Summer time brings fresh ripe fruit at cheap seasonal prices. For
the best quality frozen snacks, pick some of your favorites and freeze
them with your vacuum food sealer for cool treats on those hot summer
days. Some favorites are grapes, strawberries, blueberries, pineapple,
peaches and melons. Watermelon doesn't fair so good in the freezer but
cantaloupe and honey dew melons work great. If you have ever bought the
frozen bagged fruit from the store you know that their fruit was not
picked and packaged at the peak of its ripeness. You will enjoy full
flavor from the quality fruit you pick and freeze. As an added bonus the
frozen fruit make great garnishes or ice cubes for cool tropical summer
drinks. For example, frozen grapes work great for keeping wine cool
without diluting the drink.
Find your favorite fruit from the store or stock up on whatever is on sale and tasty ripe each week. Wash the fruit and peel if necessary. Cut into bite size chunks or desired garnish shapes. Cookie cutters help to make some interesting theme shapes. As an example, melon can be cut into garnishes that look like flowers for floating in a punch bowl. Melon ball scoops work great for making the right bite size shapes also.
Fruit that is ripe and firm are the best for food sealing whole for snacks or garnishes. If you find you have fruit that is mushy ripe or you have a lot of left over juices, don't be concerned. These can be blended and frozen in ice cube trays for either drink ice cubes or popsicles. If making popsicles cover the ice cube tray, after filling, tightly with plastic wrap and insert a toothpick into each cube section. The plastic wrap will keep the toothpicks upright for freezing. The ice cubes can then be removed from the trays after frozen and sealed in food sealer bags to keep fresh until you wish to enjoy.
When freezing the fruit, you can either package each fruit separately or mix the fruit on a bag by bag basis. It is best to minimize any juice getting in the bags as this will cause the fruit to stick together and cause problems when sealing the bag. It is possible to put the fruit into regular plastic bags first and then put those plastic bags into one larger vacuum food sealer bag. However care must be taken to remove all air from the regular plastic bags or you could get freezer burn. Fill the food sealer bags to the desired quantity and seal. Note: it is best to try to vacuum seal the fruit in flat layers in the bag to better allow you to remove the desired quantity from the bag and reseal to put any remaining fruit back in the freezer if not using the entire bag at one time.
Kids and adults will enjoy these quality fresh frozen fruit treats as snacks or garnishes on those hot summer days to stay cool.
Find your favorite fruit from the store or stock up on whatever is on sale and tasty ripe each week. Wash the fruit and peel if necessary. Cut into bite size chunks or desired garnish shapes. Cookie cutters help to make some interesting theme shapes. As an example, melon can be cut into garnishes that look like flowers for floating in a punch bowl. Melon ball scoops work great for making the right bite size shapes also.
Fruit that is ripe and firm are the best for food sealing whole for snacks or garnishes. If you find you have fruit that is mushy ripe or you have a lot of left over juices, don't be concerned. These can be blended and frozen in ice cube trays for either drink ice cubes or popsicles. If making popsicles cover the ice cube tray, after filling, tightly with plastic wrap and insert a toothpick into each cube section. The plastic wrap will keep the toothpicks upright for freezing. The ice cubes can then be removed from the trays after frozen and sealed in food sealer bags to keep fresh until you wish to enjoy.
When freezing the fruit, you can either package each fruit separately or mix the fruit on a bag by bag basis. It is best to minimize any juice getting in the bags as this will cause the fruit to stick together and cause problems when sealing the bag. It is possible to put the fruit into regular plastic bags first and then put those plastic bags into one larger vacuum food sealer bag. However care must be taken to remove all air from the regular plastic bags or you could get freezer burn. Fill the food sealer bags to the desired quantity and seal. Note: it is best to try to vacuum seal the fruit in flat layers in the bag to better allow you to remove the desired quantity from the bag and reseal to put any remaining fruit back in the freezer if not using the entire bag at one time.
Kids and adults will enjoy these quality fresh frozen fruit treats as snacks or garnishes on those hot summer days to stay cool.
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