Strawberry season is one of my favorite times of the year! I love growing my own strawberries and making jam and strawberry butter. But what do you do with all those strawberries once your plants start producing and you have more than you can eat in a couple of days? You freeze them and save them for later. I love being able to pull strawberries out of the freezer and make jam, a smoothie, or a dessert any time of the year. Freezing them is a great way to preserve them for later and make sure they don’t go to waste. You might be wondering, what is the best way to freeze strawberries? It is super easy, and I will walk you through it.
What you will need:
– Freezer bags
– Permanent marker or stickers
– Large lid or cookie sheet
1) Pick ripe strawberries
Always make sure you are using good ripe strawberries when freezing. If you have some strawberries that are not all the way ripe yet, just set them out on the counter overnight, and they will ripen right up. Rinse the berries and give them plenty of time to dry off. It is best if they are not wet when freezing. If you did not grow your strawberries, it is best to wash them with a natural cleaner to be sure to remove any contaminates. I love to fill the sink with water and add 2-3 drops of Lemon oil to cleanse all my fruits and veggies.
2) Pull the tops/leaves off
Some people like to cut the tops or the middle out of the berries, but I find it works best if you just simply pull the leaves off. I normally collect them in a container and add them back into my patch or compost pile.
3) Place strawberries on a flat surface to go into the freeze
I like to place the strawberries on a large tupperware lid to place in the freeze. It works out nicely if you do not have a large freezer or if your freezer is full, and you do not have a lot of extra space. If you have plenty of room, a cookie sheet works great. Whatever works best for you and your situation. As long as the surface is flat, you should be in good shape.
Make sure the berries are dry, and you place them so they are not touching each other. This will ensure that they do not freeze together.
4) Place in freezer until frozen
Once you have placed all your berries on your flat surface, go ahead and set it in the freezer until your berries are frozen. This normally takes a couple of hours. While they are in the freezer, you can get your freezer bag ready by writing or putting a sticker on it with the date. I normally just put the month and year for strawberries.
5) Remove strawberries from freezer and place in baggie
Fill a freezer baggie almost full, but make sure to leave some room so you can push as much air out as possible. If you plan on leaving them in the freezer for more than a few months, you can double bag them to help prevent against freezer burn. Once your bag is full, go ahead and store them back in the freezer until you are ready to use them.
Need a bug repellent to apply while you are working in the garden? Try this all-natural bug and UV protecting spray!
2 thoughts on “How to Freeze Fresh Strawberries”