Storing Fruit

Fruit is here and it's hard keeping up with it all. Rhubarb is long gone and strawberries are getting harder to find. Here are some strategies I've used to keep some of it around a little longer. In some cases, these methods will keep for up to a year, long enough to last you until the next crop is available.

Cherries
frozen pie filling
individually frozen

Strawberries
simple syrup (previous post)
fruit leather
preserves
frozen yogurt

Black Raspberries
infused vodka

Apricots
dried
fruit leather

For strawberry preserves, I used the heirloom preserves recipe in the Ball Blue Book of Canning. Processed in a boiling water bath in 1/2 pint jars, this will keep all year. It is basically whole fruit suspended in a fruity syrup, so it's a great sweetener. I love it stirred into yogurt muesli (I make mine by combining 1/3 cup oatmeal and 2/3 cup plain yogurt the night before) with dried fruit and nuts.

The technique for fruit leather is really the same no matter the fruit. Wash (and pit, if necessary, though I don't bother to peel) and puree in the blender. Then bubble in a sauce pan, adding just enough sugar to round out the flavor if it's a bit tart. Simmer until it thickens a bit, then spread 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick onto a fruit leather tray of your food dehydrator, or you can also line a cookie sheet with plastic wrap and spread it here and leave it in the sun on a hot day covered with cheesecloth to keep the bugs out. Dry until the surface is no longer sticky. Roll up and put in airtight container.

Infusing vodka is also really easy. Clean your fruit and pour vodka over it. Close the container and leave on the counter, shaking it a bit every day for a week. Then strain through a coffee filter or cheesecloth. Use with sparkling water to make a really simple cocktail, or get creative.

Again, I used the Ball Book of Canning recipe for cherry pie filling - basically fruit, sugar and cornstarch, and simmering until thick. Freeze in airtight container (I use a ziplock, pushing out all excess air before sealing). You can put in jars for canning, but I have never made a fruit pie and only made enough for one, so it wasn't worth the trouble. I'll get around to making the pie within the month, I'm sure.