This is the perfect time of year to visit a strawberry farm and pick some fresh juicy strawberries. We did that last weekend in Wisconsin and got way more strawberries than we could eat in one week. So the best way for me to preserve the strawberries is to freeze them. Here is a quick guide to easily freeze your batch.
First wash your strawberries in cool water...
...then drain them and let them dry. If you leave the water on, it will freeze and you will have chunks of ice hanging off of your strawberries.
Lay them out on a cookie sheet and place them in a deep freezer. This way they will not stick together and it will be easier to take them out when you want to use them for shakes or pies. If you have only a fridge freezer you might have to place them on smaller sheets/dishes. I freeze whole strawberries with the stem for smoothies because the greens add extra vitamins to the drink! Especially if you have organic, pesticide free strawberries, save those greens!
After a whole day in a freezer...
I freeze half strawberries to use later in pies... use the same method just remove the greens and cut them in half before putting them into your freezer.
After you pull them out of the freezer, place them right away into a ziplock bag and label it with the date. Return the bag to the freezer immediately so the strawberries don't thaw and start sticking together.
I love having frozen strawberries at hand daily and especially when I know where they came from!
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