Blueberries-Fresh & Frozen

Contributed By: Adventures in Freeze Drying

One pound of blueberries is about 3-3 1/2 cups

Directions:

There are multiple ways to prepare blueberries that will freeze dry well. Some produce a slightly more appealing looking final product but all will freeze dry

Fresh Blueberries

1. Wash blueberries and let dry. Choose a method below to prep them for freeze-drying

• Using a sharp paring knife, cut each blueberry in half. This is very time consuming, but will speed up the freeze drying process considerably and give you the best looking end product. 
• Using a sharp paring knife, simply put a slice through the skin on each berry, not quite as time consuming as cutting in half, takes a little longer to freeze dry, most berries look very nice, a few have some juices kind of leak out and freeze dry on the outside of the berry.
• Using the berry roller tool, simply roll through the blueberries to pierce each berry. This is the fastest prep for fresh berries, these will take the longest of the fresh berries to freeze dry. 
• Blitz them in a food processor.  This is fast but doesn’t always give each berry the same prep                                                                                                                    

2.  Add parchment paper to your trays and spread the blueberries out evenly

Frozen Blueberries

1. Place the frozen blueberries in a colander until completely thawed, rinse
2. Add parchment paper to your trays and spread the blueberries out evenly

Freeze until frozen solid (24+ hours) and Freeze Dry (My cycle time was about 32 hours)

Rehydration: 

Enjoy as a healthy snack or add to oatmeal or granola.

Notes:

These are also great to put in a blender with your favorite smoothies!  High in antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties, no wonder they’re sometimes called a superfood!

Nutritional Value Per 1/4 cup of blueberries 

Calories: 33  Protein: 0 g   Fat: 0 g   Carbohydrates: 7 g   Sugar: 6 g   Fiber: 1 g

Cycle times & rehydration for reference only. Your results may vary.