This post may be a little late in the season for most of you but we get lots of emails and questions  about putting up and preserving food for a later date. Berries are one of those things that are so simple. No blanching, no cooking, just wash and freeze. I Enjoy or at least I prefer having fresh picked berries so we are always watching our local farms to be able  pick fresh local strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries. I LOVE raspberries but they are harder for me to find.

When you pick them yourself or get them at the farmer’s market you know they are fresh, have the most nutrients possible for you family and they will taste so much better. So if you get a chance take advantage of these sweet treats when they are in season and freeze so you can  enjoy them  for a long time.

So once you have your fresh berries from the farm, store, or Farmer’s market all you have to do is wash them good and get any stems or leaves off the berries. Then I place them in gallon freezer bags in ONE LAYER (or on a cookie sheet then you can transfer to a bag once they are froze) and freeze once you get the air out. You will want to freeze them laying flat. If they are in just one layer, once they are froze you will be able to pull out as few or as many as you want without them all being in one big clump. I throw these frozen berries into smoothies most often but also into pancakes, or muffins, or cobblers.