Freezing summer fruits that normally don't freeze well

I have these wonderful pears, from one of our trees, that we harvested just 10 days ago. I am keeping most of them in the fridge, and ripening just a few at a time, in a bowl on the table. They're absolutely beautiful. When I tried freezing pears once before, the thawed pears turned to mush. From what I have read, pears are not typically selected for freezing. Neither are melons.

Then I remembered what my mom used to do with summer melons, particularly cantaloupe and honeydew. She made melon balls and froze them in a light syrup. When we ate them, she served them partially frozen. They melted in our mouths, like a spoonful of sorbet.

So, I began thinking, I could freeze pears in a syrup, and serve partially frozen, and avoid the thawed mush. I looked through cookbooks, and visited extension offices online, and found you could freeze pears in a 40% solution (3 cups sugar and 4 cups water).

Freezing works best with summer pears, picked still green and ripened at room temperature, in a dark place, like a pantry. You wash, peel, core and quarter or halve pears, as if for canning. Bring to a boil, a 40% sugar solution. Simmer the prepared pears for 1 to 2 minutes. Remove the pears from the syrup, and place in freezer containers. Allow to cool. Pour cooled syrup over pears, adding 1/2 teaspoon ascorbic acid per quart of pears, to prevent discoloration. And freeze.

I have a dozen of my largest pears now ripening in the pantry, for the next few days. I'll freeze these and see how we like them served partially thawed. If we enjoy these, freezing a few pears could give us a nice change from the usual oranges, apples and other home-frozen fruit from our garden, in winter.

And what about melons?

To freeze melons, use firm melons (not overripe or mushy). Make into balls with a melon baller tool. Prepare a very light syrup in proportions of 1 cup of sugar to 1 quart of water. Cool. Place melons balls into freezer containers, leaving a bit of headroom for expansion (1/2-inch to 1-inch). Cover with the very light syrup. And freeze. Serve partially thawed (ice crystals should still be on the balls).

Fruit packed in sugar syrup should keep well, frozen, for 1 year to 1 & 1/2 years.

How to make a phenomenal salad dressing for pennies -- blackberry vinegar

One of the ways that I save on my grocery bill, is to make salad dressing from scratch, instead if buying bottles of pre-made dressing. I favor vinaigrettes over creamy dressings, just a preference. But also, depending on the quality of oil used, vinaigrettes are often far less expensive to make than a mayo/sour cream dressing.

I can take a homemade, flavored vinegar and plain salad oil, and create a fantastic salad dressing for pennies, in a few seconds. Most of the time, I mix up the dressing in the bottom of the salad bowl, just before adding the greens. It's a simple process. A bit of flavored vinegar, pinch of salt (pinch of sugar, if making a fruity dressing), salad oil and black pepper. Stir briskly, with the salad spoon, to emulsify. Pennies, just pennies!

Every summer, I make several flavors of vinegar. Chive blossom, rosemary-thyme, and at least 1 berry vinegar (raspberry and blueberry having been my previous favorites). Once infused, I just keep my vinegars on the kitchen counter. They add beauty to my work space, and sit there reminding me to use them.

I decorate the bottles with ribbon, raffia and sometimes labels, in part because it's just prettier, but also it helps me differentiate between each flavor with just a glance.

This summer, both the blueberries and raspberries had a small crop in our gardens. But wild blackberries are everywhere in abundance. So blackberry vinegar -- here's your chance to dazzle me!

Blackberry and raspberry vinegars are made with the same method, simple infusion. The proportions are 1 part raspberries or blackberries, to 2 parts white vinegar.

So, for 1 pint of bramble berry vinegar:

1 cup rinsed berries

2 cups white vinegar

In a sterilized 1 quart jar, place raspberries/blackberries and vinegar. Use either a plastic lid (ones from mayo and peanut butter jars seem to fit regular mouth canning jars, here in the US), or lay a small piece of plastic wrap over the opening of the canning jar, then add the ring to hold it in place.

Blackberry vinegar just after adding berries to plain white vinegar

I keep the infusing vinegar in the fridge for about 4 weeks. After 4 weeks, I strain out the berries (which by now look quite bloated and unappetizing), and decant the flavored vinegar into a clean narrow-necked bottle.

I like the look of a cleaned out, repurposed bottle with a cork. Packages of corks can be purchased, inexpensively, at kitchenware shops or in the cooking/kitchen section of import stores, such as Cost Plus World Market.

Using berry vinegar

Berry vinaigrette

2 tablespoons berry vinegar

pinch salt

1 tsp sugar

4 tablespoons salad oil (can be a mixture of olive and any salad oil, or simply salad oil)

1/2 to 1 teaspoon orange zest (optional, but adds a fresh zing)

You can, also, do as I often do, just mix a bit in the bottom of the salad bowl. Use 1 part vinegar to 2 parts oil. Add a pinch each of salt and sugar. Stir to emulsify.

A typical autumn salad for our family: red and green leaf lettuce, chopped fresh pears, and sliced almonds, dressed with a berry vinaigrette.

Creamy berry dressing for fruity salads

For fruit-salad dressing, I like something creamy, but with a bit of tang. Some mayo, whipped cream, and/or vanilla yogurt, and some berry vinegar. If just using mayo, I add a pinch of sugar to bring out the sweetness of the berry infused vinegar.

Marinades

Berry vinegars make delectable marinades for chicken breasts. Make a batch of the berry vinaigrette (omit orange zest), add a tablespoon of chopped fresh rosemary, and a dash of black pepper. Pour over  chicken breasts, and allow to marinate in the fridge for 30-60 minutes. Then grill to doneness. Simply delicious! I understand that berry vinegar marinades are also delicious on salmon and pork. Google "salmon" or "pork" and "raspberry vinegar", and a bunch of recipes will pop up.


One last thought, it may be August, but the holidays are just around the corner. Bottles of infused vinegar make lovely gifts for the hostess, or holiday friendship gifts.