How to freeze strawberries

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One thing I realized halfway through the winter was that I did not nearly save enough berries to make it through.  With local strawberries showing up in my garden and in the farmers market this seemed like a perfect time to get an early start this year.

Freezing strawberries is much like freezing other berries strawberries are just as easy with just a few simple steps:

1.  Quickly wash and gently dry strawberries with a towel

2.  Cut of crowns (optional but much easier to do now than when frozen)

3.  Place strawberries upside-down on wax paper on cookie sheet

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4.  Put strawberries in freezer for 24 hours

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5.  Dump frozen strawberries into freezer bag and use Poor Man’s Vacuum Pack*

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With these simple steps you can have plenty of strawberries for making smoothies or strawberry shortcake this summer/winter.  This process can scale from many flats of berries or just a handful extra from your garden.  Eat what you want fresh, freeze the rest.

  1. * Poor Man’s Vacuum Pack: Close ZipLoc bag with only enough space to fit in a drinking straw.  Suck out air with drinking straw and quickly close the bag.
IKE