If You're Looking For An Alternative Way To Texturize Your Fruits As Snacks, Try The Freezer.
For years, I could not bring myself to accept the fact that various fruit snacks, which I loved pulling off the grocery shelves, offered more sugar than I intended to take in. One day my 20-year old got curious about how fresh blueberries would taste if they were frozen at home as opposed to the purchased ones from the frozen section. He didn't even realize it was already a well-liked snack prepared by health-conscious moms, some of whom blog about it. His efforts became a hit in our household.
I followed up with my own experiment by freezing small cuts of cantaloupe. Another nice snack. Here are the simple steps I use to prepare them:
The Frozen Blueberries
To Start Off:
----- Blueberries
----- 2 Medium to Large Size, Shallow Bowls (Or Food Storage Containers)
----- Paper Towels
----- Purchased or Homemade Fruit Wash (Distilled Water + Vinegar, 2-3 tablespoons of vinegar for every 32 ounces of distilled water)
1... In the bowl/container, thoroughly wash the blueberries. To control portions, divide the blueberries as needed. Wash organic blueberries in distilled water and non-organic blueberries in the fruit wash.
2... Drain them, very gently pad them dry with paper towels and set them aside.
3... Place a thick layer of paper towels at the bottom of the second bowl/container.
4... Transfer the blueberries to that second bowl. Completely dry the first bowl.
5... While the water moisture from the berries are absorbed from he bottom of that second bowl/container, continue to gently pad them.
6... Transfer the berries back to your first bowl/container; or, carefully remove the paper towel lain at the bottom of the bowl/container in which you're padding the blueberries.
7... Place the blueberries into the freezer.
8... After 4-5 hours, the blueberries are ready to be eaten in individual bowls or one by one over the next couple of days!
The Frozen Cantaloupe Cuts
To Start Off:
----- Small Cuts of Cantaloupe in a Container of Any Needed Size (Cut Various Pieces Within Any Desired Diameter)
----- Mini Parchment Cupcake Liners
----- Ice Cube Tray (As Many As You Need To Accommodate Your Volume of Cantaloupe Cuts)
1... Simply spoon each cupcake liner with the cantaloupe cuts.
2... Place each into its own cube space in the ice tray.
3... Finally, freeze for 3-4 hours.
Feel free to share more ideas. I'd love to know for my own projects making snacks at home.