Freezing fruit is a great way to preserve it for the colder months. Most fruit will last up to a year after freezing. Citrus fruit, however, only lasts up to four months in the freezer. Fruits can be frozen using several methods including dry pack, syrup pack, or sugar pack.
Freeze Fruit without Sugar
Dry pack freezing is when fruits are frozen without any syrup or sugar. Dry pack works well for certain fruits, but other fruits need syrup to maintain their color, texture and flavor. Dry pack freezing works well for berries, coconut, currants, melons, figs, pineapple, plums, and rhubarb. This method is usually preferred by those that do not want extra sugar added to their fruit. When using the dry pack method of freezing, allowing the fruits to freeze on a flat cookie sheet individually before placing them into a freezer container will prevent the fruits from sticking together.
Freeze Fruit with Syrup
Another way to freeze fruits is the syrup pack method. A syrup is prepared and poured over the fruit prior to freezing. Syrup pack freezing works well for apples, cherries, citrus fruit, grapes, peaches, apricots, nectarines, and pears. These fruits are best when frozen in syrup to protect to prevent oxidation and freezer burn. To syrup pack fruit, mix 2 1/2 cups of sugar with 5 cups of water or juice. Warm the syrup until the sugar is dissolved. Cool the syrup. Pack the fruit into a freezer container and pour the syrup over the fruit covering the fruit completely. There should be 1/2 inch of space left in the top of the freezer container to allow for expansion.
Freeze Fruit with Sugar
Some fruits, such as berries, cherries, coconut, currants, figs, pineapple, plums, and rhubarb can be coated in sugar, before freezing, to give them extra sweetness. Brown sugar or white sugar can be used for coating the berries.
Tips for Freezing Fruit
The container used when freezing fruits makes a big difference in the end result. Containers that allow oxygen to reach the fruit allow the fruit to become freezer burned or turn brown (oxidation). Vacuum packing fruits before freezing them extends the life of the fruits.
Attention cooks: beware of the dreaded freezer burn. Keep close track of what you have because you don't want to open up a meal for reheating only to discover that it is inedible.
If you're tired of one bad apple spoiling the whole bushel, consider learning how to freeze apples. That way, you can enjoy the fruit all year long.