Pick, freeze and enjoy!
Summer and autumn are heaven for avid berry and mushroom pickers. If you are not so keen on going to the forest, your local market will do just fine. Get all those wonderful flavours and vitamins stored in your freezer.
Berries
You can freeze whole blueberries, lingonberries and cranberries without sugar. Softer berries like strawberries, raspberries and cloudberries require some sugar, about 0,5–1 dl per litre. This way their flavour, vitamin C and structure will stay better. Of course you can also make slices, mush, jam or juice!
Apples, plums and cherries
You can slice or grate the apples. To avoid them getting dark, sprinkle some sugar and lemon juice on top. Plums and cherries will stay better in sugar juice with some additional ascorbic acid.
Mushrooms
Chantarelles, boletes, brittlegills and other mild mushrooms are heated in their own juices before freezing. Milkcaps should be cooked in loose water, rinsed and drained. Penny buns can be frozen raw.
Vegetables
Almost all vegetables can be frozen. However, most of them should be pre-boiled, so their flavour and structure will stay better. Rhubarb, pepper and leek don't need heating. Just chop and freeze them.
Herbs
Parsley, dill and many other herbs can also be frozen as they are.
Tips for picking berries:
- Pick only ripe berries in dry weather
- Don't pick from the side of roads or near industrial sites
- Use a bucket
- If you use a berry picker, don't use force and don't harm the next year's buds.
- Store berries in a cool place and freeze them as soon as possible
