Do you harvest grapes or have you bought them heavily on sale? Whatever the case, you are at the right place. If you have too many grapes, then don’t let your batch get spoilt. So, can you freeze grapes? Well, the answer is Yes.
As it turns out that frozen grapes are an amazing as well as healthy snack. As it contains potassium along with vitamin C. So, you can have it in your breakfast almost every day. Here you will be educating yourself on a proper method of freezing grapes.
So, that you can go on to enjoy this amazing fruit for an entire year. Freezing grapes even reduce its calories content.
How long do fresh grapes last?
Fresh grapes are small juicy balls of pearls that taste sweet and amazing. These are very delicate and needed to be stored accordingly. If you store it properly in a refrigerator or at a cool place. Then you can expect it to last for one to two weeks.
If you are willing to extend the life of your fresh grapes. You can follow the below procedure for the same.
- Remove any kind of grapes which has some sort of mold or bruises on them.
- Place them gently inside a perforated bag (bag having pores). It is done so because grapes need to breathe. Make sure the bag is freezer friendly.
- Never think of washing your grapes until you are sure that you are going to have some. Such precaution is needed because they can absorb excess moisture. And if that happens, it will increase the decaying process.
Can you freeze grapes?
Definitely, you can freeze grapes. The fact that freezing is preferred over all the other ways of preserving fruits (In this case grapes.). This is only because they increase their life expectancy way more than any other method i.e., 10 to 12 months.
Make sure that you freeze your grapes in the right manner because one wrong step may spoil your entire batch.
How to freeze grapes?
Freezing grapes is not rocket science. You just got to follow some simple steps and you will have your entire batch of grapes as frozen grapes.
Washing Grapes:
Start with washing your grapes in order to remove any possible dirt or residues & pesticide. If you are a little bit concerned about chemicals such as pesticides then it’s preferred that you buy organic grapes only.
You can put your entire batch of grapes one by one in a colander or a salad spinner. As per the capacity. Then rinse them in your kitchen sink. Then allow the excess water to drain out. Then you have to blot all of your grapes with anything similar to a dry paper towel.
Spread Grapes on a baking sheet:
You should then be using parchment paper or wax paper to line the needed baking sheet. Now try placing all of the grapes in a single layer on a proper baking tray. Now you have to cover the entire tray with plastic wrap. Then you have to place the tray inside the freezer.
Keep the grapes inside the freezer for 3 hours.
Generally, a usual grape takes around a couple of hours to freeze solid. Depending upon the climate and place you might be having some different types. Well in that case the freezing time varies.
Transfer the frozen grapes to a freezer bag.
Then you should be removing all of the grapes from the baking tray. Then you should be placing all of them in a proper freezer-friendly bag. Seal the bag airtight and make sure to mark the date of freezing. Then you simply have to put the bag full of frozen grapes inside the freezer again.
Store the frozen for up to a year.
If you are looking to be sure of your frozen grapes’ freshness. Then try keeping the entire batch inside the freezer for nothing less than a year from the date of freezing.
You can have the frozen grapes directly out from the freezer or can go on to garnish them into a recipe.
How to use frozen grapes?
If you aren’t very familiar with frozen grapes then allow me to mention that they are an amazingly great snack. They require very less time to prepare. Here are some of the ways in which you can enjoy this amazing summer fruit for an entire year. That too in different ways.
1. Frozen grapes as an appetizer
Take some frozen grapes and squeeze some lemon or directly add lemon juice to them. It will serve as a refreshing snack or appetizer for sure. If you have some Himalayan pink salt, then sprinkle some over the appetizer. It will enhance its taste by giving it a sweet and savory flavor burst.
2. Smoothie with grapes
If you have seedless frozen grapes it goes unbelievably well with smoothies. As long as they don’t have any seeds, it doesn’t matter if you are going with red or green ones. Both are equally good.
3. Frozen grape popsicles
For preparing frozen grape popsicles you have to puree your grapes along with some grape juice. Then you should pour it into a plastic mold. Try freezing your popsicles for something near about 4 hours, before having it.
4. Blend grape sorbet
To prepare a blend sorbet, first, puree your grapes as you have done with popsicles. Then using a blender or a food processor, blend the sorbet properly. Seedless grapes are considered best for all sorts of sorbets and ice creams. Frozen grapes even enhance the taste of cotton candies.
5. Drink with frozen grapes ice cubes
You can even use frozen grapes with chilled drinks such as lemonade or iced tea and many more. Try infusing them in the drinks.
Finally going through the above article, I hope all of your doubts regarding the freezing grapes must be cleared. Still, if you feel like there are points that you want me to touch on or you want something to be added or improved you can lay down the comments. I will be more than happy to listen to you.