There is nothing like enjoying a freshly picked strawberry. They are so juicy and bursting with flavor. A far cry from ones you would purchase in the grocery store. Why is that you wonder? Produce sold on our grocery store shelves have been bred to be uniform in size, shape, and color and to handle being transported over many miles of roads and oceans.
Most of us don’t live in an area where we can enjoy fresh strawberries, or most produce for that matter, year round. But if you pick and preserve the harvest now, you will have fruit to get you through those long winter months and not have to purchase bland fruit that came all the way from the other side of the equator. Plus, when you pick directly from the farmer, you cut out the middle man and save a ton of money and packaging.
If you are looking for farms in your area where you can u-pick, check out this website, PickYourOwn.org.
It is super easy to do. Follow my simple steps below. I recently did this to 10 pounds of strawberries I picked.
1) Wash your fruit to clean it of dirt.
2) Make sure the fruit is completely dry. (I laid my strawberries out on a towel in the sun to speed up the process.)
3) If fruit is larger, cut into smaller pieces.
4) Place in a single layer on a large rimmed baking sheet.
5) Freeze until the fruit is frozen. (I did my strawberries in the freezer for 45 minutes.)
6) Transfer the fruit to freezer bags with a zipper top.
7) Wait until the doldrums of winter, open your freezer, and enjoy a taste of summer!
