Berries are at peak production right now in Tassie and there’s an abundance of beautiful berries of all sorts – raspberries, blueberries, blackberries, and strawberries – in all our stores.

Fruit is cheapest and at its best at the peak of the season, so take the opportunity to put some berries away in the freezer for the colder months ahead.

But you can’t just bung a punnet into the freezer and hope they come out fine. Your berries might get freezer burn, solidify into one big block and then defrost to mush.  Here’s how to optimise your berries so they are in good shape up to six months later. You can freeze each variety separately or mix them up for a frozen berry combo – it’s up to you and how you’d like to use them when the time comes.

1. Wash your berries, making sure to pick out any that are spoiled, or over- or under-ripe.  Take off stalks and hull strawberries.
2. Place them on paper towel and pat dry, then change the paper towel and allow them to air dry for an hour or two to make sure they are nice and dry. This prevents freezer burn.
3. Line a shallow baking tray with baking paper and put in the berries in a single layer. Don’t pack them in too firmly as they may freeze together.
4. Place the tray in the freezer and let them freeze until solid – a few hours or overnight.  If you like, give the tray a bit of a shake after an hour or two to make sure the berries haven’t stuck together.
5. Tip the berries into Ziploc bags, squeezing out as much air as possible, and seal.
6.  Return them to the freezer laid flat.

When it’s time to use your berries, they should be free-flowing, and you should be able to take out a portion at a time and return the rest to the freezer.

Frozen berries need not be thawed before use, so go right ahead and add them to your smoothies, muffins, cakes and crumbles, straight from the freezer.

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