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Getting the Seeds out of Berry Sauces Here’s a word on berries, and a video to show how to get the seeds out of berry sauces. Straining the Seeds out of Berry Sauces When you visit a local market in summer, you’ll see containers of colorful berries stacked high.
Strawberries are the first to appear in early spring and have all but disappeared by mid summer. Tiny wild varieties, sweet as candy, will make an appearance in late summer. In the meantime, there are blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries of various colors: these nutritional powerhouses, packed with vitamins, antioxidants and fiber, appear in markets in July, and last all the way through September. The late harvest berries are often the most delicious. Combined with early harvested pears, raspberries can be the chief ingredient in tantalizing cobblers and compotes. First-of-the-season apples and blackberries make a succulent combination as well. Treat berries with care. Blueberries are sturdy and last a couple of weeks, but the other “seedier” types last only a couple of days in the refrigerator. It’s best to wash berries right before eating. Raspberries and blackberries are especially delicate; moisture makes them mold quickly. Rinse these berries very carefully and dry them gently on paper towels; you can even roll raspberries on a damp cloth to clean them and dislodge any insects. You can make your berries last longer by freezing or pureeing them. To freeze, lay them on a tray in a single layer and place in the freezer. After a couple of hours, pile the frozen pieces into a freezer bag. I love having a selection of frozen berries available to use when I please. When I don’t have a stash of berries that I have frozen myself, I purchase organic brands (Cascadian Farms, for example) that are readily available at you local store. Fresh sauces, or coulis, are especially delicious when made out of berries. These tasty sauces are wonderful to have on hand even when the temperatures have dropped outside. Once the berries are pureed, however, those little seeds found in strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries can seem quite prominent. There’s no need to put up with those pesky seeds when there’s a nifty little trick for quickly straining them out. Here’s what you do: If the berries are frozen, defrost them first. Blend them (with all the defrosted juice) with a little water, then pour the mix into a strainer set over a bowl. You’ll notice that, at first, the puree just sits in the strainer, not budging at all. With the bottom of a ladle, swirl the fruit in a circular motion against the strainer. The puree goes through the strainer in seconds, leaving the seeds caught in the basket. With a spatula, be sure to scrape all the good pulp that is caught on the underside of the strainer. To turn the pulp into a sauce, add a splash of maple syrup, a bit of vanilla and lemon juice. Now you’re got a berry sauce that is smooth and delicious. Share on Facebook and Twitter | Fruit, ingredients, Kitchen Tips | 5 comments
5 responses to “Getting the Seeds out of Berry Sauces”Leave a Reply
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Omg thank you for this great and fast tip.
So glad you like this tip!!
This method of de-seeding is INCREDIBLE. Fast, easy, thorough,inexpensive (no fancy power tools). All seeds are trapped in a yucky paste to throw away and I’M left with a bowl of lovely raspberry sauce.
Great!!
So glad you’re as excited about this handy kitchen tip as I am!
Thank you so much! I had my wisdom teeth out a week ago and am living on a liquid diet for a while. I want strawberries in my smoothies but can’t risk the seeds getting stuck in the extractions sites. This is a life saver!