Table of Contents
Peaches
Refrigerate peaches only when fully ripe – if you refrigerate them before, peaches can lose flavor, texture, and appearance. If you need to hasten ripening, place them in paper bags at room temperature. Once they ripe put them in plastic bags and refrigerate. They can last in the fridge for 3-5 days.
To freeze whole peaches, first you need to pit and halve or slice them. Then, you should prepare the same solution used to freeze apples – this solution will prevent darkening. Place them in airtight containers. In the freezer, peaches can last from 10-12 months.
Pears
Wait until pears are ripe (to hasten ripe place them on a paper bag at room temperature and add one apple), place them in a plastic bag, and refrigerate. They can stay in refrigerator from 5-7 days.
To freeze them, prepare a solution of sugar and water (2 ¾ cups of sugar and 4 cups of water). Boil this solution, and heat pears in the boiling syrup for 1-2 minutes. Drain them and cool. Place in airtight containers and freeze.
Plums
Put plums in plastic bags and refrigerate them. Eat or cook them in five days.
To freeze them, you need to
Cut them in halves or quarters and remove pit
Prepare the syrup from sugar and water (2 ¾ cups of sugar and 4 cups of water)
Cool the syrup off and place over plums
Use airtight containers to freeze them
They can stay in the freezer for a year.
Pomegranates
To extend shelf life of pomegranates, put them in plastic bags and refrigerate. They can stay in fridge for 2 months.
To freeze them you need to scoop out seeds and place them in a single layer in the freezer. Once seeds are frozen, place them in airtight containers and return to freezer. They can stay in freezer for a year.
Strawberries
Strawberries are very “sensitive” – they do not like to be wet. Before refrigerating them, you need to discard any bruised or moldy strawberries. You can place them in a shallow container with plastic wrap where they can last for up to 3 days. You can also put them in paper bags, but you need to check the bag every other day for moisture – this way strawberries can last for a week.
To freeze them, wash them in cold water, remove caps and stems, and add ¾ cup of sugar to each quarter of the strawberries. Stir until sugar is dissolved, and place in covered airtight containers. Strawberries can stay in a freezer for a year.
Watermelon
To freeze watermelons you need to cut them in half, remove seeds and rind and then slice or cube melon, or cut into balls. Place them in an airtight container and put them in freezer, where they can stay from 10-12 months.
Reference:
Bubel, M, & Bubel, N. (1991). Root Cellaring: Natural Cold Storage of Fruits and Vegetables. Storey Publishing.
Pistoia, M., Corbetta, F. & more. (1985). The Complete Book of Fruits and Vegetables. Crown Publishers.
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