How to properly freeze plums for the winter at home

In this article we will look at ways to freeze plums. This is very useful, because the fruit does not lose vitamins, and it can be used for various purposes.

Plum is a very healthy berry that contains a number of vitamins and microelements necessary for the body. Plums of almost all varieties are rich in pectin, organic acids, vitamin C, A, B1, B2, PP, etc. Also, plums have a diuretic and laxative effect.

In summer, of course, plums are enough, but in winter you can use plums to prepare various desserts and drinks. You can preserve the fruits, but it is worth remembering that during heat treatment the plum loses some beneficial properties. In this case, it is best to freeze the fruits.

Benefits of freezing plums: basic rules

Freezing has many benefits, such as:

• Maximum nutrients are retained
• Easy to prepare
• Minimizing time spent
• Almost anything can be made from frozen food, unlike canned plums. For example, puree, sauce, compote, jelly, etc.

Frozen plums
First of all, the fruits need to be sorted well, washed and dried. But in order for the plum to last as long as possible and not spoil, immediately after freezing you need to follow some simple rules:

1. Give preference to plum varieties in which the pit is easily separated from the pulp.
2. It is better to use the Hungarian variety, but round plums will also work.
3. Small plums are frozen with pits.
4. For compotes and jelly, you can use frozen plums in syrup.
5. You should not choose overripe fruits. The berry should be firm and ripe without damage or cracks.
6. Juicy plums are also not suitable for freezing.
7. Plums shouldn't be green.
8. It is best to think in advance what you will make from frozen plums. For example, if you cook compote, then you should sort the berries by 500 g per serving.
9. Frozen berries can be stored for up to 9 months only at -18°C.
10. To quickly figure out which plums you have prepared and why, you need to include a piece of paper with a description in the freezing bags.

Before freezing plums, you need to sort through and remove green, overripe, wormy and cracked fruits. You need to tear off the stem from the plum, then rinse it and put it in the refrigerator. Leave for 30 minutes and then dry. To speed up the process, you can use a paper towel.

Plums should be laid out in one layer so that the fruits do not get crushed. The bags need to be tied. And the next day, remove from the freezer and release all the air from the bags, this will keep the fruits longer. Before freezing the berries, you should taste them. If the plum has a reddish tint and is slightly juicy, then such fruits are excellent for freezing.

If the taste is tart and the consistency is grainy, then it is better not to use such a plum. If the plums are not quite ripe, then you can leave the picked fruits at room temperature for several days until they ripen.

Compound

Plum fruits contain proteins, carbohydrates, acids (citric and malic), as well as dietary fiber. Of the minerals, sodium, potassium, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, zinc, manganese, copper, chromium, fluorine, iodine, iron and cobalt are of particular value. Contains B vitamins, vitamins A, C, E and PP. The most interesting thing is that you can freeze plums without the risk of losing nutrients and nutrients.

Thanks to the inclusion of anthocyanins contained in the dark skin, the fruit is an excellent product to neutralize free radicals. Quercecin, which is abundant in plums, is responsible for removing unnecessary cholesterol.

The kernel of the seed contains oil, which is widely used for the preparation of medicinal preparations and cosmetics.

How to freeze pitted plums: recipe

Freezing pitted plums is very easy. To do this, you need to choose a plum variety whose pit is easy to get, then prepare the fruit for freezing, sort, rinse and divide into 2 parts. After this, you can cut the fruits into 2-4 parts, but you can also freeze half.

• Large fruits are best, fleshy, but with a small amount of juice so that the frozen berries do not stick together. If you freeze plums in slices or small cubes, then in this case you need to choose very hard fruits so that when cutting, the plum does not turn into mush.
• The slices can be placed on a tray and left in the freezer for only 2 hours, but first they need to be thoroughly dried on a cloth or paper towel.
• It is worth freezing completely dry fruits. Place the prepared plums on a board or baking sheet lined with cling film and place in the freezer overnight. It is worth laying out so that the fruits do not touch each other. If you can’t wait that long, it’s enough to leave it for 4 hours.
• After this procedure, place the plum in a bag or special container. This plum is perfect for making pies, jellies and other desserts. If you plan to make sauce from frozen plums, it is best to prepare the fruits without peel.

Before freezing plums, you need to blanch.
To remove the skin from plums, you should perform the blanching process, for this you need:

1. Rinse the fruit
2. Make a cross-shaped cut at the base of the plum
3. Place in boiling water for 5 seconds. To do this you need a colander
4. Next, dip the plums in ice water. You can even add a few ice cubes
5. Afterwards, remove the skin
6. Remove pits and cut plums
7. Carry out the pre-freezing process
8. And sort into packages

We further sort the frozen plums.
After you have put the workpiece into bags or containers, you should not freeze the plums again. It may deteriorate or stick together. Therefore, it is very important to sort the sliced ​​plums into portions.

Selection and preparation of raw materials

For freezing, they use the harvest of any variety of crop, including cherry plum, and varieties that differ in color and shape - the usual blue and purple, burgundy and yellow, oblong and round fruits. Fresh fruits are best: firm to the touch, free of damage, dents and putrid spots. When choosing fruits for harvesting, you need to take into account their ripening time and degree of ripeness.

To ensure that whole plums or slices keep their shape better, choose slightly unripe or ripe fruits that have dense pulp, for example, such as “Hungarian” (“ugler”)

Frozen semi-finished product from overripe and slightly spoiled fruits can be used to prepare compotes and sauces, jams and marmalade.

Preparation of raw materials comes down to removing the stalks, sorting, washing and drying. The fruits are placed in a basin with running water and washed thoroughly. Clean fruits are removed into a colander. After the water has drained, place them on a tray or baking sheet lined with a thick paper towel. The fruits are placed in one layer at a short distance from each other and allowed to dry well for half an hour. If desired, the fruits are pitted by pushing them out with a stick or removing them from the cut halves - depending on how well they are separated. After this you can start freezing.

How to freeze plums in sugar: recipe

You can prepare plums for compote and desserts directly with sugar or in sugar syrup. The principle of freezing is the same. You should immediately prepare the fruits, separate the seeds and dry them.

The method of freezing plums with sugar is suitable even for ripe and juicy plums. But due to the abundance of juice, the plum should not be cut into small slices, it is best only into 2 parts.

• Sprinkle a little sugar on the bottom of the container, then place the prepared fruits cut side up and sprinkle with sugar. And so create a couple more layers.
• This method is only suitable for those who have a sweet tooth. In addition to compote, plums in sugar can be added to pies, and to create various cocktails and jellies.

Preparing plums for freezing
There is another way to freeze plums with sugar:

• Prepare the fruits
• In a deep container, mix granulated sugar and plums in a ratio of 1:5
• Place the workpiece in containers or special bags

What can you cook from it?

What can be made from plums frozen for the winter? In fact, the range of dishes where frozen plums can be used is large. Freezing can subsequently be used in the preparation of baked goods, cereals, desserts, smoothies, cocktails, decorating cakes and salads. Drinks also include fruit drinks, jelly and compotes. Real gourmets can even add plums to pizza and sauce.

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How to freeze plums in syrup: recipe

A more time-consuming method of freezing is plums in syrup . Despite this, the fruits are incredibly tasty and are great for creating any desserts. They taste a little like canned plums and are great for vanilla ice cream with whipped cream.

In order to freeze plums in syrup, you first need to prepare the plum:

1. Rinse and sort
2. Peel using the blanching method if the peel is thick
3. Remove pit
4. And cut into quarters or wedges if desired.

To prevent plums from losing their color, the prepared fruits should be sprinkled with lemon juice. This method is good because the shelf life of plums increases to 12 months.

Cooking plums in syrup

Next, you need to prepare the syrup, it comes in different types:

• Light syrup . Heat 700 ml of water, add 200 g of sugar. Stir well to dissolve the sugar and cool the syrup slightly.
• Thick. For 700 ml of water you need to take 400 g of sugar.
• Fruit syrup. To do this, you need to take plum, grape or apple juice, preferably natural. It needs to be slightly heated and poured over the prepared plums.

Any syrup must be completely poured over the fruit in the bag or container. The plums in syrup need to be kept in the refrigerator for several hours, and then placed in the freezer.

If you need to defrost plums in syrup, you should remove the bag from the freezer and leave it to defrost in the refrigerator or on the kitchen counter. Do not put the bag of plums in hot water, as this will spoil the consistency of the fruit. Immediately frozen plums can only be added to compotes.

Individual approach

All berries are good in their own way, and each of them requires a specific approach. The following recommendations will help you avoid mistakes and perform freezing efficiently:

How to freeze whole plums for the winter?

In order for plums to please you in winter, you should choose only ripe, juicy and intact fruits. It’s worth remembering here that the tastier the plum, the better, it will be the same after freezing. Therefore, you need to choose fruits carefully; not quite ripe fruits are not suitable; in this case, they should be left to ripen for several days.

• To freeze a whole plum, you need to rinse it well and dry it on a towel. Place on a baking sheet or board and place in the freezer overnight.
• Next, the fruits are placed in bags and all air is removed using a vacuum pump or tube. This way the plums won't stick together and take up little space in the freezer.

Freezing whole plums
Whole frozen plums are suitable not only for compotes, but also serve as a separate dessert. The main thing is to choose really tasty fruits, otherwise it will be too sour.

Benefits of fruit for men

The benefits of plums for the human body will be invaluable, and especially for the male half of humanity.

At the same time, traditional healers pay special attention to this fruit; they use everything:

• flowers for decoction;
• bark and branches for decoction;
• plum juice;
• infusion of flowers and leaves;
• plum resin.

Plum compote

A decoction of the bark or flowers can cure the male population of the country from constipation, relieve inflammation and help improve expectoration.

The juice can be used for colds, and infusions can be used for inflammation in the bladder or baldness, which often affects older men. Plum resin should also not be thrown away, because it will relieve acne and atopic dermatitis .

For those men who are very tired at work and often find themselves in stressful situations, plum leaf tea is ideal.

This healing drink has:

• sedative effect;
• calming effect;
• relaxing effect;
• ability to relieve stress.

Plum pits also contain vitamins, but excessive consumption is harmful to the stomach.

The seeds extracted from ripe fruit are incredibly useful, since tincture from them will lead to a cure for chronic bronchitis, oncology and obsessive cough.

However, the seeds should be treated with extreme caution, since they contain a harmful substance - amygdalin, which destroys the walls of the gastrointestinal tract. That is why it is strictly not recommended to roll compotes and jam from plums that are not freed from bones.

At the same time, seeds can be antioxidants and significantly strengthen people's immunity when used correctly, although there is still debate about this.

How to freeze plums as puree: recipe

Plum puree is an excellent filling for pies, pancakes, various pastries; this puree can be poured over ice cream or cottage cheese casseroles. To prepare plum mass, you need to choose ripe and very sweet fruits, then the puree will turn out excellent. Of course, the plum needs to be washed and peeled, and the core removed.

• Grind the fruits using a blender and sprinkle with sugar or powdered sugar, per 1 kg of fruit - 400 g of sugar or 600 g of powder. Pour this mixture into a container and leave it in the freezer.
• You should defrost gradually, in the refrigerator, on the kitchen counter or under cold water.
• Sometimes the finished mass is boiled, but this is not at all necessary. Also, instead of sugar, you can use syrup (thick or fruity).

IMPORTANT: Jams, jams and other homemade preparations are certainly good for preserving summer fruits, but it is worth remembering that during heat treatment all the taste of the fruit is lost. Therefore, many housewives prefer frozen fruits and vegetables.

Frozen plum puree
Freezing is a very quick and reliable way to preserve summer fruits for winter. Before you start harvesting plums for the winter, you need to prepare a place in the freezer, because fruits should be stored separately from meat and fish products. It is best to have a separate compartment for frozen fruit.

What container will be needed?

To keep fruits for a long time, you need to choose the right packaging. Suitable:

• containers, plastic trays that close tightly;
• tin products;
• ice trays;
• paper boxes;
• cut plastic bottles;
• plastic bags;
• food parchment, film and foil.

Wise housewives do not use ordinary PVC bags for freezing, but special ones. After all, they are durable and have fasteners. They are reusable, making it convenient to remove small amounts of frozen food from them.

Non-food and garbage bags, fabric bags, and wrapping paper are not suitable for storing food in the freezer.

The nutritional value

Regardless of the variety, the nutritional value of most plums is, if not identical, very similar. Although the calorie content of these fruits varies between 80-120 kcal.

Plums, like other fruits, are a natural multivitamin. They contain vitamins B, C, A, E, K. Scientists found calcium, potassium, iron, phosphorus, magnesium, polyphenols, and fiber in plums. Due to their richness of nutrients, they should appear in the diet of adults and children in any form: fresh, dried, frozen, in the form of compotes and jams.