- Begin by thoroughly cleaning and drying fruit. Wash in cold running water. Place fruit in a single layer on a fresh dish towel to allow dryness. Fruit will need to be completely dry before the freezing process begins, or fruit may develop freezer burn.
- The next step depends on how you expect your fruit when you are using it. Example: sliced, diced or in wedges. If you are using the fruit for smoothies then you will want to aim for a rough chop or wedges. Below are some common examples to guide you per fruit.
-Cherries: remove stems, pits, leave whole or slice in halves.
-Plums, peaches, nectarines: remove pits and cut into chunks.
-Raspberries, blueberries: these can be left whole
-Melons: slice into chunks and remove rinds. You can also scoop rounds from the melon.
-Pears, apples: core and cut into slices.
- Once fruit is sliced, diced and wedged to perfection line your baking sheet with parchment paper. Create a single layer of fruit on tray. Avoid layering fruit where it is touching. This will allow fruit to freeze individually instead of all together.
- After fruit is arranged on baking tray, freeze fruit until they are solid, about 4-5 hours. Make sure to remove after that time to prevent freezer burn
- Once frozen, create and label freezer bags/containers. Begin with the name and amount of fruit being stored in that bag. Seal bags and containers tightly and return to freezer. Fruit should last about 3 months.