I’m pretending like it’s July. That’s right. Today’s not August 8th, it’s July 8th – in my head, anyway. I can’t deal with summer coming to a quick end. I don’t want fall and winter, snow and ice, cold and clouds. I just … I can’t.
Summer is EVERYTHING. It’s happiness and sunshine and butterflies … literally. I’m soaking up every moment of the weather and the food. Definitely the food.
My kitchen is loaded with so many fruits and vegetables you probably wouldn’t even believe it. I went crazy and bought about twenty peaches and nectarines at the market this week. Along with a couple boxes from Costco. I’ve gone peach crazy.
And cherry crazy with the at least five pounds I buy every week. And the four or so pounds of blueberries. I’m pretty sure 90% of my summer diet is fruit. And I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have it any other way.
I’ve already showed you how I make summer last all winter by freezing peaches and cherries. Those have been super popular posts, so I figured you would all like to check out how I freeze blueberries.
It’s super simple. First wash the blueberries well. I even rinse them with a little vinegar to kill any surface bacteria that could lead to molding. Be sure to rinse the vinegar off very well! And make sure there is no sand left on the blueberries too. For some reason I find there is a lot of sand on blueberries.
Then I dry them as well as possible. They don’t have to be perfect. Then place them in an even layer on a baking tray. It’s okay if they are touching, but try not to overcrowd the pan too much.
Place the tray in the freezer until the berries are solid, at least 4 hours and up to overnight. Remove the tray from the freezer and bang it carefully on the counter a couple times to release the berries. Place them in a zipper bag (I like to double bag them) and freeze for up to 1 year … until blueberries are back in season.
I sometimes snack on them frozen, leave them out for about 30 minutes to thaw some, or place them in the microwave for about a minute to thaw completely. They are an excellent reminder of summer when it’s snowy and cold outside! I hope you try my method!
Don’t forget to check out the other Sunday Supper dishes!
Canning
- Blackberry Chia Seed Jam from Books -n- Cooks
- Cherry Lemon Jam from Food Lust People Love
- Chocolate Blackberry Preserves from The Redhead Baker
- Gilded Bluebarb Jam from What Smells So Good?
- Hamburger Dill Chips from A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Piri Piri Hot Sauce from Curious Cuisiniere
- Southwestern Salsa from The Freshman Cook
- Spiced Peach Jam from Cosmopolitan Cornbread
- Spiced Vanilla Rhubarb Jam from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
- Strawberry Balsamic Syrup from Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
- Watermelon Butter from Palatable Pastime
Dehydrating
- Blueberry Peach Fruit Roll-Ups from Cupcakes & Kale Chips
- Dried Pineapple from Take A Bite Out of Boca
Fermentation
- Fermented Spicy Daikon Spears + A Cocktail from Culinary Adventures with Camilla
- Simple Pickled Cabbage from Simply Healthy Family
Freezing
- How to Freeze Blueberries from Pies and Plots
- Peach Crisp from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
- Roast Tomato Soup with Basil-Butter Croutons from Caroline’s Cooking
- Summer Veggies from Momma’s Meals
Infusing
- Raspberry Vinegar from Magnolia Days
Pickling
- Black Radish Pickles from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
- Bread & Butter Pickles from Adventures in All Things Food
- Homemade Bread and Butter Pickles from Life Tastes Good
- Mustard Pickles from Jane’s Adventures in Dinner
- Pickled Cherries with Five Spices from Nosh My Way
Preserving in oil or butter
- Garden Herb Butter from An Appealing Plan
- Spinach and Pistachio Pesto from Bobbi’s Kozy Kitchen
And for even more help and support
- 5 Food Preservation Tips from Sunday Supper Movement
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I will have to try your method. I’ve had mixed results when I’ve tried it before. I do like how you rinse them with vinegar to eliminate any surface mold.
I’ve done this for years and it works really well. I rinse all berries with vinegar – it really helps.
I need to add a stash of blueberries to my freezer. A blueberry pie in January would be wonderful (I’m SO with you about not being ready for winter!!!).
There are also really good blueberries available from Chile all winter long. I can’t resist them!
What a fabulous idea! Who wouldn’t want blueberries come January!?
I’ve picked them in years past and had great luck freezing them with your method.
I think you and I have roughly the same number of peaches in our kitchens.
And thank goodness for frozen blueberries! It brings a little summer into my house year-round.
Berries are so easy to buy when they are inexpensive and in season, freeze and enjoy all winter long. Thanks for the vinegar tip. I have never done that but it makes complete sense.
Love the vinegar tip! I eat blueberries when ever I can!
Yup! That’s exactly what I do!
No need to mess with a method that works 😉