How to preserve cranberries for the winter: useful tips and recipes

Fruits and berries

Cranberries are an extremely healthy berry with a pleasant sour taste. It contains a lot of vitamin C, as well as minerals, iodine salts, pectin and tannins. Juices, jellies, jams, jams, compotes are prepared from this berry, and they are also ground with sugar and honey and frozen fresh. We will tell you in this article how to preserve cranberries for the winter and all the vitamins they contain.

How long can cranberries be stored?

At room temperature, ripe berries can last no more than 3 days.
Cranberries can be stored in the refrigerator in the fresh zone for up to 6 months.
Properly frozen berries can be stored in the freezer for up to 5 years.

Fresh cranberries

Fresh storage is the best option for those who do not want to lose a single drop of beneficial substances from the berries. And this is possible, because cranberries can be stored for 3-4 months if simple conditions are met. For this, it is better to take firm, slightly unripe berries. First you need to sort them out, remove spoiled berries, litter, twigs and grass.

The room allocated for storing cranberries must be dry. The temperature in it can fluctuate between +5°C… +8°C. A glazed loggia or balcony is quite suitable for these purposes.

Place paper on a flat surface (do not use newspapers or other printed materials). Place cranberries on it in a 1-2 cm layer.

Once every 5-7 days, the cranberries should be stirred and carefully inspected.

Frozen cranberries

Perhaps the easiest, fastest and least expensive way to preserve the benefits of berries is freezing. It is also better to take slightly unripe berries so that the cranberries do not lose their shape after defrosting.

Before freezing, sort out the berries, sort out spoiled or wrinkled ones, and remove forest debris.

Rinse, place in a thin layer on a kitchen towel or clean paper and let dry. If you freeze a wet berry, it will turn into a big lump.

Place the berries in bags. It is better to do this in portions, with the expectation of consumption at a time. Then put it in the freezer.

If only ripe berries are available, they can also be frozen, but it is better to do this in containers so as not to damage the cranberries.

The berries are stored well in the freezer for six months or more, but it should be taken into account that after defrosting they cannot be re-frozen.

Thawed cranberries are perfect for baking, jelly, sauces for meat and various fillings, for example, for pancakes.

How to select and prepare berries for storage

There are two harvest periods: at the beginning of autumn , when it is not fully ripe, and after the first frost - then the berries become as juicy as possible and contain the greatest amount of vitamins. The storage method will depend on the ripeness of the harvested berries, so check out each of the methods below.

For example, if you store berries frozen, then it is best to give preference to slightly unripe fruits: soft and ripe ones will significantly lose their taste after freezing.

Before storing, it is important to clean the product from small leaves and twigs that inevitably end up with the berries during picking.

The harvested crop must be prepared for saving. First, separate the crumpled or overripe berries: it is better to eat them immediately. Immature white specimens should not be used in preparations, because they will not bring any benefit and can spoil the taste.

Rinse the selected cranberries thoroughly, then dry naturally to remove excess moisture. After this, it is ready for further processing.

Dried cranberries

When dried, the berry also retains beneficial substances. You can dry it in several ways: in the oven, the traditional method or in a special dryer.

Oven dried cranberries

Sort the berries, remove any debris and spoiled cranberries. Wash the cranberries, then blanch. Remove with a strainer and let dry.

Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment and place in the oven. Dry at a temperature of 45 - 50 degrees. The process will work better if you open the oven door slightly.

Since the berries can be of different sizes, it is necessary to ensure that the smaller ones do not dry out and get them out in time.

A well-dried berry will be elastic, but not soft or sticky. There is no need to overdry until the cranberries break.

Traditional air drying

Sort the cranberries, wash and dry. Place in one layer on a horizontal surface covered with clean paper (can be on a tray). The drying place should be in the shade and with access to air.

The berries must be turned over every day. Drying small berries will take several days. As a result, they should shrink and become denser.

Cranberries in a special dryer

Place the sorted washed berries on the trays of the drying device and set the temperature specified in the instructions (usually 55 degrees).

It must be remembered that the lower floors dry out faster, so it is better to put large berries there or swap the racks during the drying process.

The period for drying berries varies and depends on the capabilities of the dryer.

You can store dried cranberries in clean glass jars, plastic containers or fabric bags. In the latter case, they should be kept in a room with minimal humidity so as not to spoil.

If the berries are dried correctly, they can be stored for one to three years.

Cranberries dried in an oven or dehydrator will taste better if they are first boiled in sugar syrup.

Method No. 7. Heat treatment

Processing through heat allows you to preserve most of the beneficial elements, since the cranberries are preserved in their juice. During the heating process, the temperature does not exceed 100 degrees.
The technology is not particularly difficult. Sort the fruits, rinse them with running water, and place them on a sieve. Wait for the moisture to drain, dry with napkins or towels.
Place the cranberries in an enamel thick-walled pan and place on the stove. Set the heat to the lowest setting and simmer until juice comes out from all the berries.
You cannot bring the composition until the first bubbles appear. Such a move will lead to a complete loss of vitamins. When the juice is washed out of the fruit, pour the mixture into sterilized jars.
Cover with lids, leaving small gaps. Prepare a water bath. Line a wide pan with a towel, place the jars inside, and fill with hot water up to the shoulders.
Pasteurize the cranberries in their own juice for about a quarter of an hour, then turn off the burner. Remove the cans with oven mitts and tighten them with a special key.
Wrap the containers in a sweatshirt, turn them upside down and wait until they cool completely. Store in the refrigerator or cellar for the winter and use as needed.

Soak the berries in sugar syrup or water, dry the cranberries or heat them to release the juice. Cranberries pureed into puree cope well with colds, fight vitamin deficiency in the off-season, and strengthen the immune system as a whole.

Dried cranberries

In order to wilt cranberries, dense, fleshy berries are suitable.

Sort the cranberries, wash and remove debris and spoiled berries.

Prepare syrup from sugar and water in a one to one ratio. After the syrup boils, it needs to be cooked for 2-3 minutes. Pour cranberries into the syrup - you need to take the same amount of berries as water. Boil the berries until they burst.

You can use the 2nd option - boil over low heat for 2 minutes, and then leave to cool for 3 hours. Then repeat the procedure. There should be three such cycles in total.

Strain the berries (you should not pour out the syrup from them - it can later be used in baking), place on a baking sheet covered with baking paper. Dried cranberries should be prepared in the same way as dried ones. Drying the berries will take 8–10 hours.

To prevent the berries from sticking together during storage, they can be lightly sprinkled with powdered sugar.

Dried cranberries are already a delicious dessert in themselves. In addition, you can use it to prepare drinks, sweet casseroles or porridges, filling for pies or baked goods.

Pickled cranberries

This storage method is not very popular nowadays, but it has a right to exist. You can soak cranberries in either regular water or sweet water.

To store cranberries in liquid, it is better to use a container from which it is convenient to remove the berries. These can be plastic containers, pans (if enamel is used, then its internal coating should not be damaged), glass jars.

Cranberries in plain water

Rinse the berries in cold water and place in a clean bowl. Water intended for storage must first be boiled for several minutes and cooled.

Pour cranberries completely to the top of the dish, close. Store in a cool place, maybe in the refrigerator.

In this state, cranberries will last until spring or even longer, retaining almost all the vitamins.

Water from a jar of pickled cranberries can also be used later, for example, for cosmetic purposes or just for drinking.

Cranberries in sweet water

The principle is the same as in the previous version, only sugar syrup is used for filling. It needs to be prepared in advance and cooled. You can add spices to the syrup: cinnamon and allspice. Proportions for syrup: for 2 kg of berries – 1 liter of water, 1 tbsp. sugar, 0.5 tsp. salt, spices - to taste.

If cranberries are stored in water for a long time, they may absorb liquid and expand slightly. The taste may also change - it will become less concentrated. However, the beneficial properties of the berry will remain.

Pickled cranberries are used to prepare the same dishes as frozen or grated with sugar.

Requirements for containers

For freezing berry preparations, two types of containers are used:

Plastic bags - it is advisable to purchase special freezing bags for these purposes. They have a dense structure and are therefore resistant to mechanical damage. They have a lock on the side for ease of use. It is not advisable to use this container for berries with a soft texture.
Plastic containers - choose containers that are resistant to low temperatures. The container must have an airtight lid. The containers are convenient to stack on a shelf and do not take up much space.

Cranberries with sugar

A simple and convenient way, especially for those with a sweet tooth.

Mix clean dry berries with sugar in equal proportions, then pass through a meat grinder. Transfer the mixture into clean, dry glass jars.

Close the jars with cranberries ground with sugar with a plastic lid and put them in the refrigerator. Since the berry is not subjected to heat treatment, it will retain vitamins well.

You can also place the pureed cranberries in plastic containers or bags and place them in the freezer.

This berry can be used in making desserts and fruit drinks, and also served with tea.

Other methods

Rubbed with sugar

Many housewives, in order to change the sour taste of the berry, rub it with sugar. Any child will love her this way. Fresh “jam” is suitable for any baking and making healthy drinks.

Grind the berries in the usual way (meat grinder, blender, food processor).
Add sugar to the paste. Keep the proportions 1:1 so that the berries do not ferment later.
Pour into small jars and seal tightly. Store in a cool place.

Dried

If there are no places where you can put a jar of cranberries, then dry them.

You can dry the berries without removing leaves and branches.
Place the harvest on large baking sheets lined with paper or cloth.
Dry only in a ventilated area, preferably outdoors (in the attic, on the balcony, under a canopy).
Can be dried in the oven at minimum temperature. Now some housewives have electric dryers, which are also convenient for making preparations.

Where should the dried product be stored? Usually glass, porcelain, and ceramic dishes are used for this. A wooden bag or sewn canvas bags are suitable and will fit comfortably in your closet. How long to store? This berry can provide you with useful substances for three years.

Canned

You can make jam, jams, compotes and other pickles from cranberries for the winter. In one of our articles, you were provided with a selection of recipes for making cranberry jam. It can be prepared:

from whole cranberries;
with lingonberries;
with oranges;
with pears and apples;
with walnuts;
in a slow cooker;
without cooking.

They also make compote from cranberries, which is stored for a long time along with jars of jam in the cellar, basement, or they can simply stand in your home in a cool place. This preparation involves the use of heat treatment, which results in the loss of some of the beneficial substances, but little children will appreciate the delicacy.

Candied cranberries

Candied fruits are similar to dried cranberries, but have their own differences. For candied fruits it is also better to take dense berries.

Ingredients

Cranberries – 1 kg
Sugar – 0.7 kg
Water – 200 ml
Lemon – ½

Preparation

Sort and wash the cranberries.

Prepare syrup from sugar and water, cook for 2-3 minutes.

Add berries to syrup. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium and simmer for 15 minutes. Turn off and allow to cool completely.

Bring to a boil again and cook for 10 minutes.

Squeeze the juice from the lemon and add to the berries. Set aside to cool slightly. Place in a sieve and let the liquid drain. There is no need to pour out the syrup - it can be used later, for example, to soak cakes.

Place the berries on a baking sheet in one layer. Place in the oven and dry at 40°C for about 3 hours.

You can store candied cranberries in a glass container, sprinkle them with a little powdered sugar.

Interesting facts about cranberries

The higher the acidity of the cranberries, the longer they will be stored.
You can also pick or buy slightly unripe berries - cranberries can ripen later. If for some reason you want to speed up the process, you can put a tomato or apple in a container with cranberries. The ethylene they release will affect the berries. However, we must remember that the best berries are those collected in late autumn, dark red or purple in color.
Cranberries are harvested several times a year. The first time was during the golden autumn. The second is before winter, when the temperature drops below zero and the first snow falls. The third is in the spring, after the snow has melted.
Cranberries are 90% water.
It prevents urinary tract infections, reduces the risk of cardiovascular diseases, slows the progression of malignant tumors, and improves vision.
Cranberries are rich in vitamin C, B, PP, K1, potassium, magnesium, iron, calcium and phosphorus, as well as fiber and antioxidants.
Regular consumption of cranberry juice or fruit drink relieves depression and stress.
One cup of fresh berries is equivalent to half a cup of dried cranberries.