Blessed with a surplus of berries from a you-pick adventure, patch of wild fruit, or simply went a bit crazy at the farmers market? Instead of letting these precious gems spoil, consider freezing them for future smoothies [1], chia jam [2], pies [3], muffins [4], and more. (The one thing they won't be good for is eating them out of hand — freezing and then thawing fruit damages it's structural integrity.)

Here's the best way to do it:

1. Rinse and completely dry the berries. Moisture is the enemy, unless you like freezer-burnt fruit. Small berries like blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries can be frozen whole. Stem strawberries and halve or quarter large ones.
2. Arrange the berries in a single layer on a parchment- (or wax-paper-) lined rimmed sheet pan. Don't just toss the unfrozen berries into a freezer-safe bag; if you do this, they'll freeze into a brick of berries that'll need to be chipped apart before using.
3. Once frozen, transfer to freezer-safe bags. We like to separate them into individual bags that hold just enough berries for a smoothie, so there's no guesswork (or measuring needed) when you're tired and looking to blitz your way to breakfast.