How do I freeze my strawberries?

Strawberries can be eaten fresh, made into a nice jam, or frozen for a treat later.

You have the choice of freezing your strawberries in one of two ways, or both together depending on how you are feeling. 🙂

The first step is to go out and pick the berries from a local farm, or have them picked for you. Keep them cool on the drive back home as they will get squishy and lose their firm texture. Once you have them back home, separate what you want to eat fresh and what you want to save for a nice snack in the near future.

Make sure to rinse the strawberries to remove any dirt or other debris from them.

The next step is to remove the green top before getting down to freezing them, as this is very difficult to do once they have already been frozen. While cutting off the tops it is easy to slice the strawberries into nice semi- thick slices, if you want sliced strawberries at a later date, if not you can leave them whole.

If you want to freeze them with sugar, you can add approximately a ½ cup of sugar to every 4 cups of strawberries. Remember it is always easier to add more sugar later than to try and take it away.

Next take out a cookie sheet or something larger that will fit into the freezer. Lay out your slices or whole strawberries on the sheet so they aren’t touching, as this is the easiest way to make taking out just the right amount of strawberries at a later date.

Once the strawberries have been frozen through, it is time to transfer them into the freezer packs they will be in until you want to enjoy them. Use high quality freezer bags or containers that will help to keep the air out, as that is what will cause freezer burn. Make sure you try to remove as much air as possible from the bags and containers so that you have a good environment for them to be in until you decide to crack into them and enjoy the sweets they are.

Make sure to date your strawberries and try not to freeze them for over one year as they start to loose flavor.