How to Preserve Blueberries (Top 6 Ways)

The blueberry season is fantastic. Picking and storing blueberries is a fun and cost-effective family pastime, regardless of whether you have access to a nearby you-pick blueberry farm or grow your own blueberries on blueberry bushes. I find that many people who pick blueberries find themselves wondering how to preserve blueberries?

So… why would you want to preserve blueberries. In simple, if you have an abundance of them, preserving them will allow you to keep them year round! The best part is you can preserve blueberries in a ton of ways to stock your cupboard with food.

Blueberries are healthful and full of essential nutrients that can help you stay strong and fend against the impacts of environmental pollution. Blueberries, however, also have a relatively brief shelf life.

Therefore, knowing several preservation methods can help you save money and increase the size of your long-term food supply.

If you’re growing your own blueberries you might be interested in building a raised garden bed.

How to Preserve Blueberries

Can Your Blueberries 

Canning blueberries is the finest method for keeping them fresh for a long period. Making blueberry jam is one of my favorite methods.

To have a sense of summer in the winter, you may also bake blueberry pie filling.

It’s simple to preserve blueberries for later use in other dishes by canning them with a little sugar, citric acid, or lemon juice.

Although some websites suggest canning blueberries using the raw pack method, I prefer the hot pack approach. Visit the USDA National Agriculture Library website to learn more about the variations between hot packing and raw packaging in canning.

Invest in a high-quality pressure canner if you’re serious about long-term food preservation. We have an All-American 30-quart.

Dehydrate Your Blueberries 

It’s simple to dehydrate blueberries. It’s a useful strategy to utilize up berries that are damaged. Additionally, you may always have fruit on hand by dehydrating ripe blueberries without using valuable freezer space.

Dan purchased pounds of blueberries at a discount near the conclusion of the blueberry season, and we did this the previous year. However, we gather wild blueberries in the forests in our region of the planet. (Of course, keeping a close eye out for bears.)

Wash your blueberries in cold water first to start the dehydrating process. After that, gently split the skins.

The simplest way to do this is to give each one a few toothpicks or fork pricks. This enables moisture from your berries to evaporate through the barrier skin.

When it comes to blueberries, some people blanch them, but I find that a little poke will do just fine. Give your blueberries plenty of room to breathe as you spread them out on the dehydrator tray in a single layer.

I’m saving for a new dehydrator while we’re talking about them. I also have my eye on the Exalibur 9 Tray Dehydrator.

The airflow distance will expand as they dry, so you just need to leave a few openings around the tray to maintain the spacing.

Blueberries could also be dried in your oven.

Dehydrate for 16 to 20 hours at 135 degrees. Pinching your blueberries between your thumb and forefinger should produce a powdery texture. These can be powdered, added to meals and beverages, added to trail mix, and used in baking.

Freeze Your Blueberries 

The simplest method for preserving blueberries is to place them in the freezer, provided you have the space. Follow these detailed instructions.

Blueberries should be washed in cold water and dried on a fresh towel.

Then, spread them out in a single layer on a prepared cookie sheet (a rimmed baking sheet works well for this because it prevents the cookies from sliding off!)

Before transferring the blueberries to an airtight freezer-safe container or quart-size freezer bags, keep them in the freezer for 2-4 hours. To avoid freezer burn, double bag them. When you’re ready, you can take out as many as you need.

Make Blueberry Syrup 

A pressure canner or water bath canner may not be available to everyone. Some individuals simply don’t care about water bath canning, worrying about a hot jar, needing an additional inch of headspace, or figuring out how to calculate a 7-quart canner load.

If this describes you, you might want to make blueberry syrup. It’s a tasty, traditional recipe that works well in place of homemade or maple syrup for pancakes.

Replace 2 cups of sugar with stevia for an extra-light syrup.

Advice: package this up pretty and give it as a present. Additionally, blueberry vinegar is a lovely gift and goes well with a berry salad. If you don’t want to have to make your own blueberry syrup, this 100% natural one is our go-to!

Freeze Dry Your Blueberries 

I have noticed more and more articles regarding freeze-drying food over the past few years. So it would be wise to learn how to freeze-dried blueberries. To be honest, I haven’t yet attempted this method of blueberry preservation out of the several that exist.

I’m now reading up on freeze dryer buying tips, and I’ll have an article ready in a few weeks.

Try Blueberry Wine 

Discover how to create blueberry wine at home to keep ripe blueberries from going bad!

The Home Winemaker’s Companion has numerous mouthwatering-sounding recipes for handmade berry wines. A thorough lesson on making homemade blueberry wine and other berry wines is included.

Final Thoughts 

So those are the seven methods for preserving blueberries. Which will you test out first?

Why not try them all if you’re feeling daring? The blueberry season may have ended. Or perhaps it’s right around the corner. However, that does not preclude you from savoring these delectable berries all year round.

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