In many parts of the country it's still berry-pickin' season. Even if that's not the case for your area, this tip works great for saving those few berries left in the container before they go bad (as if there would ever be leftover berries), or berries purchased marked down as they reach their peak freshness.
I used to pour all my berries in a cleaned up ice cream pail right after rinsing, but I found that berries have less chance of freezer burn, are less damaged, are prettier and easier to measure when I use these simple steps.
- Rinse your berries in small quantities in a colander. Large quantities will cause damage to the berries at the bottom.
- Allow your berries to dry on a absorbant towel. I use a cheesecloth. (I use this method to get out the resulting stains.)
- Spread berries evenly in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet.
- Place in the freezer for approximately one hour until mostly frozen.
- Place in a freezer storage bag or container. Do not over stuff the container.
Whenever I have a few berries leftover from a recipe I freeze them on a sheet pan and add them to a bag of berries of all types. I end up with a nice container of mixed berries for later.
Do you ever have leftover berries, or do they disappear before you've had a chance to eat even one?
This is how I freeze leftover berries, too! Except that I don't let mine dry before sticking them in the freezer, and they seem to do okay. I think the key is to freeze them separately before piling them together in the bag, as you say.
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