How To Properly Preserve Fresh Fruit

The end of summer does not necessarily mean that you can't enjoy fresh, summer fruits! If you have a vacuum sealer on hand, you would not have to worry about waiting for the next summer season to come knocking on your doorstep.

A vacuum sealer can effortlessly preserve your peaches, berries, and even apples, helping ensure that you have your favorite fruits available to you all year, no matter the season!

Vacuum sealing your food will help provide you with the long-lasting quality and freshness of canning while also giving you the convenience of freezing it. According to the National Center for Home Food Preservation, your summer fruit harvests can survive eight to twelve months as long as they are properly kept, while frozen citrus fruits can last roughly four to six months.

The Best Way To Preserve Your Fruits

If you're itching to go apple picking this fall, be sure to learn about the best possible ways to make sure your fruit collection lasts through winter. To extend the life of your fruits, follow the steps about freezing fruits for better preservation!

1. Prep Your Fruits With Absolute Care

The way you handle your fruits before freezing them has a huge influence and impact on how long it will last, how it tastes after being defrosted, and how difficult it will be to thaw. Before freezing your fruits, be sure to thoroughly wash or peel them so they're ready to use.

For best results, larger fruits like apples, peaches, pears, and pineapples should be chopped or sliced into bite-sized pieces. Cutting these fruits into smaller pieces will ensure that they will thaw faster while retaining their texture.

Make sure to keep in mind that certain fruits, such as berries and papayas, are far too delicate and soft in their natural form to undergo vacuum sealing. If you're using fruits that bruise quickly, freeze them before vacuum sealing them. It is so you prevent accidentally smashing and crushing it, resulting in a vacuum-packed smoothie.

Wash the fruit, dry it completely, pre-freeze on a cookie sheet in the freezer, and then vacuum seal it. If you are dealing with sturdier fruits, you may skip the freezing step and go straight to washing, drying, and vacuum sealing.

2. Pre-freeze Fruits OnA Solid Sheet

It might be tempting to just toss prepared fruits into plastic bags and freeze them, but it is not ideal. It will cause the fruits to clump together and freeze in one heap. This clunky mess not only takes up extra space in your freezer but also takes a long time to defrost and separate.

Try freezing the fruits on a big baking sheet, contrary to mindlessly putting them in the freezer. Sort out the fruits by category and arrange them in even layers on the baking sheet.

Following this method saves you extra trouble. It ensures that your fruits are separate and easier to thaw. Let your fruit sit inside the freezer for five-six hours before storing them for lengthy periods.

3. Vacuum Seal To Get The Best Results

After all the necessary preparations, it's time to bring out your vacuum sealer and get to work!

Fill individual bags with various fruits and seal them with your vacuum sealer to remove any air that might cause freezer burn. You can try freezing your fruits in quantities or portions to prepare a myriad of dishes.

It will be easier to split portions if you place two-three cups of fruits per bag. It also ensures you are not thawing too many or too few food or ingredients.

Only fill your vacuum seal bags a little over halfway with fruits. Be extra careful not to overfill them. You may reuse the bag if you leave 3 to 4 inches of space at the top.

When the food is inside the vacuum seal bag, push it further away from the seal to keep the area around the bag's entrance dry and clean.

A few hours before you place your food inside the freezer, turn down the temperature and, if feasible, empty a shelf or ensure there will be more than enough air circulation around the baking sheet. It should be leveled.

The moment the product is completely frozen, remove it from the freezer, pick it up by the paper edges, and place it inside a freezer bag or container. Before filling your freezer bags, remember to name or label them.

4. Flash Freezing

If you plan to store fruits for a longer time (2 years and more), flash freezing is something you can consider. Flash freezing means locking the flavor and freshness of fruits by forming ice crystals from their juices. So, upon thawing and rehydration, they would still taste fresh.

Flash freezing was used to be carried out in laboratories using advanced and expensive equipment. Recently, people found ways to recreate the process at home and reproduce the results.

You can now flash freeze at home by placing fruits on a tray and spreading them out, leaving sufficient space between each piece. The tray will enter the freezer and be left there for a certain time.

Conclusion

Air exposure results in oxidation, leading to changes in color and flavor. It is why vacuum sealing is a great way to store food for long-term storage.

If you do not have a vacuum sealer at home, you may prolong the life of your frozen fruits by wrapping them with heavy-duty foil and sealing it using freezer tape.

Having the best vacuum sealing machines in your kitchen will undoubtedly make storing and packaging food easier for you! Using this method in preserving fruits will not only increase their shelf life but also seal and trap in their flavor.

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