The velvet season of ripening and traditional storage of grape bunches is very short, but you want to feast on sweet berries all year round. Of course, in modern supermarkets you can buy grapes grown in greenhouses or brought from other countries, but in terms of taste and amount of nutrients they will be much inferior to local varieties grown in open ground and berries ripened in the sun. Properly refrigerated berries are 90% identical in content of nutrients to freshly picked grapes. That is why the question of how to freeze grapes for the winter is relevant in the autumn for everyone who wants to extend the opportunity to enjoy natural products not only during the harvest.
Is it possible to freeze grapes for the winter?
Yes, it is possible to freeze grapes at home, but in order for the berries to be fresh even after defrosting, a number of conditions must be met.
Not all grape varieties are suitable for freezing. The cold test is well tolerated by those species in which the flesh is dense and fleshy, and the skin is dense. First of all, these are dessert varieties: seedless Kishmish, dark Moldovan types of grapes, varieties Atos, Akademik Avidzba, Isabella, Viking, etc., which have good pulp density and form large, arranged clusters.
Many summer residents have ordinary wine varieties growing on their plots, but they are also interested in whether the grapes are suitable and whether they can be frozen. Wine varieties are practically not suitable for freezing, because they have a lot of mucilage in their pulp, and when defrosted, such grapes will lose their shape.
Freezing grapes is possible in the same way as strawberries or cherries.
For your information! If there is no other type, then it is better to immediately freeze the soft berries in the form of puree with added sugar, since wine varieties contain significantly less fructose and sucrose.
Only ripe bunches are suitable for freezing. The hope that, like many fruits, grapes will ripen will not come true. The freezing process completely stops the ripening process, because the circulation of fluids in the tissues of the berries stops.
To maintain maximum freshness, the dry freezing method is recommended and particular care must be taken during the harvesting and preparation stages. If berries are collected from your own plot for freezing, then dry, sunny weather is suitable for collection. In damp weather after rain, the procedure should be postponed and allow the bunches to dry.
Natural frost on the bush does not have the best effect on the berries, so it is better to harvest the crop for storage before the onset of cold weather
Tips and secrets of experienced pp specialists
Another popular question is whether grapes with seeds are frozen for the winter or is it better to choose varieties without them? Nutritionists say that the seeds contain no less, if not more, vitamins and nutrients, so the answer is a definite yes!
If you decide to freeze grapes for the winter at home, be sure to label the finished containers with berries. This will help you immediately find what you need in the freezer, and at the same time you will know exactly when and what type you prepared.
Irina Polyanitsa My name is Irina, I am the owner and admin of the site, as well as the author of most of the recipes and articles. I love to cook simple and healthy delicacies. Certified gym instructor, personal trainer. She completed a course on nutrition and health at Stanford University, Stanford Introduction to Food and Health, as well as a course at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (LMU) Nutrition and Lifestyle in Pregnancy (about nutrition and lifestyle during pregnancy).
Why freezing berries is healthier than processing them into juices
Frozen grapes, after gradual defrosting, can surprise you with their bright taste and fresh appearance in the middle of winter, since they retain a lot of useful substances.
- When frozen, vitamin C is preserved (more than 10 mg per 100 g of product), so berries can be an excellent alternative to support the body during periods of rampant ARVI. During heat treatment, the concentration of vitamins in grape berries immediately drops by 50-60%, so freezing favorably distinguishes the quality of the preparations.
- Frozen grapes do not require preservatives or the presence of sugar for storage. Accordingly, they can be consumed by those who want sweets, but want to do without excesses in delicacies.
Useful properties of frozen berries
- retain a large number of micro- and macroelements;
- rich in water-soluble vitamins;
- are high in vitamin C;
- the integrity of the berries is not damaged, as is their presentation;
- allow you to receive the substances the body needs at any time of the year;
- make it possible not only to eat berries fresh, but also to cook them
- frozen grape compote, juices and desserts.
How to prepare for freezing
Preparing for freezing is not difficult, but you must follow the recommendations to ensure that frozen grapes are clean and do not spoil during storage.
Preparing and Cleaning Freeze Brushes
- If you freeze the berries immediately after picking without washing and drying, then in addition to them you can also get ice with all sorts of midges and cobwebs, since all kinds of insects can use grape brushes as a refuge. Therefore, before freezing, the grapes must be washed and dried.
- Is it possible to freeze grapes immediately after harvest? Not only is it possible, but it is also necessary. Brushes are ideal for freezing immediately after cutting. Preparation comes down to trimming and removing berries with any flaws. Unripe and deformed or damaged fruits are removed.
- Before any type of freezing, the berries must be washed with cold water and allowed to drain excess moisture. To do this, they are left for 2-3 hours laid out on a tray, or better yet, on a special dryer. If there is no such dryer, then the brushes are simply hung indoors or laid out on sheets of parchment.
Recipe No. 3
Whole berries can be prepared in a longer way, but they will retain their integrity and will not freeze to each other. Then at any time you can defrost only the required amount of berries for food or, for example, for making compote. To do this, separate, wash and dry the berries. Place them on a tray not far apart from each other and place them in the freezer to freeze. After the fruits have reached the desired state, take them out and pour them into bags in portions. Then they can be placed for further storage.
How to properly freeze grapes with berries: process technology
Freezing individual berries will not allow you to put spectacular clusters on the table, but it will save space in a small refrigerator.
Individual berries can be used as decoration and in making desserts
- If you plan to freeze individual berries, they can be dried on a piece of cotton cloth or paper towels. Ziploc bags are well suited for this kind of freezing.
- To prevent the berries from sticking to each other, after appropriate preparation, they are laid out on a tray in one layer so that they do not touch together and frozen. After the berries are frozen, they are scattered into bags and immediately put into the freezer.
- Is it possible to freeze non-dark grapes? Light grape varieties, which have a green color even when ripe, are characterized by a very delicate taste, which may be lost after defrosting. To preserve the delicate aroma, it is recommended to freeze these varieties in sugar syrup. It is prepared using classical technology: sugar and water (1:2) are boiled for 10 minutes. The berries are poured with chilled syrup in food containers and sent to the freezer.
- If you don’t want to freeze light berries in syrup, you can simply sprinkle them with sugar and store them in food bags. This method is also suitable for varieties with pronounced sourness.
Selection and preparation of berries
When choosing fresh grapes in a store or market, it is difficult to be sure that the purchased product will be healthy . Therefore, it is best to use grapes grown independently or in guaranteed safe conditions without the use of pesticides. The beneficial properties of grapes also depend on climatic and weather conditions, the ripeness of the berries, conditions and shelf life.
Berries for freezing are picked when they are ripe and contain the most vitamins. The berries in the bunches should be elastic, without signs of damage by pests. Newly picked grapes will have green branches.
“Sluggish” skin is a sign that the grapes are overripe or have been stored for a long time at low temperatures. Such berries are not frozen, since during the defrosting process they will not retain their taste and texture.
Depending on the freezing method chosen, berries individually or whole bunches are washed with running water, debris (leaves, cobwebs), rotten and overripe specimens are removed. Remaining moisture is removed with a paper towel or allowed to dry naturally.
Reference. If you plan to use the fruits to make compote or jelly, you can freeze it along with the seeds. To eat the seeds, it is better to remove the seeds or choose seedless varieties.
How to freeze whole bunches
Bunches of grapes intended for freezing indiscriminately into individual berries must initially be exclusively fresh. The option of freezing brushes that have been left on a plate for a couple of days is not suitable. If you freeze stale grapes, then after defrosting many spoiled berries will appear.
Important! There is no need to remove the branches or cut them very short when freezing; they are the basis for assembling the brush.
Fresh brushes are distinguished by green and elastic branches
Whole brushes can be placed in food bags in the freezer, but it is better to store them in separate plastic containers. This way the berries will not absorb foreign odors and will retain their shape.
For well-dried brushes, the blast freezing method is suitable (directly into the freezer), but it is better to use gradual cooling: first, cool on a tray for 1-2 hours, and then transfer to the freezer.
Recipe No. 1
You can freeze whole bunches or small branches. The process of preparing fruits is similar. After the grapes have cooled in the refrigerator, place them in a single layer on a tray and transfer them to the freezer until completely frozen. Usually this time is no more than 6 – 8 hours. Try not to overcook the fruits, otherwise they will lose some beneficial properties. Next, the frozen bunches are taken out and placed in portions into bags of no more than 2 - 3 bunches. After which the bags are placed in the freezer for further storage. This method of freezing preserves the maximum amount of useful elements in the fruit. If desired, you can prepare a delicious compote or sweet dessert from them at any time.
Freeze as puree
Grape puree can be used as a base for making homemade jelly and compotes, as well as an additive to porridges and a filling for dessert.
Seedless grapes with bright colors are suitable for puree. The berries can be pureed using a blender or twisted in a meat grinder. You shouldn’t worry about the skin and try to remove it; you won’t feel it at all in the puree. In any case, even thick skin becomes significantly softer after freezing, and even more so in purees.
Note! You can add sugar to the puree. To dissolve, the mixture is stirred periodically at room temperature for 2 hours, and then placed in tightly sealed containers and placed in the freezer.
Grape puree is an almost ready-made filling for delicious desserts
Defrosting grapes
In order not to lose the beneficial properties of the berries during the defrosting process, the process is carried out gradually. To do this, containers or bags are taken out of the freezer and placed in the refrigerator for 10 to 18 hours. Within an hour, you can get thawed berries by pouring them with water at room temperature. However, they must be used immediately.
It is strongly not recommended to defrost grapes in the microwave, as this will destroy a significant part of the vitamins. Letting the berries thaw at room temperature is also not advisable, since the quality of the fruit and its beneficial properties will be significantly lower.
In order to make dessert or compote, it is not necessary to defrost the fruits. You just need to take them out of the package.
Frozen grapes, the recipes for which are posted on our website, will be an excellent supply of vitamins for the winter and spring for your entire family. From the possible cooking method, choose the one you like and enjoy it with your family and friends.
