How to freeze raspberries whole

Raspberries are fantastic to grow in the garden or allotment. You can get great crops from the raspberry canes that you have growing. There are two types of raspberries that you can grow – Summer Raspberries and Autumn Raspberries. Obviously, they grow in those seasons. Summer Raspberries grow on the previous year’s plant whereas in Autumn you prune back to the ground each year. Unfortunately, raspberries do not last long once picked so you need to freeze them. Here we will tell you how to freeze raspberries whole.

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How to freeze raspberries whole

Raspberries need to be frozen if you are not eating them that day when you pick them as they do not last long at all. They do not have all the preservatives on them which they will have been sprayed on in the shops. Freezing raspberries whole is an easy process and will not take you long. It is better to freeze the raspberries rather than waste and loose them.

The best thing about storing raspberries in the freezer is that you can store the raspberries up to 12 months in the freezer and use them as and when you want. You can add the raspberries to your smoothies (frozen) use them in pies, baking or just eat them as they are once they have thawed. If you freeze raspberries they will keep there red colour, taste, nutrients. The only thing that will deteriorate is the texture. When freezing raspberries pick them when they are just ripe – do not pick them when they are unripe or when they have gone past the ripeness and are squishy.

If you don’t want to freeze raspberries you can always dehydrate them or can the raspberries up.

Step by step process to freezing raspberries

1. Wash your raspberries in a clean bowl ( or rinse them). Do not leave the raspberries soak in the water.
2. Put your raspberries in a colander give them a shake to let any excess water come off them. Leave them to dry.
3. Put a piece of baking paper on a baking tray and arrange your raspberries out on them. Make sure they are not touching. Discard any raspberries that do not look very good.
4. Place your tray of raspberries in the freezer to freeze. This process should take around half an hour.
5. Once they are frozen you can put them in a plastic container or a sandwich bag. Write on them the date you put in the freezer.
6. Place the plastic tub or sandwich bag back in the freezer until you require them.
7. When you are thawing the raspberries you can either put them in the fridge – this will take around 12 hours to thaw fully, or you can leave them on the side board for a couple of hours and they will be ready to eat or use. Do not thaw the raspberries in the microwave as this will make the raspberries soft and the texture not as good.

We hope you have found these tips useful for freezing and thawing raspberries. You can always have frozen raspberries in your smoothie or even in your cereal – just grab a few out everyday. You could have raspberries all the way through to the year after. It will save you lots of money not purchasing raspberries from the shops.

You can find lots more tips and advice on fruit and vegetables here