The price of berries varies (hee hee).
Berries usually come in a six ounce container, the price of which varies from 87 cents to $4. Really.
But berries can be frozen! Really juicy ones like blackberries and raspberries will lose a little juice, but if you are using them for baking, or in pudding, or just sugaring them up for something, they're still good.
Rinse the berries and let them air dry (spreading them out on paper towels works well).
Spread the berries out on a cookie sheet so they are not touching each other, and place in the freezer for a couple of hours.
Put your desired portion into a zip lock bag, squeeze out the air, and seal. If you have several small bags, place them in a larger bag for extra protection, and to help keep from losing them to the depth of the freezer where the Abominable Freezer Monster lives.
Blueberries freeze well, and that's what I usually use for my Blueberry Muffins.
I freeze them in 1/2 cup portions, and take a bag out the night before. Pour them into a mesh strainer (a big one, 4 or 5 inches across, not a tea strainer) and set it on a bowl and leave it overnight (or an hour, whichever suits you). And juice will drip into the bowl and not make your muffins soggy. Or, you can add the juice to the cup you measure the milk, before you put the milk in, and get a little more berry flavor, just don't exceed the total liquid measurement.
When it comes time to make the muffins, put some flour in a zip lock bag (1 tablespoon is plenty) and add the berries. Zip it up and shake gently until the berries are coated. Pour them back into the strainer and give it a few shakes and all the excess flour will fall out. Voila! ("yay", not the musical instrument).
This was two tablespoons of flour... too much for a half cup of berries.
And here it is after a few gentle, side to side shakes.
