Wash first, put on cookie sheet, put in freezer, then bag the berries, put back in freezer. If you don't wash them first, then you can just throw them in a bag, put directly into your freezer......then wash them when your ready to use them.....while still frozen. I'm not sure there's a correct way...washing first seems to keep any contaminates out of your freezer....:0) So it's the preferred method and more fool proof than trying to remember to wash them later.....

The 'official' recommendation is to freeze them unwashed, then wash before using.

I don't do it that way. I wash and pick through them when I bring them home. Then I line a jelly roll pan with several thicknesses of paper towel, put a few handfuls of blueberries on, shake the pan a few times so they roll and dry thoroughly. At that point, you can put them on a clean, dry jelly roll pan and freeze, then pop in a plastic bag, but I don't have any problem with just popping them into a bag once they're dry and freezing. As long as they're really dry, they seem to freeze separately.

I much prefer washing them before freezing, so that when you want them, they're ready to use.

When I make pancakes I put a few , still frozen, in each pancake and they sort of "burst" as they cook and they are so good !

I usually freeze several gallons at a time (I did 7 gallons this year) and don't have enough counter space to wash and dry them, so I freeze them immediately and worry about washing them later. I use freezer zip locks and they stay hard as rocks and are loose in the bags, not clumped at all.

I grappled with this too when I bought extra blueberries to freeze for the muffins.
I did an online search and most sites said not to wash them before freezing. A few said to wash but seperate before bagging them.
Then I looked on the container the BB's came in and it said do not wash prior to using, apparently they must get soft faster or something??? So I didn't. Just froze 7 or 8 hours in a single layer on cookie sheets. Then put 1 cup in each zip lock bag to freeze.
I can wash in hot water and thaw and clean them at the same time when I am ready to use them.

I freeze mine just like azzalea. I bought 1/2 flat when they were in season here in May and they really needed picked through. I froze them on a cookie sheet then bagged and sealed them in two cup portions because that's what my pie recipe calls for.

Thanks, everyone. The reason I didn't think that washing them after freezing (just before using) is because I thought you're supposed to use frozen berries frozen....or else when thawed they bleed, turn the batter blue, and fall apart. I can understand making sure that they're separate and don't freeze together if washed before hand.

I think, for me, the way azzalea described will work the best. I just love blueberries. I'm looking forward to making the muffins and using the berries throughout the winter.

I never wash blueberries before I freeze them. When I need to use the frozen berries I put them into a colander and run them under a spray to rinse them but not to defrost them. I pick berries ever year and measure 4 cups of berries into a freezer bag and toss them into the freezer. I take out only what I need for a recipe or to eat frozen.

Anne

I don't wash them until I use them. I just pour them into baggies and freez 'em.

One year I had great success with this, but last winter I guess our freezer had too long a 'thaw' cycle at some point 'cause the berries got mushy and I had to pitch them. (I don't have a separate chest freezer, just the 'other half' of my fridge.)

Don't wash before freezing. You don't even have to lay them out on a cookie sheet. Just dump them into freezer bags or containers. They won't really freeze together in a big lump (some will stick to each other). You can measure them out by the cupful when they are frozen. I grew up picking blueberries with my parents and that's how they froze them.

I wash them first very gently and lay them on a towel to dry. I don't want to freeze them unwashed in case they've been sprayed with pesticides. When you use blueberries after they've been frozen they tend to weep and the skin is more fragile so I don't want to wash them then and risk breaking more.

I;ve been growing my own blueberries since forevah.. and never ever wash before freezing. I just freeze them right off the bush, picked through for sticks, leaves, etc.. and put them in 1 lbs. plastic bags and pop them in the freezer. My berries are all organic, not ever sprayed at all, so are pretty clean. I do wash what berries I take out to use from the freezer.. place them in a colander or strainer and use your sprayer and just give them a nice bath and voia.. done and ready to use.

If you wash first, you run the risk of not having them totally dry and they will stick together and can form a very hard brick like sack of berries.

Thats the way we do it..

Kitt

I always wash mine first,lay them out on paper towels to dry,then place on cookie sheets to freeze,then pop in freezer bags.This makes it easier for me in the end as i just grab a few in the mornings and put in my yogurt frozen,let it set a few minutes while i'm reading the paper,then enjoy.

I'm retired,so i have time for all this,LOL,LOL
kathi

Silly me, I never wash them. Haven't they been washed before they were packaged?

They look clean to me, so I just measure out what I want and mix them in to whatever I'm making. I put them on cereal or eat them out of hand.

Tomorrow I'll be buying some; I want to make Ivamae's muffins.

Am I the only one who doesn't wash them? Or brave enough to admit it?

Sue

We do the same as sue_va. Never even thought about washing them. Extra freezer is so stuffed with blueberries it looks like DH has cornered the market. He buys pre-frozen when fresh are not available. Me? I don't care for blueberries.
Noni

Here is a link that might be useful: my blog: Life, before and after