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Freezing

Freezing is the quickest way to preserve sum-
mer fruits for delightful winter eating. The
important things to remember are: never
freeze anything but ripe, full-flavored fruits
and berries—the best you can find; handle
them with care; prepare them quickly; pack-
age properly.

Sugar is the vital ingredient in the successful
freezing of fruits and berries. Use granulated
white sugar, which should coat every piece
of fruit, or sugar syrup to preserve flavor and
vitamins. To make sugar syrup simply dis-
solve sugar in water (do not heat) and store in
refrigerator a day or two before using. Fruit
and berries should be submerged in the syrup
—fill containers % full of syrup, add fruit,
then cover with syrup, leaving 12” head space
for pints and 1” for quarts in wide-topped
containers. Spread packages in freezer at
once and freeze at 0° or cooler. Don’t stack
containers until fruit is completely frozen.
Thaw in sealed containers at room tempera-
ture and serve cold or cook like fresh fruit.

Apricots

Cut washed fruit in half, peel, remove pits
and steam 4 minutes. Crush and pack with
fine granulated sugar (1 Ib. sugar to 4 lbs.
fruit).

Pineapple

Peel and core, then slice, dice or cut in
wedges as preferred. Pack in sugar syrup (3
cups sugar to 1 qt. pineapple juice or water).
To pack in fine granulated sugar, use 1 Ib.
sugar to 5 Ibs. fruit.

Apple Slices

Cut unblemished peeled quarters into 3 slices
each. Slice into solution of % cup salt to 1
gal. water. Drain, rinse in cold water and
drain again. To freeze in sugar syrup, use 3
cups sugar dissolved in 1 qt. cold water. Add
¥3 tsp. ascorbic acid to syrup before com-
bining with fruit.

Cherries

Sweet: Use ripe, dark-red cherries; chill in
water, lift from water, remove stem and pit.
Pack in sugar syrup (2 cups sugar to 1 qt.
water). Add 4% tsp. ascorbic acid and 4 tsp.
lemon juice to syrup before packing.

Tart: Prepare as above, then pack with fine
granulated sugar (34 cup to 1 qt. cherries).
To improve flavor add 1 tsp. ascorbic acid
to every cup of sugar.

Peaches

Make sure fruit is perfectly ripe. Sort and
wash. To peel, dip 4 at a time in boiling water
for 15-20 secs., or until skin loosens. Chill
quickly in ice water, peel and cut in halves
or slices. Slice directly into container filled
¥3 full with sugar syrup (3 cups sugar to 1 qt.
water with 12 tsp. ascorbic acid added just
before syrup is used). Cover fruit with syrup.
Keep fruit submerged by placing large piece
of crumpled freezer paper under lid. Cover
and freeze.

Raspberries

Wash firm ripe raspberries in ice water but
do not soak. Lift from water, drain through
fingers. Pack in sugar syrup (3 cups sugar to
1 qt. cold water) or granulated sugar (1 Ib.
sugar to 4-5 lbs. berries).

Strawberries

Wash in cold water, lift and drain in colan-
der, hull and slice lengthwise in thirds. Pack
in fine granulated sugar (1 lb. sugar to 4-5
Ibs. berries). Mix berries and sugar gently
with rubber spatula.

FPIIPI IPD IIIT PIR RRR RRS

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