Freezing Raspberries
Raspberries have such an incredibly short season. Freezing raspberries is a great way to preserve this fruit for use all year.
If you have raspberry bushes you know that you can have bushels of raspberries done at the same time time in June or July. Since they have such a short shelf life, usually only a day or two at the most, it’s best to pick them and then use them immediately.
In the summer when everything gets ripe at the same time, it’s hard to find the time to make jams, jellies, BBQ sauces, canned raspberries, cakes, cookies and all of those things that take a lot of time.
If you freeze them after picking, you can do all of those fun recipes in the winter, which is my preferred time to can. It isn’t so hot and it’s nice to warm up the house with the canning pot.
There’s the added bonus of smelling the fresh fruit smells of a summer long gone.
How to plant raspberries
Raspberries are an easy plant to grow. We suggest buying 1-2 year old canes. The year after planting you should be able to pick berries.
We prefer buying everbearing varieties that are super hardy in our area. That way we have less dieback in the winter. Everbearing varieties will bear fruit in late July and early August and then from late August through most of September. The roots are perennial so put them in an area that will not need to be tilled or disturbed.
The canes (stems) last for two years. Raspberries have two types of canes (stems). The green canes (primocanes), usually on the outside of the plant, are vegetative the first year. Meaning that they do not generally produce fruit.
The second year, the primocanes will turn brown with bark on the outside. These are called the floricanes that will produce fruit.
They require full sun to fruit to their potential. The flowers are pollinated by bees. We place ours in raised beds.
Amend the soil with a good compost. Plant 18-24″ apart. Water immediately after planting. Mulch the soil around the plants with wood mulch or a thick layer of straw to deter weeds.
Support plants with stakes, as this article explains.
Prune out the the floricanes (the brown canes) after your last harvest in September/ October for everbearing varieties. In the spring, thin out the primocanes and prune out dead wood from the winter.
Certain varieties of raspberries can be susceptible to some viruses, bacterial diseases or fungi. Contact your local agricultural college or extension service to help with identification. Buy resistant varieties to avoid this.
What you need
For this recipe all you need is fresh raspberries. Try to find organic berries, if you grow them yourself, chances are they are organic because they aren’t really susceptible to many insects, only a couple.
How to freeze raspberries
It’s important to freeze raspberries as soon as you can after picking. Try to freeze them the same day for best results. If not freeze the next day, for sure. This method is called dry pack.
Note: If you have your own organic berry patch, you really do not need to rinse them off. They actually freeze out better when they aren’t rinsed off.
Step One
Gently pour berries into a colander or salad spinner.
Step Two
Using a gentle stream, rinse berries off with cold water.
Step Three
If using a colander, allow them to drain for a few minutes. Then lay them on paper towels. To remove excess moisture.
If using a salad spinner, spin them just a couple times slowly to remove some of the excess water.
Step Four
Line a rimmed cookie sheet or tray with parchment paper.
Step Five
Spread berries out into a single layer. Try to position them so that they are not touching.
Step Six
Freeze berries for a couple hours until they are firm to the touch.
Step Seven
Gather up the edges of the parchment paper between your fingers to form a makeshift funnel.
Step Seven
Pour berries into a freezer container.
If using freezer bags, use your canning funnel to direct them into the bag.
Remove as much air from the bag as you can. Seal bag. Label with the contents, quantity and date. Return to the freezer.
How to freeze with a sugar pack
Pour fruit into a medium bowl. Sugar pack is simply adding ¾ cup (150g) of sugar to 1 quart of fruit. Stir gently until sugar is dissolved.
Pack into bags. Remove as much air as possible. Date and label bag. Freeze.
How to freeze with syrup pack
You can also freeze raspberries with a syrup pack. Make a 40% (medium) sugar syrup. This is 3¼ cups (650g) sugar to 5 cups (1250 ml) water.
How to freeze purée or juice
Rinse and drain berries as in the above steps one, two and three above.
Place berries in food processor or blender. Pulse until you have a purée. If you’d like seedless juice, pour juice into a fine mesh strainer to separate seeds.
Mark quantity, contents and date on your bags. Pour juice into freezer bags and freeze juice.
Seedless juice is great for making seedless raspberry jam.
How long will frozen berries last?
Frozen berries will last at least a year. We usually use them in the winter to make baked goods or jam, jellies, etc.
How to use frozen berries
Frozen fruit will definitely lose their texture but they still have lots of uses.
You can use them thawed or frozen. Frozen ones are great for many recipes.
- For any baked goods that will go into the oven, only use frozen berries. If you thaw them first, they will change the moisture content of your batter or dough so that it may not rise.
- cakes, cookies, muffins, quick bread
- waffles and pancakes
- smoothies – just pop them into your blender
- jams and jellies
How to use them thawed
To thaw berries, place them in a bowl and thaw in the refrigerator. If you are in a hurry, thaw them in the microwave for about one minute. Then break them apart and thaw more, if required.
- drizzle them in yogurt
- top ice cream
- drizzle on top of cakes, especially pound cake
- use them to make a raspberry sauce
- make raspberry syrup
- jams and jellies
Helpful tools
More raspberry recipes
More recipes for freezing produce
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I hope you enjoyed the recipe today.
Enjoy. And have fun cooking!
Freezing Raspberries
Ingredients
- 1 quart fresh raspberries
Instructions
To freeze raspberries whole
- Place berries in a strainer and rinse with cold water. Let water drain in colander or use your salad spinner to rinse and gently spin the water from the berries.1 quart fresh raspberries
- Line a rimmed baking tray with parchment paper. Place berries on parchment. Don’t let them touch. Freeze
- Once frozen, pick up parchment on both long sides and fold in half to move berries to the middle for easy pouring.
- Label and date bags. Pour them into a freezer bag or container and get them back into the freezer as fast as you can. That way the berries will be separated and you can grab how ever many you need for your recipe.
To freeze purée or juice
- Place berries in a strainer and rinse with cold water. Let drain.
- Add berries to food processer.
- Blend until all chunks are removed. If you would like seedless juice, strain through a fine mesh sieve. Add cheesecloth, if you don’t have a sieve that is very fine mesh.
- Label and date your bags. Pour the purée, with the aid of your canning funnel into freezer bags.
- It’s a good idea to measure the purée so that you can take out the proper quantity for your recipe.
See all of my favorite tools and gift ideas on my New Amazon Store!Check out Binky’s Amazon Store!Notes
USES FOR FROZEN BERRIES
- pie filling – use the juice instead of water for your pie filling to make it extra berry tasting.
- smoothies
- frozen drinks, like daiquiris and margaritas
- jams and jellies
- desserts
Nutrition
Originally published July 22, 2022.
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Great information. Also freeze stawberries with sugar sprinkled over them.
We love strawberries with sugar!