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I like to use fresh-picked fruit for my baked goods. I enjoy spending time in the summer going to orchards and picking the fruit by hand. It is really easy to process and store to keep in the freezer for when your craving a batch of blueberry muffins, sourdough rhubarb muffins, or sour cherry bread.
How to preserve fresh picked fruit
- To refrigerate: place in a sealed container for up to 2 weeks.
- To freeze: lay in a single layer on a 1/2 sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Freeze for 1 hour or until solid, and then put them in ziploc bags or vacuum seal them for up to 1 year.
- Canning: follow the USDA Complete Guide to Canning
- Take your own ziploc bags to place the cherries in after you wash them. Take your own coolers or large buckets to transport the berries home, and keep them as cool as possible in your vehicle.
Fruit Picking basics
- It is best to pick fresh fruit early in the morning before the bugs are active and to avoid the sun.
- Wear old shoes because strawberries are grown on the ground in sand and dirt.
- Wear bug spray!
- Be sure to wear long-sleeve shirt to protect your skin from the plants and pants if you plan to kneel down to pick the berries.
- Be sure to wear a long-sleeve shirt, as the bushes can scratch your arm, a hat for shade, and lots of bug spray!
Fruit Season in the Midwest
RHUBARB
Season: late May to early June
- To refrigerate: put rhubarb stalks in an air-tight container and store in the fridge for 1 to 2 weeks.
- To freeze: place chopped rhubarb in a single layer on a 1/2 sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Freeze for 1 hour or until firm, and then place in ziploc bags or vacuum seal them for up to 1 year.
Rhubarb Recipes
STRAWBERRIES
Season: early June
- To refrigerate: hull strawberries and put in an air-tight container such as a large mason jar and put in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.
- To freeze: hull strawberries in a single layer on a 1/2 sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Freeze for 1 hour or until firm, and then place in ziploc bags or vacuum seal them for up to 1 year.
Strawberry Recipes
SOUR CHERRIES
Season: late June to early July
- If your local farm has a cherry pitter, have the cherries pitted, then wash them and put in ziploc bags or air-tight containers.
- If you are going to use within 1 – 2 weeks, put cherries in an air-tight container and refrigerate.
- To freeze the cherries for long-term storage, pour the cherries out onto a single layer on a 1/2 sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Freeze for 1 hour and then place cherries in ziploc bags or vacuum seal them for up to 1 year. You can also just put the bags of cherries straight into the freezer, but they may clump together from the juice.
Cherry Recipes
BLUEBERRIES
Season: late June to early July
- To refrigerate: put them in them in an air-tight container and store in the fridge for 1 to 2 weeks.
- To freeze: place berries in a single layer on a 1/2 sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Do not wash them before freezing, as their natural coating helps preserve freshness. Freeze for 1 hour and then place berries in ziploc bags or vacuum seal them for up to 1 year.
Blueberry Recipes
PEACHES
Season: late July to early August
- To preserve fruit: lay out peaches on parchment or newspaper on a table. Some of the peaches are ready to process while others may need a few days to ripen.
- Remove par-boil in hot water for 20 seconds and then peach skins, remove pit and slice, and sprinkle with a light coating of sugar.
- To refrigerate: place in a sealed container for up to 2 weeks.
- To freeze: lay in a single layer on a 1/2 sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Freeze for 1 hour or until solid, and then put them in ziploc bags or vacuum seal them for up to 1 year.
Peach Recipes
APPLES
Season: late August through September
- After picking apples, store them individually wrapped in newspaper in a cool basement, garage or refrigerator. This will help preserve the shelf life for a few months.
- To freeze: slice apples and lay in a single layer on a 1/2 sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Freeze for 1 hour or until solid, and then put them in ziploc bags or vacuum seal them for up to 1 year.
Apple Recipes
PUMPKINS
Season: late September through October
- Place whole pumpkin on a baking sheet in the oven for 45 minutes. Remove and separate out seeds from pumkin.
- To refrigerate: place in a sealed container for up to 2 weeks.
- To freeze: lay in a single layer on a 1/2 sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Freeze for 1 hour or until solid, and then put them in ziploc bags or vacuum seal them for up to 1 year.
- Canning: follow the USDA Complete Guide to Canning
Pumpkin Recipes
FAQ’s
Is it ok to preserve fruit from the grocery store?
Of course, its just that ready-picked fruit in the store is not peak in freshness as it has traveled far to get there and also lacks flavor as it is picked early to give it time to ripen while in transit.
Can I make pie fillings ahead of time and freeze?
Yes! Homemade pie filling is easy to can. To freeze it, store in a freezer-safe ziploc bag or freezer-safe container 6 months – to one year.
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