What is the best way to freeze carambola?

[stressbaby]

I intend to make carambola wine in a few weeks.  I will not have enough ready without freezing some of them.
I read only that I can slice them and freeze them on a cookie sheet.  Alternatively I can purée the fruit and freeze them as ice cubes. 
Which is better?  Are the other methods?

[natsgarden123]

Read this link- it says how to freeze any and all fruit- excellent source -
 

http://pickyourown.org/allaboutcanning.htm#freezing

[phucvu]

why freeze them at all?

if you have a container of some kind, you can slice them up, then put a layer of fruit to a layer of sugar, then just add more layers when you have more.

i don't drink at all, but i love making this homemade wine where you know what's going in it.  whereas watching tv all the winemakers never seem to wash their grapes, just pluck and then straight to the extractor with all the bird droppings, spiders, their eggs, and many other things. the nastiest thing would be the ones with people stomping the grapes with their barefeet, hooray, for foot fungus.

[fruitlovers]

I intend to make carambola wine in a few weeks.  I will not have enough ready without freezing some of them.
I read only that I can slice them and freeze them on a cookie sheet.  Alternatively I can purée the fruit and freeze them as ice cubes. 
Which is better?  Are the other methods?

I've never done it, but what's wrong with just freezing them whole?
 BTW, i pickle them whole. You can also slice and pickle.

[Central Floridave]

"why freeze them at all?"

I just want to relay that I gave a bunch of carambola to some wine makers a couple years ago and they said freezing the fruit first helps in the wine making process. I can't remember if it was for the taste or for easier processing.  I think they said it breaks down the enzymes or something.    Their wine was pretty good. 

[phucvu]

hmm, usually you freeze things to prevent them from breaking down.

anyway, i'm just saying that the process can be started right now with the available fruits, then add more later.

[Central Floridave]

found this from a google search. I was wondering why the carambola winemakers froze the fruit first.  They were adamant about it. Although I'm not a wine maker I am just curious:

"Freeze the fruit: Probably the best tip we can give is freeze and thaw the fruit at least once - several times is even better. It breaks down the cells allowing the flavour to be extracted by the yeast. It also allows one to collect enough together for a sensible batch and to be able to blend."


Tips and the Basics of Winemaking

http://www.pcurtis.com/homewine.htm

[phucvu]

seems like a lot of work for basically the same result.

mine is way simpler, no yeast, just sugar.

[stressbaby]

found this from a google search. I was wondering why the carambola winemakers froze the fruit first.  They were adamant about it. Although I'm not a wine maker I am just curious:

"Freeze the fruit: Probably the best tip we can give is freeze and thaw the fruit at least once - several times is even better. It breaks down the cells allowing the flavour to be extracted by the yeast. It also allows one to collect enough together for a sensible batch and to be able to blend."


Tips and the Basics of Winemaking

http://www.pcurtis.com/homewine.htm

Central Floridave, thanks so much for that link!  Actually it makes perfect sense.  Repeated freeze/thaw creates ice crystals within cells which break down cell walls, allowing more flavor to be drawn from the fruit.  I did this with my last batch of guava wine and the wine is full and rich with the aroma of the guava.  My plan is to slice and freeze the carambola.  I will report back...

[bsbullie]

"why freeze them at all?"

I just want to relay that I gave a bunch of carambola to some wine makers a couple years ago and they said freezing the fruit first helps in the wine making process. I can't remember if it was for the taste or for easier processing.  I think they said it breaks down the enzymes or something.    Their wine was pretty good.

If its at all like wine from grapes, freezing will actually give you a sweeter wine...many US and some Canadian ice wines are a process from freezing the grapes (as opposed to letting them freeze on the vines prior to harvest).  I would do some research on how to best make ice wine (from grapes) and follow that.  Not only does it increase the brix but the process concentrates the flavors.  I know the key is that the grapes are pressed while still frozen so that the water crystals in the grapes stay frozen and only the prime "nectar" is pressed out for use in the wine.  You will get less quantity but much higher quality.

[stressbaby]

Ice wine...excellent!  Thanks, Rob, I'm off to do some more reading...

[fyliu]

if you have a container of some kind, you can slice them up, then put a layer of fruit to a layer of sugar, then just add more layers when you have more.

Phuc, I have done this with extra grapes a few years back and it worked well. The difference is the grapes became more alcholic than the liquid on the outside. Which way you choose to go depends on whether you want only the liquid wine or wine along with the fruits.