Blueberries from the forest or from the cultivated blueberries in your own garden taste best fresh. You can preserve larger quantities of the blueberries, which otherwise only keep for a short time, and thus make them last longer.

Always process as fresh as possible

You are doing yourself a disservice if you leave blueberries in the fridge or at room temperature for days and then only process them as a last resort when mold starts to develop. In order to ensure a maximum taste experience even with boiled blueberries, they should always be processed as soon as possible after picking. If the delicious berries cannot all be consumed fresh from the bush for consumption or processed in cake recipes, they can be processed into the following products:

  • to blueberry schnapps
  • to juice
  • to jam or mousse
  • to berry compote

Prepare the berries properly

When collecting the berries, attention should be paid to their taste quality and consistency. Ideally, pick the fully ripe fruits in the early morning when they are still juicy from the dew and the coolness of the night. Then, sort the berries before washing and discard any crushed or blemished fruit and any remaining stems before canning or freezing. When washing directly before preserving, the fruit should be dried off if possible so that the washing water remaining on them does not falsify the required recipe quantities.

Boil the blueberries carefully and preserve them

When it comes to preserving, there are different procedures and recipes to suit individual tastes. The blueberries can be boiled with the sugar water for at least 4 minutes and then filled into the glasses. The fruits stay in better shape if they are poured with the hot sugar water and then heated in the oven for around 20 minutes at around 80 degrees Celsius. After closing the jars, they should first be turned upside down on the lid side so that there is no air layer in the jar and the risk of mold forming. Preserved blueberries will usually keep for up to a year in a cool, dark basement.

tips and tricks

Surplus blueberries can also be quickly replaced with commercially available grain during the harvest season if there is not enough time. The alcohol absorbs the color and flavors from the blueberries after about four to six weeks and is suitable as a basis for refreshing summer drinks.

Category:

Vegetable garden