84-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 27, 2002
Well Preserved
The Well Preserved news
column is prepared by Lan
caster County Cooperative
Extension. It includes food
preservation information and
answers to questions.
Freezing Fruits
This is the third in a series of
articles on freezing foods.
Freezing fruits involves the
basic skills discussed previously
including starting with fresh,
firm, quality produce; working
with small quantities: and keep
ing the freezer at 0 degrees F. or
below.
Remember to lift produce out
of the water when washing it so
that the dirt washed off doesn’t
settle back on the food. Do not
soak fruit. Avoid using galva
nized, copper, or iron equipment
because the acid in the fruit
could react with the metals to
form harmful compounds or off
flavors.
During freezing, the water in
the fruit expands and breaks the
cell walls. That is why thawed
fruits sometimes have a soft,
mushy texture. This is more no
ticeable in more watery fruits
such as cantaloupe or honeydew
melon. To maintain as much of
the crisp texture as possible,
fruits should be frozen at the
lowest possible setting on the
freezer. Nutritional loss is lower
when the freezer is cold, and a
constant storage temperature
helps in retention of quality.
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Sure»Jell® Fruit Pectin is once
again sponsoring the jam and
jelly competition at the Somerset
County Fair. Entries will be
judged on appearance, texture
and taste. Blue ribbons, cash
prizes and gift bags will be
awarded to the best jam and jelly
makers. All participants will re
ceive a free entrants bag con
taining several “goodies” that
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Fluctuating temperatures causes
damage to the texture as the ice
melts and then refreezes in the
cell.
Browning or discoloration
can be a problem in light col
ored fruits such as peaches,
apples, pears, and apricots. As
corbic acid or vitamin C is the
most effective way to prevent
this. Commercial ascorbic acid
mixtures tfe also available. Cit
ric acid and lemon juice are
sometimes used but are less ef
fective and may affect the flavor
of the fruit.
lowa State University Exten
sion Service also identifies a so
lution of sodium bisulfite (USP
grade) as an antidarkening
agent. However it may be diffi
cult to find and should not be
used if individuals are sulfite
sensitive.
Scalding or steaming is some
times used to prevent browning
for fruits that will be cooked be
fore use.
will prove helpful in preparing
jams and jellies.
Deadline for entering this com
petition is Aug. 17. Be sure to
check the competition rules and
guidelines before selecting and
preparing jam and jelly recipes
for submission. Judging will take
place before the Somerset County
Fair, which runs from Aug.
18-24. For complete details and
official competition rules, contact
the state fair office at (814)
634-8187.
For tips on preparing home
made jams and jellies, visit
www.surejell.com.
Although fruit may be packed
unsweetened, the flavor, color,
and texture of most fruits are re
tained best when fruit is packed
with some sweetening. You can
use either a dry sugar or a syrup
pack. The type of pack will de
pend on the intended use.
Fruits packed in syrup are
usually best for uncooked des
sert use. Fruits packed in dry
sugar or unsweetened are best
for most cooking purposes be
cause there is less liquid in the
product.
When using a dry sugar pack,
a three to one ratio is usually
used. That means three pounds
of fruit to one pound of sugar or
one quart fruit to 'A cup sugar.
Less sugar can be used accord
ing to taste.
Sprinkle the sugar over the
fruit and gently stir until fruit is
coated with sugar and juice
forms. Soft sliced fruits such as
peaches, strawberries, figs, de
seeded grapes, plums and cher
ries will yield sufficient syrup
for covering if the fruit is lay
ered with sugar and allowed to
stand 15 minutes.
The proportion of sugar to
water in a syrup pack depends
upon the sweetness of the fruit
to be frozen. A 40 percent syrup
is used for most fruits while a
lighter syrup is desirable for
mild-flavored fruits to prevent
masking of flavors. Heavier
syrup may be needed for very
sour fruits. A 30 percent syrup
uses two cups sugar to four cups
water. A 40 percent syrup uses
three cups sugar to four cups
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water. Make the sugar syrup by
dissolving the sugar in the water
over heat. Chill and use just
enough to cover the fruit. Each
pint will require 'A to % cup
syrup. Keep the fruit under the
syrup with a small piece of
crumpled, water-resistant wrap
ping material on top of the fruit.
Fruit may be frozen without
sugar for use in jams, jellies,
pies, or for special diets. Fruit
may also be packed in its own
juice, other fruit juices, or water
to which an anti-darkening
agent is added.
Unsweetened packs generally
yield a product that does not
have the plump texture and
good color of those packed with
sugar. The fruits freeze harder
and take longer to thaw. How
ever, gooseberries, currants,
cranberries, blueberries, raspber
ries, steamed apples, and rhu
barb freeze well without sugar.
Artificial sweeteners may be
used in any of the unsweetened
packs. Saccharin and aspartame
work well in frozen products, or
they can be added to the fruit
just before serving. Artificial
sweeteners give a sweet flavor
but do not furnish the beneficial
effects of sugar such as color
protection and firmness. Use di
rections on the sugar substitute
container to determine the
amount of sweetener needed.
Pectin syrup can be used to
freeze fruits that have a poor
texture when frozen without
sugar. Susan Reynolds of the
University of Florida suggests
pectin syrup as a solution to im-
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proving the texture of fruits
such as strawberries or peaches
frozen in water or juice.
To make pectin syrup com
bine one package powdered pec
tin and one cup water in a
saucepan. Heat to boiling and
boil one minute. Remove from
heat and add IVt cups more
water. Cool. Makes about three
cups of moderately thick syrup.
Add more water if thinner syrup
is desired.
Pack fruit into pectin syrup
as you would any syrup pack.
This is an expensive alternative
to freezing in a sugar syrup but
may be a good choice for those
on special diets.
Use frozen fruits within 8 to
12 months for best quality. Un
sweetened fruits lose their quali
ty faster than those sweetened
with sugar or syrup. To use fro
zen fruits, thaw the fruit in the
refrigerator in its original pack
age. For faster defrosting, the
package can be submerged in
lukewarm water or partially de
frosted in the microwave oven.
Many people prefer frozen
fruit with a few ice crystals still
remaining because completely
thawed fruits will be limp or
mushy.
If you have food preservation
questions, a home economist is
available to answer questions on
Wednesdays 10:00 a.m.-l:00
p.m., call (717) 394-6851 or
write Penn State Cooperative
Extension, Lancaster County,
1383 Arcadia Rd., Rm.l, Lan
caster, PA, 17601.