By the third week of July, every loganberry grower hits the same wall: the plant is producing faster than the household can eat. The good news — and I mean genuinely good, not consolation-prize good — is that the loganberry is one of the best freezing berries there is. That firm texture and sharp flavour that make it awkward to sell in shops make it nearly indestructible in a freezer. Here's how to do it properly, plus every other way to store a glut.
Can You Freeze Loganberries?
Yes — and better than almost any other soft fruit. Loganberries freeze so well because of two traits they inherited from their blackberry parent: they're picked with the core intact (so they don't collapse into hollow shells the way raspberries can), and their flesh is firmer and less watery than most berries, so ice crystals do less damage. A properly frozen loganberry, cooked six months later, is close to indistinguishable from fresh in a pie, crumble or jam pan.
Frozen loganberries keep for 10–12 months at -18°C — conveniently, almost exactly until the next season's crop. A well-run freezer drawer means you're never without them.
How Do You Freeze Loganberries Properly?
The method that keeps them as separate, pourable berries rather than a solid red brick is open freezing, and it takes five minutes of actual work:
- Don't wash them. Water clinging to the fruit turns to ice armour and mush on thawing. Pick clean, dry fruit (skip a day after rain) and wash later, just before use. If you must rinse, dry them thoroughly on kitchen paper first.
- Spread them in a single layer on a baking tray lined with baking paper, not touching each other.
- Freeze for 2–3 hours until each berry is solid.
- Pour into freezer bags or boxes, squeeze the air out, label with the date, and back in they go.
Because each berry froze individually, you can now pour out exactly what a recipe needs — a handful for porridge, 500g for a crumble — and reseal the rest. Skip the tray stage and you'll be chiselling.
Do You Need to Thaw Loganberries Before Cooking?
No — and for most uses you actively shouldn't. Frozen loganberries go straight into crumbles, pies, compotes and the jam pan; they release their juice as they heat and the sharp flavour comes through untouched. Add a few extra minutes of cooking time and, in pastry, a spoonful of cornflour tossed through the frozen fruit to catch the extra juice.
The one place thawed loganberries disappoint is eating "fresh" — thawed berries are softer and weep juice, fine over yoghurt or meringue, but nothing like the fruit off the cane. If you want that experience, you need the plant and a July morning — the freezer can't sell you that one.
What Else Can You Do With a Loganberry Glut?
The freezer is the workhorse, but a proper glut deserves a spread:
- Jam — the loganberry's true calling. High pectin, high acidity, deep flavour: it sets easily and tastes far more expensive than it is. Full method in my loganberry jam guide.
- Bottling — the traditional route, and the reason your grandmother knew tinned loganberries. Fruit bottled in light syrup keeps a year in a cool cupboard and makes an instant pudding.
- Cordial or vinegar — the sharpness that needs taming with cream makes a spectacular cordial base, and loganberry vinegar over a salad is a quiet showing-off move.
- Freezer purée — sieve cooked fruit, freeze flat in bags, and you've got coulis for cheesecakes and ripple for ice cream all winter.
How Long Do Fresh Loganberries Keep?
Barely two days, and that's being generous. Ripe loganberries are soft, thin-skinned and were never bred for a fridge. Keep them unwashed, in a single layer, covered in the fridge, and eat or process within 48 hours of picking. If the plan is jam on Sunday but the berries are ready on Wednesday — freeze them Wednesday. Jam made from frozen loganberries sets just as well, and it beats jam made from Wednesday's berries on Sunday every time.
This short shelf life isn't a flaw to work around; it's the reason the loganberry is a gardener's berry at all. The supermarkets gave up on it decades ago. Their loss — and with a freezer and an hour of July effort, very much your gain. If you don't have a plant yet, the complete loganberry growing guide is where the whole thing starts.
