I just picked a whole bunch of blueberries & can't remember if you wash them first & then freeze them or freeze them first & then wash them as you use them. Help me out please?

I do a gentle dip for berries before freezing to get rid of bugs or fuzzies, drain thoroughly, then freeze in single layer on parchment paper before storing in ziplock baggies. For fuzzier berries like rasp/blackberries, I dip a couple times in changes of water.

Thanks Deb!

Our Blueberry Farm says don't wash them, in fact freeze them as dry as you can get them. Keeps for 2 years.

I have never frozen blueberries. But they sure would be nice to have in the winter.

If you freeze them as Deb says, in layers on parchment, they will be loose in the container so you can use and defrost only as much as you need.

Thanks Cheryl. They are in the freezer as we speak. I didn't wash them, just put them in a colander & sifted through to get any stems & such off & dumped them in a gal. ziplock & stuck them in the freezer.

We lightly wash them and then spread them out on a flour sack cloth towel to dry. Once dry we put them on cookie sheets in a single layer deep and freeze like that. Once they are frozen we pour them into a clean pillow case which is stashed in the bottom of the freezer. Then whenever we want blueberries, we open the pillow case and scoop out however many we want. Works perfectly!

Good idea with the pillowcase! Hadn't thought about that. I also find if the berries do end up clumping together, a good whack on the edge of the counter will usually separate them.

I often have to whack my frozen veggies to get them separated. Nothing to it.

I use the big knife sharpener thingy to whack things with. What are those things called anyway? I'm having a brain freeze.

Googled it. It's called a sharpening steel. Duh. You know, those long steel rods with the handle on them.

No, never heard of them. I must be really old fashioned !

C'mon Rita, you know these things. They are from "our" day. Not the new fangled electric jobs.

Take a look:
http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UT...

My can opener is the manual type. Not sure what I have to do to sharpen knives. I have this soapstone stuff that you just pass the knife over flatways.

Whett stone.

The blueberries froze fine & dandy & no blueberry "rocks". I can pull out 5 or 50 without having to break them up.
Life is good.

Hurray Anne. Now you can use them as needed.

Arlene, thanks. That is it. I couldn't remember.