Freeze and Preserve Fruit for the Long Winter, & Save Money by Doing It!

With summer here and fruit of all kinds in season all over the country, it is is good idea to stock and preserve what you will want for the winter before it becomes difficult to find and expensive to buy.

When I was a child, my father planted a peach tree, apple trees a plum tree, and a grape vine in the back yard. He also hunted for fruit trees all over Missouri, bringing home pears, peaches, apples and plums from local farms. Every autumn, our family spent hours upon hours cutting up fruit, cooking jams, applesauce and cobblers for the deep freezer. Now that my own kids go through fruit faster than water, I have learned to carry on the tradition of growing our own fruit, and what we do not grow we buy as cheap as possible. We freeze and store it to eat throughout the winter.

Whether or not you enjoy growing your own fruit or not, or whether you enjoy a trip to the local farmers' market for fresh fruits, or buy from a roadside stand, there is always cheap fruit accessible during the summer months which is easy and fun to preserve.

When we bought our house seven years ago, I immediately planted a peach tree, an apple tree, a pear tree, a blueberry and blackberry trees. If you are not the type with a green thumb, then check for sales at the local supermarket and farmers markets so you can stock up! Keep in mind that boxed fruits are cheaper per pound overall.

Once you have the fruit you either grew or bought in abundance, the next step is to choose how you are going to store it. You can spend hours canning it if you wish and there are easier, less time consuming alternatives as well. Either way, if you have a freezer to store them in then you are in business.

Let us begin with fruit sauce. Cooking fruits such as pears, plumbs and apples will soften as well as sweeten them, bringing out their natural sugars. Simmer them with a bit of water, and when they are very soft, add a bit of sugar to the sweetness you wish. For those who are trying to avoid processed sugar such as me, use xylitol instead! It works great and has the additional benefit of being good for your teeth. You can freeze the portions you are not using, and can use the sauce for topping off deserts, or eating over pancakes or waffles.

Another wonderful thing you can create to freeze is homemade jams. Smash and slice up the fruit, add either sugar or xylitol and a bit of freezer jam pectin, and then stir. Freeze the prepared jam in glass jars.

How about some nice frozen sugared fruits? All you have to do is to slice it and sprinkle it with sugar or xylitol and then freeze it in freezer bags in portion sizes.

For frozen fruit, just take fruits such as blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, plums and peaches. Freeze them in freezer bags again in portion sizes. This makes for a wonderful treat in the winter when these luscious fruits are not in season!

Even after the season ends for fresh fruits in your area, you will be able to have them frozen and ready to eat anytime you fancy!