7 Best Ways to Freeze Currants at Home

The question of how to freeze currants for the winter isn't limited to berry lovers. During the season, the fruit is preserved in various ways, including compotes and jams. But currants retain their excellent flavor in any form, even frozen. Frozen currants retain some beneficial vitamins and minerals. There are several ways to preserve the berries frozen and use them throughout the winter.

Can currants be frozen for the winter?

Yes, you can. The berries will keep for a long time in the freezer. If you blast freeze them, or expose them to high temperatures, most of their beneficial properties will be preserved.

This type of preservation is preferable to thermal preservation, since during the cooking process, currants lose all their beneficial substances and elements.

Are frozen currants healthy?

The benefits of the product are as follows:

1. Helps strengthen the immune system and saturate the body with useful substances.
2. It is rich in flavonoids, which means it reduces the risk of developing viral and cold diseases.

Frozen currants can be used as a standalone product, or they can be used to prepare delicious and healthy desserts.

Selecting and preparing black and red currants

You can freeze currants of any color: white, red, black, provided that they meet the following characteristics:

• preference is given to fruits that have not reached full ripeness; overripe fruits are not frozen;
• currants must be fresh, without signs of mold, rot, or inclusions - such fruits are not suitable for freezing;
• Before placing a product in the freezer, it must be prepared for freezing: washed, sorted, and inspected.

Options for storing berries in the freezer

At home, housewives store and freeze berries in food-grade plastic containers. Alternatively, you can use other suitable containers or plastic bags.

Tip: It is important to ensure that the freezer temperature remains stable to prevent product spoilage.

Dry freezing method

It consists of the following:

1. We will sort the berries, remove debris, spoiled fruits, and cut off the stems.
2. Rinse under running water and place the fruit in a colander to drain.
3. Then the currants are dried with a towel and left to sit for a while.
4. Place on a baking sheet and put in the freezer.
5. After 15 minutes, pack into containers or bags.

Freezing currant puree

This product can be stored in the refrigerator, but not for long, up to 14 days. How to prepare:

• We wash the berries, dry them, sort them and remove the stems and twigs;
• We put them in a bowl and use a blender to turn them into a puree; you can also use a meat grinder for this purpose;
• Let the mixture sit for a bit, then put it into containers and put it in the freezer.

With twigs

This product is suitable for making compotes; you will need to do the following:

1. The berries are inspected along with the branches and any damaged ones are removed.
2. Rinse and dry until the water drains completely.
3. Place into containers and place in the freezer for long-term storage.
4. You need to put the berries in containers, keep them in the refrigerator for 15 minutes, and then freeze them.

Currant juice

We will create the preparation following the following recipe:

• We put the berries through a juicer, squeeze out the juice, and remove the pulp;
• pour the juice into plastic cups and cover them with cling film;
• We send the cups to the freezer.

Currants, ground with sugar

A simple method of preservation, we will do the following:

1. Let's sort through the fruits and remove any spoiled or rotten ones.
2. Let's rinse them under running water and dry them.
3. Place in a suitable container and add sugar in a 1:1 ratio.
4. Grind using a blender, masher or meat grinder with a fine sieve.
5. Let the puree sit for a bit, mix everything with a wooden spoon, put it into containers, and put it in the freezer.

Preparation for winter drinks

You can freeze currants and add them to compotes and teas to give the drinks a pleasant taste and aroma.

The pulp that remains after making juice is often frozen; it can also be added to compote, along with additional ingredients such as fruits and berries.

Another way to create a drink blank:

• juice is squeezed out of the currants or they are simply crushed with a pestle to obtain a homogeneous mass;
• then the mixture is placed into containers; it is not necessary to prepare a puree, it is enough to crush the fruits to obtain juice;
• The pulp is not squeezed out; everything is packaged into cups or containers and sent for storage in the freezer.

Blackcurrant smoothie with milk

There are various recipes for this dish, I suggest using the following:

1. We will use frozen currants, you will need about 100 grams.
2. Pour honey or syrup over the berries and let them sit for a bit.
3. Add ice cream, 100 grams of vanilla.
4. Beat everything with a blender until you get a homogeneous, thick mass.
5. If you plan to drink the smoothie, add milk and mix everything again.

Storage life

Frozen currants can be stored for up to one year. There are no strict shelf life restrictions. If currants are stored longer without being defrosted, they will be fine.

Rules for defrosting and further use

To properly defrost the fruit, do it gradually, not abruptly. Don't defrost the berries completely, otherwise they will turn into jelly and be suitable only for making compote.

Don't immerse currants in warm water. After removing them from the freezer, leave them in the refrigerator, monitoring the berries.

Frozen currants are no less tasty and nutritious than fresh ones. They can be used to create a variety of dishes, including sweet and savory desserts.