Raspberries are on. Tips to Preserve them.

Raspberries are on are you ready for some tips to preserve them?  There is nothing better than picking those sweet berries off of the raspberry bush and popping them in your mouth.  MMMMMmmmMMM they are so good!

Raspberries are on and ready for picking

I know, for most of you the raspberry season has come and gone, but remember we live at a high altitude of 5600 feet so our raspberries come on a little slower than some.

What do you do with all of those raspberries?  Well, at least the ones that make it into the house!

The first thing I do

The first thing I do is wash them and put them in the strainer.  I like to make some of them into freezer jam, but I don’t have a lot of time right now for cooking.  For now, I will wash them and put them in the freezer to make whatever I want later on when life slows down a little.

Generally, I have picked all of the leaves, stems and taken the bad berries out of the bucket before I bring them into the house.  I run the water over them to wash them up a few at a time.  Then I put them into another strainer and wait for them to dry.

How to freeze raspberries

I place the wax paper onto a cookie sheet (you don’t have to use wax paper it  just makes it easier to take them off of the cookie sheet.)  I put the raspberries on the cookie sheet in a thin layer and put it flat in the freezer.  I make sure it is a thin layer and try not to have any of them really touching.

I freeze them overnight.  Then I take them off of the cookie sheet and put them into freezer bags for storage, and put them back into the freezer to enjoy later.  By freezing the on the cookie sheet first they are not all stuck together in a glob.  This makes it easier to take out the amount I want and use them later.

Another way to store them long-term is drying them in a food dryer.  After washing them good and letting them sit in the strainer to dry put them on the drying racks and turn it on.  I like to eat the dry ones or you can put them into smoothies and other drinks.  You also have the option to reconstitute them in water.

Another option is making fruit leather in your food dryer.  Kids love fruit leather and you can use some pretty healthy ingredients to make it.

My grandmother used to bottle raspberries.  They were such a treat with cream over the top.  I bottled them when my kids were little but we ate them so fast.  I finally decided to freeze the raspberries.  This is a faster and easier way for me to preserve them.

When life on the farm slows down a little I will take the frozen raspberries out of the freezer and make something with them like jam, smoothies, ice cream or anything else that sounds yummy!  Or maybe I will just eat them as a treat.  Of course, I will have to share with the grandkiddies!

Feel free to share this post.  What do you do with your raspberries?