Freezing and Defrosting fruit?

Gingernutmeg

I wouldn't freeze it to eat 'raw' - the pineapple might be ok but the melon will probably turn to mush. I have frozen melon and pineapple though to use in smoothies, and it's fine if you're going to blend it up. Just freeze it 'separately' first on a tray so that you don't end up with one massive lump.

ashbart

As it was a lovely sunny day last Saturday, I bought an orange, a lemon, and some strawberries for my Pimms left over from last year. Obviously the weather didn't last and the fruit is going out of date. Is it possible to cut the lemon & orange into slices and top the strawberries and freeze it all, ready to use as ice-cube type ready made fruit when we have another sunny day? How should I store them? How long will they keep in the freezer for?

Thanks in advance for help!

ifonlyitwaseasier

i've sliced and frozen citrus fruits into icecubes before, makes a nice adornment as well as saving on waste

ashbart

thanks ifonlyitwaseasier! Do you just take off the rind and chop it all up, put it into an ice tray and add a bit of water, then freeze(obviously)?

Anyone know whether strawberries are ok to freeze??? Thanks!

Gingernutmeg

You can freeze citrus fruits in slices with the rind on - it goes a bit squishy when you defrost it but if you freeze it in an ice cube tray you get a ready made 'ice and a slice'.

You can freeze strawberries but they don't defrost well, they'll go very soft. It's not a problem if you want to use them in smoothies or purees though, it's what I do with leftover soft fruit.

pennyocs

i used my frozen strawberries in a crumble with tinned peaches and they were lovely they did go mushy but it was very nice.i regulary freeze mango and pineapple but usually just use these in smoothies

ifonlyitwaseasier

like gn said i just slice them into little half circles and have them sticking out of the tray, half iced half not, i think you can actually get tray that slices fit in (prob from lakeland)

Claire_Bear

I've just started a new job and want to take packed lunches with me in a bid to be a bit healthier, and also to save money. We have a market down the road from us so I want to bulk buy a lot of fruit and chop it up and freeze it in little tubs so I can just pop it in my bag on a morning and have some nice cold fruit to enjoy at lunch time. However, I'm not sure if fruit goes a bit funny when you defrost it, does it keep it's texture and flavour ok? I imagine it would kind of all go mushy and weird. Would I need to coat apple slices in lemon juice still before freezing? The kind of things in the pots would be apples, grapes, berries, kiwi, pineapple etc

TIA

Sunnygirl_2

Frozen grapes are nice to eat frozen. We have them sometimes. Berries don't tend to freeze very well as they go mushy. Something to do with the ice crystals bursting the cell walls I think.

Perhaps you could cook the berries into a compote and add to yoghurt. Then you'll still be getting your fruit but it'll last longer.

thriftlady_2

I think you will find your fruit does indeed go mushy and weird Claire. While most fruit freezes well it is best used in a different state once it has been frozen-smoothies, crumbles, compôtes, sauces, ice cream, in muffins and cakes.

I think your best and most appetising option would be to make compôtes (basically lightly sweetened stewed fruit) of mixed fruits like berries and apples to freeze in small containers suitable for packing with the rest of your lunch.

With apples there isn't really any need to freeze them as they will store for a long while.