetables can be pulped, preserved and enjoyed by cutting away the bruised or diseased part, leaving the rest of the fruit perfect.  Do not use over ripe fruit for pulping as it will ferment.  Stew the fruit or vegetable as normal, with almost no water and a little sugar (add a half of teaspoon of salt per lb for tomatoes).  For compote, pass through a sieve or blend and strain.  Season to taste, or as per recipe.  Put steaming hot pulp/puree into small (still hot) sterile jars and seal.  Use later for sauces, with ice cream or yogurt (peaches/plums/apricots), with pancakes, in desserts or with cereals, porridge or rice pudding!

Can you freeze in Jars?

Lots of our customers ask us about freezing all sorts of things in jars, preferring glass to plastic for various reasons.  Although manufacturers don't typically promote their jars for freezing, we know that you can successfully freeze all manner of food and drink.  This method of preserving is very popular in America - here are some  useful tips for you:

1. Always use a good quality wide neck, thick glass jar such as a Mason jar or Familia Wiss terrine jar.

2. The jar should not have wide shoulders, since the contents will freeze from the top layer down (if the jar has shoulders, as the lower layers freeze they expand and push upwards - bursting the jar).

3. Always leave room for expansion - minimum 1 inch at the top of the jar.

4. Always allow the contents and jar to cool fully before freezing.

5. Freeze lying down and not directly onto the cooling system of the freezer.

6. If freezing stood up, keep the lid loosely on until frozen and then tighten.

7. Defrost in the fridge over night so that the temperature change is gradual.

Be careful when handling frozen glass and be aware that the glass can break in the freezer.

Glass items sold via our website are manufactured for commercial use and any usage of these products in a domestic environment is at the customer's own risk.