Freezing & Canning

Calendar

March '10
S	M	T	W	T	F	S
	1	2	3	4	5	6
7	8	9	10	11	12	13
14	15	16	17	18	19	20
21	22	23	24	25	26	27
28	29	30	31

Freezing & Canning

Freezing

    Freeze blueberries without washing. When washed before freezing, blueberry skins become tough. To freeze, remove stems and trash, package tightly in freezer bags or containers or glass jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Seal airtight and freeze. Remove from freezer, rinse in cold water and use immediately.
    Use frozen berries directly from the freezer. There's no need to thaw them if you use them in baked products, except for pancakes. Pancakes may not cook thoroughly in the center if the berries are frozen. Microwave the amount you need for a few seconds to thaw.

Canning

    To have canned, whole blueberries with best texture and flavor for use like fresh in muffins, pies, cakes, etc., blanch them before packing in jars. Work with only 2 or 3 quarts at a time.
    Sort, wash and stem. Put berries in a single layer of cheesecloth or thin, white cloth about 20 inches square. Hold cloth by corners and dip berries in a kettle of boiling water. Hold for about 30 seconds or until juice spots show on the cloth. (You could also use a blanching basket.) Put the bundle in cold water immediately to cool the berries. Drain. Fill hot jars wo within 1/2 inch of top, shaking to pack berries. Do not add water or sweetening. Adjust lids and process in boiling water bath canner 15 minutes for pints, 20 minutes for quarts.
    For fair exhibits, use syrup pack. Fill jars with blanched berries, cover with hot, light syrup (1 cup sugar to cups water), seal and process as above.

Last Modified: April 1, 2009