How to Put Up a Freezerful of Summer Berries
Are you rolling in berries right now? I can’t help but bring home a flat of blueberries, raspberries, blackberries or strawberries every time I go to the farmers market. I also love finding more unusual varieties — lingonberries, gooseberries, black currants, and black raspberries. Most of these berries get eaten as snacks, baked into muffins, folded into desserts and whizzed into smoothies. Whatever doesn’t get eaten gets stashed in the freezer. By putting up berries now, I can look forward to the peak-season taste of summer berries all winter long.
Berries are good for the brain
Eating berries is one of the most brain healthy eating habits we know. A diet that includes berries every week has been shown to slow the rate of cognitive decline, or how fast the brain ages. In this study, when 16,000 women over age 70 ate at least one serving of blueberries or two servings of strawberries each week, their cognitive aging was delayed by 2.5 years.
Blueberry extract, when given to mice, improved memory and reduced the clumping of amyloid protein in the brain. Amyloid plaques — tangles of protein that cover the surface of the brain — are a key pathological feature of Alzheimer’s disease. Studies suggest that the polyphenols in berries protect from neurodegenerative diseases. These potent phytonutrients, part of the flavonoid family, reduce inflammation, combat oxidative stress, and enhance neuroplasticity.
Read more about how eating berries can add years to your brain longevity here.
Putting up berries is this month’s Dementia-Proof Your Brain goal
Berries are one of the 10 brain healthy food groups in the MIND diet study. Just 1/2 cup of berries twice a week is enough to benefit from the brain-boosting power of berries.
That’s why putting up a freezerful of berries is this month’s goal for Dementia-Proof Your Brain. Each month, our Brain Health Kitchen community chooses one brain healthy habit to adopt for life. Freezing berries is the easiest way to put up berries for later.
Berries in season are cheaper and more nutritious
Berries are better tasting and have optimal nutrition when eaten in season. They are also a lot less expensive, too, than berries imported from Southern hemispheres in the winter or purchased in the freezer section of the grocery store. The most economical way to bring home a stash of berries it to visit a pick-you-own-farm. One year my friend Susan and I filled 5-gallon buckets with blueberries at a farm in Florida. We had a lot of fun sharing, eating, and freezing our blueberry cache.
Frozen berries from the grocery store are a fine way to eat berries all year as well; most are picked at their peak of nutrition instead of traveling thousands of miles in cartons.
A simple formula for putting up berries
All you need to put up berries is this simple formula (rinse, sort dry, freeze), parchment paper and a half or quarter-sized baking sheet. The ideal baking sheet is also called a jelly roll pan, which has a rim for keeping the berries from rolling off the side. In a pinch, a standard cookie sheet will work; just crimp the parchment paper to create a rim.
- Rinse: Place berries in a colander and rinse well. (Skip this step for very delicate berries such as raspberries and blackberries; rinse them just before eating.)
- Sort: Pick through and remove debris, such as leaves and stems. Discard any berries that are weeping or moldy. Hull strawberries before freezing.
- Dry: Place on a half sheet pan (cookie sheet) over paper towels or a dry kitchen towel. Gently tilt pan to help dry and let air-dry. Water clinging to the berries will create freezer burn and an off flavor after several months. Also, wet berries freeze in clumps. With this method, berries will freeze individually, making it easier to use just what you need from a bag.
- Freeze: Line pans with parchment paper and fill with clean, dry berries in a single layer. When frozen solid, transfer to single portion plastic bags or food-grade containers. Store in the freezer for 6 to 8 months.
Organic vs. conventional
When shopping at the grocery store, try to choose organic over conventionally grown berries. We know that pesticide residue on fruits and vegetables causes oxidative stress on the brain. And berries are among the most porous fruits — they soak up pesticides like a sponge.
When visiting your local farmers market, you may find berries that are not certified organic, but not sprayed with pesticides either. Ask the farmer; many offer pesticide-free produce.
Do wild berries grow near you? Wild berries, like the huckleberries that grow in the Tetons where I live, are thought to be even higher in brain-boosting polyphenols.
Using your frozen berries
Now that you have a stash of berries in the freezer, what can you do with them?
- Add to smoothies. Here’s an easy recipe for a Berry Almond Smoothie: Place 1 cup frozen berries, 1 frozen banana, and 1 cup almond milk in a blender. Blend until smooth.
- Make berry-infused waters: Place 1/2 cup berries in a pitcher and crush slightly with the back of a spoon. Fill the pitcher with water and herbs, if you have them. Try making blackberry/sage, blueberry/thyme, and raspberry/mint waters.
- Thaw berries before adding to muffins, breads and desserts since the water content of frozen berries may alter the recipe. Place in a colander over a bowl to catch the juices. Save the juice to add to sparkling water or smoothies.
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Add thawed berries to salads.
- Make this Smashed Berry sauce for topping frozen desserts and oatmeal.
- Snack on frozen berries. Kids love them! And so do my dogs. Once I found my son Jack feeding frozen blueberries to my 13-year dog Rosie. “To help with her dementia,” he said.
Happy berry gathering everyone!
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