Freezing ANY fruit (for winter)

darlingmole, Feb 19, 4:55am
Is there an idiot way of doing this please? I want to freeze as much gorgeous summer fruit as possible for winter (for the usual crumbles or else just with custard) but dont want the fruit to bruise or spoil. How do you do this all you wonderful posters? All answers gratefully received :-)

wheelz, Feb 19, 4:59am
It depends on the type of fruit, whether it be stonefruit, pipfruit or berries or rhubarb. I think the Edmonds book has a section on preserving, covering different fruits. Some are ok frozen as is, some are better cooked.

doug57, Feb 19, 6:34am
darlingmole. . For all of the fruits freeze on baking paper lined trays till solid then toss in snaplock for free-flow .
Peaches, wash, dry, slice , apricots-wash, dry, halve etc. Cherries, wash, halve, remove stone, etc [these are YUMMY eaten frozen! ] I've frozen mixed bags of 'tropical' fruits. . washed and chopped pineapple, mango [plus smaller chopped fruits listed above] Strawbs. . wash, dry, hull, halve [if big] etc.
Passionfruit, drop them straight into snaplock bags. . I used to open them and freeze in icecubes, but don't bother anymore.
Rhubarb, wash and cut into pieces.
Grapes, wash, dry. . these don't freeze for a huge length of time [they go brown]. . but it's so good to suck on a frozen one!
What else? . . minds gone blank! lol

doug57, Feb 19, 6:37am
corn on the cob peel, cut into 3 [for a convenient size] and freeze on bp lined trays till frozen, then toss in snaplocks. . you'll like these in winter too!
tomatoes. . Freeze as is [after washing] in 400gm bags [thats a tin size! ]

summersunnz, Feb 19, 8:56am
Ditto Doug57!

elliehen, Feb 19, 10:08am
Someone, I think it was cookessentials, recommended just putting the fruit straight into the snaplock bags and going back every so often while they were in the process of freezing to thump them a bit and separate them... saved time.

doug57, Feb 19, 10:15am
wouldn't for me. . I have a large chest freezer downstairs . . when they are almost frozen I just fold the baking paper and slide them into a snaplock and spread the next layers of fruit out.
But everyone will get their own system sorted.
I know I'd have good intentions of 'thumping' the bags. . but reality would be a total mind blank and solid frozen lumps! lol

darlingmole, Aug 22, 7:15am
thanks doug ... I wasn't sure if freezing them "au naturale" was the way to go else was I meant to do something flasher with them (blanching or putting in syrup) so thanks very much for the simple advice ;-)

wheelz ... I've never owned an Edmonds cook book but thanks for the advice (often wonder if I should invest in one as many refer to it)