How do we preserve fruit and vegetables for the winter?

Summer brings us an abundance of delicious fruits and vegetables, rich in energy and vitamins beneficial to our health. Since we all want to enjoy the flavor and nutrition of these foods for as long as possible, it’s especially important to make the most of this harvest season by preserving these produce so we can enjoy them even in the colder months. The most common methods for preserving fruits and vegetables include: freezing; canning into sauces, juices, jams, etc.; drying; and (for vegetables) salting.

Preservation by freezing

Freezing fruit and vegetables is one of the classic preservation methods. However, the “storage” method can make the difference between a failed block and a successful one. First of all we must pay attention to the consistency of the product we want to freeze. For example, small fruits such as raspberries, blueberries, currants, strawberries, have a relatively soft texture and, once frozen, can be crushed and lose their flavor. As for vegetables, if stored improperly in the freezer, they have every chance of giving or taking away the flavor of other foods like meat, cheese or fish, and no one wants that.

Storing fruit and vegetables in plastic bags has proven to be an ineffective method, because the bags can break and small fruits or vegetables can fall into the freezer and therefore we will not be able to consume them. This means wasted time and money.

An alternative to preserving during freezing is to place fruit and vegetables in small saucepans with lids, so that they can be consumed whole after defrosting (one portion). This is a hygienic and practical method, but if you don’t have a large fridge or freezer you won’t be able to store much.

An effective method for freezing fruits and vegetables is Vidar They. Thus, whether it is raw or cooked products, sliced ​​or diced, you can put them in bags that you can then see to best preserve their taste and properties. Home appliance manufacturers offer us a wide range of vacuum cleaners, the prices are affordable and they pay for themselves quickly.

Demax makes you available the Concept Fresh vacuum cleanerwhich has an excellent quality-price ratio and which you can use not only to preserve fruit and vegetables, but also to vacuum other food products (meat, fish, cheese, etc.).

If you choose to vacuum-pack food, you can say goodbye to ice crystals that alter the flavor of vegetables or fruit and, implicitly, you will minimize the amount of food that ends up in the bin. Furthermore, through the vacuum process, the bacteria “responsible” for altering the taste, appearance and consistency of foods will be blocked. The vacuum device extracts the air from the bags and seals them, thus preserving the aroma, freshness, taste and prolonging the life of all foods for later consumption.

Of course, freezing fruit or vegetables does not give them an unlimited “life” time, but to be effective and consume them it is possible to put labels with the name of the product and the freezing date. This way you will be able to consume frozen foods sooner and thus avoid the risk of throwing them away.

Here is the optimal time frame in which you can consume frozen fruits and vegetables:

Preservation by dehydration

Drying fruits and vegetables is one of the oldest preservation methods. Our great-grandparents did not have freezers, so they resorted to drying fruits and vegetables from the summer and autumn harvest. Unlike traditional methods, currently fruits and vegetables are dried with the help of dryers. Dehydrators they are appliances that allow dehydration at a controlled temperature and in a chosen time interval.

Preserved using the dehydration method, fruit and vegetables retain their taste and nutritional qualities. Furthermore, using this method reduces the volume of fruit and vegetables, which in this way can be stored taking up less space.

Which vegetables and fruits can be dehydrated? From fruits such as apples, apricots, tomatoes, cherries, cherries, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, blackberries, plums, to vegetables such as peppers, eggplants, root vegetables or even mushrooms.

After dehydration, fruits and vegetables must be protected from moisture or light sources. It is best to store them in empty bags, special jars or canvas bags. Dehydrated fruit can be consumed as is or you can include it in various preparations: from cakes to the most varied dishes. Also, if you are a fan of Raw cooking, a fruit and vegetable dehydrator will be more than useful to you.

There is a variety of them on the market dehydratedwhich will help you get the best results. Enter Demax and discover the available products and take advantage of the best offers!

Preservation of fruit and vegetables in the form of sauce, juice or jam

Processing fruit and vegetables and making sauces, jams, compotes or juices is perhaps the most common way of preserving fruit and vegetables.

When it comes to sauces, broth it is a favorite, and if it is prepared at home, the taste and flavor it gives to the food will be undeniable. Although seemingly difficult to prepare at home, requiring time and energy, some steps in the preparation process can be significantly reduced. After blanching and peeling the tomatoes, instead of passing them through the food processor, you can use a mana blender or one vertical mixer. You will thus obtain a pasta that you can cook directly, adding salt, pepper or other favorite spices. Simple, quick and tasty!

If you opt for preparation of juicesyou can use a fruit and vegetable press. For example, Zelmer soft fruit and vegetable press compatible with everyone Zelmer shreddersin addition to having an extremely affordable price, it is also very efficient. How does it work? Nothing simpler. First of all, you connect it to a Zelmer chopper, insert the fruit into the compartment specially designed for this purpose, and by pressing a button you will get fresh and delicious juice. It is designed according to the principle of cold pressing, so during the preparation of juice the very valuable fiber contained in the molecules of the fruit is not destroyed. The press is ideal for pressing berries such as grapes, raspberries, blackberries, strawberries, currants, kiwis, blueberries and some soft vegetables such as tomatoes, being perfectly suitable for preparing tomato juice. If you want to enjoy the fresh taste of fruits or tomatoes in the off-season, go to Demax and order Zelmer soft fruit and vegetable press!

classic gem it can be consumed at any time, enjoying both children and adults. Consumed both for breakfast and as a filling for pancakes or cakes, jam is one of the favorite ways to preserve fruit. Jam can be made with almost any fruit, but how can you preserve it for as long as possible?

We all know that sterilizing jars is one of the most important steps. If they are not sterilized correctly there is a risk that the jars will “take in air”. Once inside the jar, the air will lead to the formation of mold and implicitly the alteration of the taste.

To sterilize the jars you need to place them either in hot water or in the oven, but if you don’t know what the optimal temperature is there is the risk that the jars will not sterilize perfectly or even worse, they will break. That is why manufacturers of kitchen appliances have come to the aid of housewives. ON Demax FIND Electric jar sterilizer Conceptwith a capacity of 27 liters (capacity of 11 jars of 720 ml or 34 jars of 370 ml). The sterilizer gives you the possibility to set the desired time and temperature and, thanks to the timer, you will not have to check the time because the acoustic signal will alert you when the temperature has reached the set point.

Preservation of vegetables in the form of greens

A very simple method of preserving vegetables for the winter, which does not require sterilization, is to preserve them in the form of greens. This method involves chopping vegetables, usually root vegetables and parsley, and adding salt. So far everything is very simple. However, if you opt for more varieties of vegetables (carrots, celery, peppers, donuts, parsnips, etc.) and want to make larger supplies, we recommend using a food processor. Using a food processor does not alter the quality or taste of the vegetables and you will save a lot of time. Demax makes you available food processors from Philips and Boschequipped with different accessories for cutting and chopping suitable for different types of vegetables.

Stock up for the cold season and enjoy the flavor and nutritional qualities of seasonal fruits and vegetables! Enter Demax and discover the best offers on kitchen appliances that will significantly lighten your efforts!