Ah strawberries!

What a delicious product!  Its only fault is to only be available during a very short season. Which is why we need to take full advantage of them while they’re here. It is true that supermarkets can have them all year long, but it needs to be said that local strawberries can be a lot fresher and sweeter than those from our neighbours south of the border.

If you have strawberry farmers in your area, pay them a visit to pick your own berries (and eat them right on site)! Bring your kids, they’ll enjoy helping you. When I was young, I had a friend that lived on a small strawberry farm 10 minutes from my hometown. It was called Stardale farm, and this is where my friends and I would defiantly eat tons of berries. There is something so great about handpicking the most amazingly fresh and ripe berries to put in your basket and at the same time taste testing every second one… but trust me you will be berried out by the end so pace yourself.

Even though it may be tempting to preserve your strawberries for the whole year by freezing them or using them in jams, I recommend that you eat them quickly so that they will be as fresh as possible. A trick is to visit your strawberry producer a few times during the season, instead of going only once and cleaning out the entire field… :P

Fresh strawberries are perfect for desserts.  In my opinion, there really is no need to alter this beautiful fruit to appreciate its true value.  You can eat them as is, or accompany them with a coulis, ice cream, whipped cream, and why not, a champagne sabayon.  You can also add them to your salads, salsas, and even on your meat or poultry.

For those who still want to preserve them... If you freeze them, you should wash them, hull them, and dry them really well. Then place them on baking sheets and place in the freezer.  As soon as they are frozen, you need to put them in freezer bags, clearly indicating the date.  They should be consumed in the following 3 to 6 months since after this, they might get freezer burn.

Speaking of preservation methods, jam is also a great way to go. I like to maintain a ratio of 4 portions of strawberries to around 3 portions of sugar. I prefer not cooking them too much because I like biting the strawberries and feeling the texture!  Add some cinnamon sticks or orange zest, or steep them with a fragrant tea while cooking them.  And why not mix in some tarragon for a change, it’s an unusual but tasty combination!

So when strawberry season rolls around, don’t deprive yourself!  Eat them fresh!  Do you have any good strawberry recipes you’d like to share?  Can’t wait to read your suggestions!

Keywords : how to preserve strawberries, hw to freeze strawberries, Stardale farm, strawberries, strawberry picking

Comments ( 0 )

There are no comments for this posts at this time.

Post a comment