Strawberry is rightfully one of the most beloved berries. It has many advantages: juicy, tasty, fragrant, rich in vitamins, micro and macro elements. Strawberries support immunity (especially useful for children and the elderly). A small amount of calories makes this berry attractive for diet. Unfortunately, the strawberry season is transient, and vitamins are needed all year round. Proper harvesting of strawberries for the winter (freezing) will allow you to extend this season and feast on tasty and healthy berries until the new harvest.
Did you know? The berry, which we all used to call strawberries since childhood, is actually a strawberry (pineapple) strawberry. Pineapple strawberry (Fragária ananássa) with our usual taste and smell is a hybrid that was obtained in Holland in the middle of the XYIII century as a result of crossing virgin strawberry and Chilean strawberry. The word "strawberry" (from Staroslav. "Club" - "ball", "round") is traced in the Russian, Belarusian, Ukrainian lands since the XYII-XYIII centuries. So called wild plant Fragária moscháta. When pineapple strawberries appeared in this region (in the middle of the 19th century), it ousted the smaller and sour predecessor, and the people began to call it “strawberries”.
The benefits of frozen strawberries
If we consider the question of how useful frozen strawberries are, then it should be recalled that when fruits and vegetables are frozen, more vitamins and nutrients are stored than during cooking, sterilization, drying, etc. Properly frozen berries contain the same vitamin composition, the same caloric content as and fresh. After defrosting strawberries are used in the same way as unfrozen: you can just eat berries, you can add them to other dishes and drinks, use them as fillings for pies, make cosmetic face masks, etc. Vitamins in frozen strawberries retain all their properties. 
100 g of strawberries contain a daily dose of vitamin C. According to the content of vitamin B9, strawberries exceed grapes, raspberries and other fruits. Fresh strawberries have a beneficial effect because they have:
- anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties (well helps with colds and inflammatory processes of the nasopharynx, with cholelithiasis, diseases of the joints, etc.);
- ability to regulate blood sugar;
- high iodine content (useful for treating the thyroid gland);
- high iron content (used to treat anemia);
Important! When frozen (especially fast), the vitamins in fresh strawberries are practically not destroyed. Store frozen products should be no more than 10-12 months (after a year of storage when defrosting, some vitamins are lost).
Selection of strawberries for freezing
For freezing it is important to select the berries correctly. It does not matter how you are going to freeze strawberries for the winter (whole, in the form of strawberry puree, with sugar, etc.), it does not matter whether you buy strawberries in the market or collect them in your garden, there are general rules that you shouldn’t neglect worth it. They guarantee you that frozen strawberries will be delicious, and the benefits of it - the maximum. 
For freezing should be selected strawberries:
- ripe, but not overripe and without spoiling (over-ripened strawberries will spread when thawed, may give a "drunk" flavor. Alternatively, overripe strawberries (but without rotten straws) are suitable for making and freezing strawberry puree);
- dense and dry (less water - less ice, which will dilute strawberry juice when defrosting, will affect the taste);
- medium size (freezes faster and better);
- fragrant and sweet (after defrosting you get both flavor and sweetness). Determining this is not difficult - you need to smell and try;
- fresh. The freshness is indicated by the elasticity of the berries, luster, green tails on the berries and strawberry flavor. Owners of dachas and gardens are recommended to pick strawberries early in the morning (until the dew has fallen) or in the evening at sunset.
Important! Frozen strawberries are quite vulnerable (improper defrosting can cause great harm to vitamins and beneficial properties of strawberries), so you should know how to properly defrost them. It is strictly impossible to defrost strawberries in the microwave (destroys molecules and kills vitamins) or in hot water (vitamin C will suffer). Proper defrosting is gradual, first in the fridge (on the top shelf), then at room temperature.
Preparing strawberries before freezing
Before freezing strawberries should be prepared: overripe, rotted and damaged berries to choose. Remaining - to wash. Some gardeners have advised not to wash strawberries grown on their own plots, but to blow them with a hair dryer, in order not to damage the protective film on berries that protect strawberries from bacteria. However, the fact is that the most dangerous are not the bacteria, but the helminth eggs, which can be in the ground and get when watering or when it rains on the berries. It is necessary to wash strawberries in stagnant water, in a large bowl (washing in a colander under the tap is undesirable - berries will be damaged, juice will go) in small portions (so as not to crush each other). During washing, remove the stem. If you plan to freeze whole berries, then it is better to leave them - strawberries will keep their shape well and will not lose juice.
Washed berries are best neatly laid out on a flannel / paper towel or plywood sheet to dry (on paper or wood it is better to put a plastic wrap).
Selection and preparation of dishes for freezing strawberries
Plastic dishes are most suitable for freezing strawberries (a huge assortment of such dishes of various shapes and sizes are on sale). Cellophane or polyethylene are also suitable, but they are easily torn from the cold. The main requirement for the dishes:
- no odor;
- clean;
- dry.
Strawberry Freeze Methods
Strawberry frost - It's not as easy as it seems: folded strawberries in a bag and placed in the freezer. Of course, it is possible to freeze in this way, but the result will not be the same as we would like. There are various ways to freeze strawberries, with the help of which the berries retain their shape, their unique properties, aroma and taste.
Did you know? There are thousands of strawberry varieties in the world (200 years of tireless work by breeders were not in vain). All these varieties are derived from a single hybrid plant - pineapple strawberry.
Frozen whole strawberries
The most appropriate is the use of pre-freeze: prepared dried berries spread one layer on a tray or plate (they should not come into contact with each other). Then the tray is placed for 2-3 hours in the freezer in fast freezing mode ("Super Freeze").
After that, the berries can be put into bags or containers and put in the freezer for further freezing and storage. Such berries will not lose their shape.
If you want to decorate a glass of champagne or sparkling wine, you can freeze the whole berry in the ice. Prepared berries should be put in ice molds, pour clean water and freeze. 
Strawberries with sugar
Before freezing strawberries with sugar, you need to choose the option that is acceptable to you (in time, labor intensity, amount of sugar):
- freezing whole berries with sugar. Per kilogram of berries will need 300 grams of sugar (slightly crushed in a blender or coffee grinder) or powder. Prepared berries (without stem) must be laid out in layers on the bottom of the container, pouring with powdered sugar. Leave for 2-3 hours in the fridge and transfer the strawberries to another container, pouring the syrup into the same place. After that, close the container and freeze in the freezer;
- the same option, but without syrup. Pour berries into powder and immediately freeze them;
- Frozen shredded strawberries with sugar. The ratio of strawberries and sugar is 1 x 1. Prepared strawberries (overripe berries are suitable for this recipe) are poured with sugar and crushed with a blender.
The mixture is placed in containers (plastic cups, ice molds) and frozen. It should be borne in mind that the nutritional value of strawberries frozen in this way increases to 96-100 kcal. 
Important! The optimum temperature for freezing strawberries is from -18 to -23 degrees Celsius. Strawberries frozen at this temperature are stored for 8 to 12 months. When frozen in the range from 5 to 8 degrees below zero, the berries are stored for three months.
Strawberry Puree Frost
From strawberries can be cooked and freeze strawberry puree. Prepared strawberries (without fruit stalks) should be ground with a blender (mince, grind through a sieve, etc.). The resulting mass is placed in containers (cups) and freeze. Sugar can be added after defrosting. 
For a change, they practice pouring pureed strawberries on such mashed potatoes and freezing them. Frozen puree is also great for face masks, lotions and scrubs.
Did you know? Officially, the freezing of products dates back to 1852, when the first patent for freezing meat products in ice-salt solution was issued in England. Fruit began to freeze in 1908 in the USA (Colorado) with containers in large barns. In 1916-1919 German scientist K. Verdsey developed the method of freezing fruits in small retail packages. In 1925, the United States was patented method of "shock" freezing, which offered K. Berdsay (he "spied" him from the Eskimos, who froze the fish at minus 35 degrees Celsius in a strong wind). In 1930, his company, Birds Eye Frosted Foods, began selling meat, fruits and vegetables frozen under a new method. Since the 1950s. With the advent of domestic refrigerators, frozen foods became widespread.
