Preserving blueberries for secondary

[Barzahl]

I have 3 pints of fresh blueberries I want to add in secondary to a blueberry mead I have going and was wondering if it would be better to freeze them or dry them?

The mead is 1 gallon orange blossom honey 3 gallons of spring water and 7 pints of blueberries I poured boiling water over then put through a sanitized blender the yeast if lalvin d47. I forgot to take a gravity reading but according to mead calculator after I add the last blueberries it should finish around 13% abv. This is my first melomel so any advice would be appreciated. I usually degass the first 3 days and add half the nutrients on day 3 (the first half I add up front).

 

[bushpilot]

Freeze them.

Freezing is usually considered a good practice, in order to burst the cells, thereby improving juice/flavor extraction.

 

[Barzahl]

Freeze them.

Alright, thank you.

 

[bushpilot]

I added more info after posting my reply, just posting again to make sure you don't miss it.

 

[hottpeper13]

When I use whole fruit I put them in a mash bag then dunk into a sanitizer bucket for a min or two pull and drain put in freezer bag and into the freezer. You only need to thaw and put the whole shebang into the fermenter. When it's time to rack just slowly lift the bag out. I squeeze it some trying not to O2 it too much. This year I have raspberries in a lambic i want to dry and turn into a fruit roll-up.

 

[Barzahl]

When I use whole fruit I put them in a mash bag then dunk into a sanitizer bucket for a min or two pull and drain put in freezer bag and into the freezer. You only need to thaw and put the whole shebang into the fermenter. When it's time to rack just slowly lift the bag out. I squeeze it some trying not to O2 it too much. This year I have raspberries in a lambic i want to dry and turn into a fruit roll-up.

Do you think I could dunk in sanitizer after I thaw them or just hit with boiling water again? I use sanitizer called oneStep.

How long do you think I should let it go before racking off the berries? Even though I blended them the skins formed a sort of a cap.

 

[amber-ale]

No
You can’t defrost and then dunk.
Freezing breaks the cell membranes and lets the juice out. If you thaw then dunk you would loose a lot of the juice/flavour you are looking for.
If you freeze/defrost the berries, you won’t need to blend them.
No don’t hit with boiling water. Will change flavour and set pectin. Yuck
Where did you get the berries from? Wild pick/ fresh from grocery store or frozen grocery store?
And I’m not clear … you have an already fermented mead and now you want to add blue berries or you put blue berries in primary and now want more in secondary?
And if using fruit, you need to use a wide mouth fermentor, otherwise it’s really hard to get the berrrie pulp out.

 

[Barzahl]

No
You can’t defrost and then dunk.
Freezing breaks the cell membranes and lets the juice out. If you thaw then dunk you would loose a lot of the juice/flavour you are looking for.
If you freeze/defrost the berries, you won’t need to blend them.
No don’t hit with boiling water. Will change flavour and set pectin. Yuck
Where did you get the berries from? Wild pick/ fresh from grocery store or frozen grocery store?
And I’m not clear … you have an already fermented mead and now you want to add blue berries or you put blue berries in primary and now want more in secondary?
And if using fruit, you need to use a wide mouth fermentor, otherwise it’s really hard to get the berrrie pulp out.

I picked them at a local farm was 2.50 a pint if you picked yourself.
I put berries in primary and want to add more in secondary I've heard you get a fuller berry flavor that way

 

[bushpilot]

Likely no need to sanitize the fruit, I never have. Especially in secondary.

 

[MightyMosin]

I put my frozen blueberries into primary and I leave them until the fruit has basically turned white.

I extract the berries at that point, rack to secondary and then I press the blueberries for any leftover juice and that juice goes into the secondary as well

 

[Barzahl]

I put my frozen blueberries into primary and I leave them until the fruit has basically turned white.

I extract the berries at that point, rack to secondary and then I press the blueberries for any leftover juice and that juice goes into the secondary as well

Do you keep punching the cap?

 

[MightyMosin]

yes I punch the cap, but after a while they tend to get mead logged and float just at or slightly below the surface and eventually fall to the bottom

 

[Barzahl]

yes I punch the cap, but after a while they tend to get mead logged and float just at or slightly below the surface and eventually fall to the bottom

Thanks, one more for ya, I lost count adding the first nutrients and put either 2.5 or 3 tsp in would an extra half tsp hurt? It's DAP based nutrient