I don't have anything to blog about right now, but I did want to reiterate that it is cranberry season. And unlike many other fruits & veggies that have "seasons" (Tomatoes = summer, root veggies = winter, asparagus = spring, etc.) but can be found all year, cranberries really do only appear in the fall, since they're not exactly a greenhouse crop. This being Thanksgiving week, they're more obvious than ever in your grocery stores (and probably on sale, too!) So, if you love cranberries and cooking/baking with cranberries as much as I do, might I suggest that while you're out buying ingredients to make your own easy & delicious homemade cranberry sauce in the next few days, pick up an extra bag or two of these delicious berries and freeze them for use throughout the year. Freezing berries is so easy, and if you buy them in season & on sale, it can be more economical than buying packaged frozen ones. This is also a great trick in the summer with blueberries. (When they dropped to only $1.50/pint in June I stocked up and have been tossing them in pancakes, smoothies, you name it!)
The technique for freezing both of these berries is the same: rinse and dry the berries, then spread them out in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Place the sheet in the freezer until the berries are solid, a few hours. When they're frozen, transfer the berries to a Ziploc bag and keep them in the freezer. Thaw the necessary quantities as you enjoy cranberry breads, sauces, & more until next fall!
The technique for freezing both of these berries is the same: rinse and dry the berries, then spread them out in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Place the sheet in the freezer until the berries are solid, a few hours. When they're frozen, transfer the berries to a Ziploc bag and keep them in the freezer. Thaw the necessary quantities as you enjoy cranberry breads, sauces, & more until next fall!
Being that I'm a cranberry fiend, I seriously stock up every Fall. But here's the thing... I've never gone to the trouble of freezing them on a cookie sheet first. I just throw the whole bag in the freezer. I've even thrown them in the food processor still frozen when making breads but usually I defrost and then rinse. What's the benefit to the extra cookie sheet step?
ReplyDeleteThe only benefit of the cookie sheet step is that you can wash & sort them before you freeze them, so they are just ready to go whenever you want to use them. However, if you don't care that much (and believe me, I don't judge you for not washing them!), then you can totally skip the cookie sheet and freeze them in the bag them come in. Or perhaps you can wash frozen berries? I don't know...
ReplyDeleteJust noticed your reply. I do rinse my frozen/defrosted berries. I just throw them into a colinder a while before I plan to use them. The only problem is if you rinse them too early and then leave them sitting around they will freeze themselves together again. In that case, I suggest cursing at them and then waiting until they thaw out, unless you don't care about a little extra water.
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