Sun-ripened apricots are available in supermarkets every high summer. Only then are the yellow stone fruits cheap and only then do they taste deliciously sweet. However, the aroma of the south can be taken out of the freezer in winter. How to properly freeze this fruit.

Apricots are still delicious when thawed

Read apricot fruits

Well-ripened apricots have soft flesh and are therefore particularly sensitive to pressure. One or the other fruit can quickly be damaged. Only perfect fruit is suitable for a long shelf life. Before freezing, sort out any apricots that have the following characteristics:

  • pressure points
  • holes
  • mold growth
  • and other damage

Pit the apricots

First, a cleansing water bath is announced. The clean fruit is then cut in half along the natural indentation with a sharp knife. The core usually falls out on its own. Rarely does it have to be carefully removed from the pulp with a knife. If possible, avoid damaging the apricot halves.

Shock freeze the apricot halves

The prepared apricot halves should be cooled down very quickly. Many freezers have an extra pre-frost compartment for this process. Spread the apricot halves in it without touching each other. If your chest freezer does not have this useful feature, then spread the apricot halves on a suitable tray and place it in the chest.

After the apricots have been deep-frozen after a few hours, they can already leave the pre-frost compartment again. Packed in suitable containers, they are stored as normal with other frozen goods.

Freeze blanched apricots

Blanching is useful if the apricots are to be preserved after defrosting. There are only three steps to freezing:

  1. Place the apricot halves in boiling water for a minute.
  2. Add some sugar and citric acid to keep the beautiful color.
  3. Pack the cooled and well drained apricots in suitable freezer containers, which go into the freezer immediately after the label.

The sugar syrup method

Apricots that are eaten raw after thawing can also be frozen in sugar syrup. For this, a brew of 300 grams of sugar and one liter of water is boiled. The apricots are placed in the still hot syrup. They are filled into freezer cans together with the syrup, but only after the mixture has completely cooled down.

Instead of soaking the apricots in sugar syrup, you can alternatively sprinkle them with plenty of sugar when pre-freezing.

tips

If you don't have time to make your own sugar syrup, you can also buy it at the supermarket.

storage and shelf life

The optimal storage temperature for apricots is minus 18 degrees Celsius. Under this condition, the delicious stone fruits can still be eaten nine months after freezing.

Allow time to thaw

Apricot halves that are taken out of the freezer to be eaten raw should only be thawed slowly and gently. First they go in the fridge for a few hours. After that, they should be left at room temperature for a short while, because they don't develop their full flavor when they're cool.

Use when frozen

The long thawing procedure does not have to be if the deep-frozen apricot halves are used as a cake topping or are otherwise overcooked. In these cases, the fruit can be processed immediately from the freezer.

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