Freezing Loquats

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Freezing Loquats

Loquats

Preparation - Select firm, ripe loquats. Wash, remove stem, blossom end and seeds.

Syrup Pack - Pack into containers and cover with a 30 percent syrup. Leave headspace. Seal and freeze.

Headspace to Allow Between Packed Food and Closure

Type of Pack	Container with wide top opening		Container with narrow top opening
Type of Pack	Pint	Quart	Pint	Quart
Liquid Pack*	1/2 inch	1 inch	3/4 inch	1-1/2 inch
Dry Pack**	1/2 inch	1/2 inch	1/2 inch	1/2 inch
Juices	1/2 inch	1 inch	1-1/2 inch	1-1/2 inch

*Fruit packed in juice, sugar, syrup or water; crushed or pureed fruit.

**Fruit or vegetable packed without added sugar or liquid.

Syrups for Use in Freezing Fruits

Type of Syrup	Percent Syrup*	Cups of Sugar**	Cups of Water	Yield of Syrup in Cups
Very Light	10%	1/2	4	4 1/2 cups
Light	20%	1	4	4 3/4 cups
Medium	30%	1 3/4	4	5 cups
Heavy	40%	2 3/4	4	5 1/3 cups
Very Heavy	50%	4	4	6 cups

* Approximate

** In general, up to one-fourth of the sugar may be replaced by corn syrup or mild-flavored honey. A larger proportion of corn syrup may be used if a very bland, light-colored typed is selected.

To make the syrup, dissolve sugar in lukewarm water, mixing until the solution is clear. Chill syrup before using.

Use just enough cold syrup to cover the prepared fruit after it has been placed in the container (about 1/2 to 2/3 cup of syrup per pint). To keep fruit under the syrup, place a small piece of crumpled parchment paper or other water-resistant wrapping material on top, and press fruit down into the syrup before sealing the container.

Unsweetend Packs for Freezing Fruits

Dry Pack

The dry pack is good for small whole fruits such as berries, that give a good quality product without sugar. Simply pack the fruit into a container, seal and freeze. A tray pack is an alternative that may make the fruit easier to remove from the container. Simply spread a single layer of prepared fruit on shallow trays and freeze. When frozen, promptly package and return to the freezer. The fruit pieces remain loose and can be poured from the container and the package re-closed. Be sure to package the fruit as soon as it is frozen, to prevent freezer burn.

Other Unsweetened Packs

In addition to a dry pack, unsweetened fruit can be packed in water, unsweetened juice or pectin syrup. Unsweetened packs generally yield a product that does not have the plump texture and good color of those packed with sugar. The fruits freeze harder and take longer to thaw. However, some fruits such as raspberries, blueberries, steamed apples, gooseberries, currants, cranberries, rhubarb and figs give a good quality product without sugar. The pectin syrup is often used for fruits such as strawberries or peaches, that retain their texture better than if frozen in water or juice.

General Information on Freezing * Blanching Vegetables * Apples * Apricots * Artichokes * Asparagus * Avocados * Bacon * Bananas * Beans: Green, Snap, or Wax *

Beans: Lima * Beans: Butter or Pinto * Beets * Blackberries or Dewberries * Blueberries or Huckleberries * Broccoli * Brussels Sprouts * Butter * Cabbage or Chinese Cabbage * Carrots * Cauliflower * Celery * Cheese *

Cherries: Sour * Cherries: Sweet * Citrus Fruits * Clams * Crab * Fresh Coconut * Corn * Cranberries * Currants * Dates * Eggplant *

Eggs * Figs * Fish * Gooseberries * Grapes * Grapes: Muscadine * Greens (including Spinach) * Garlic in Oil * Guavas * Fresh Herbs *

Ice Cream * Kohlrabi * Lemon Curd, Freezer * Lobster * Loquats * Mayhaw Juice * Meats * Mangos * Melons * Mushrooms * Okra *

Onions * Oysters * Edible Pea Pods * Blackeye or Field Peas * Green Peas * Peaches or Nectarines * Pears * Bell or Sweet Peppers * Hot Peppers * Persimmons * Pesto * Pimentos *

Pineapples * Poultry and Game Birds * Plums * Pomegranates * Prepared Foods * New Irish Potatoes * Sweet Potatoes * Pumpkin * Raspberries * Rhubarb * Rutabagas *

Scallops * Shrimp * Sour Cream * Spinach * Chayote Squash * Summer Squash * Winter Squash * Strawberries * Tomatoes *

Green Tomatoes * Turnips or Parsnips * Whipped Cream * Zucchini

These documents were adapted from the "Complete Guide to Home Canning," Agriculture Information Bulletin No. 539, USDA, revised 2009 &
From "So Easy to Preserve", 5th ed. 2006. Bulletin 989, Cooperative Extension Service, The University of Georgia, Athens. Revised by Elizabeth L. Andress. Ph.D. and Judy A. Harrison, Ph.D., Extension Foods Specialists.