My friend Linda mentioned on Facebook last week that she was freezing strawberries, which reminded me: With Michigan strawberries in season right now, I’d better freeze some, too!
Today’s batch came from my favorite place to go on Wednesdays in the spring, summer, and fall: The Holland Farmers’ Market. I bought a couple of quarts from Dreyer Farms and also a quart from Visser Farms.
As you probably noticed from the few dessert recipes on my blog, I’m not much of a dessert fan. But I do love my smoothies! Now is the time to stock up on berries for the winter.
I knew from my friend Lois that you could freeze blueberries whole but I wasn’t sure if that applied to all berries. Don’t you love the internet? All I did was Google “how to freeze strawberries” and, voila! There’s a website solely dedicated to the beautiful strawberry: Strawberry-Recipes.com.
Indeed, you can freeze strawberries the same way Lois does her blueberries–first in a single layer on a cookie sheet until frozen, then altogether in containers. Here are the instructions from Strawberry-Recipes.com:
Freeze Whole Strawberries Without Sugar
The best suited strawberries to be frozen are berries that are dark red, firm and fully ripe.
Remove stem and caps. Sort, wash and drain the fruit carefully. Do not soak in water, or the strawberry will lose flavor and nutrients. Do not add sugar.
Freeze strawberries individually in a single layer on cookie sheets.
After completely frozen (about 24 hours), place into freezer containers or flexible freezer bags. Then you can enjoy local strawberries throughout the rest of the year!
Yum. I’d better get to the market this weekend–or to Redberry Farm in my own neighborhood. Thanks for reminding me! Time to act before the berries are gone!
I love the viral effect this is having!
Sounds delicious! I have been planning to make a big batch of jam soon for the same reason.
You have more patience than I do, Nick! Thanks for your comment!