Freezing Raspberries

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Tips on how to freeze freshly picked raspberries. Extend your raspberry season by freezing raspberries to use all year long.

We grow raspberries in two different patches and we get a lot of raspberries.  We eat a ton, make them into yummy desserts and jams and then freeze whatever we have left.  We munch on these frozen raspberries throughout the rest of the year.

They are so delightful in the middle of winter…they just give me a little reminder that summer will come again. Knowing the proper method for freezing raspberries is key to being able to enjoy them year round.

Frozen raspberries can be eaten frozen as a snack, added to oatmeal or other cereals, or used for baking.  I rarely thaw my berries before using.  I just throw them in frozen. A few of my favorites are raspberry muffins, raspberry turnovers, raspberry brownies, raspberry coffee cake and raspberry sweet rolls.

Once the raspberries start to ripen, I have to pick every other day.  Otherwise I have overripe berries.  I try to pick first thing in the morning for two reasons.

First, it’s cool and I don’t like the hot and second, the berries aren’t as mushy when they are cooler.

Do I need to wash my raspberries?

I never wash my raspberries.  They tend to  absorb a lot of water and can become mushy.

We don’t use any sort of sprays in our garden so I don’t worry about having to remove any sort of herbicide or pesticide. Our garden also doesn’t get a lot of dust.

I do get the occasional bug or leaf on my raspberries.  I just simply remove those by hand.

Any bug left is going to be small and will freeze right along with the berries.  Okay, this can seem gross, but I just don’t worry about them.  They are all part of an organic garden.

The berries then get spread out on a cookie sheet, one layer thick and placed in the freezer.  This allows the berries to freeze individually and not one big solid mass.

I love adding frozen raspberries to smoothies too!

Once my berries are frozen, I scoop them up into freezer bags.  I don’t worry if they aren’t all the way full.  You could also store your frozen berries in vacuum sealed bags.

Frozen berries are best stored in a deep freeze freezer, one without an auto-defrost. 

How long will frozen raspberries last?

Raspberries will last up to one in year in a deep freezer. 

Can I freeze other fruit using this same method?

Yes! I often freeze blackberries and blueberries using this same technique. 

Don’t forget to PIN for later!

If you grow your own raspberries, you might want to read How to Prune Raspberries. 

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