How to Preserve Ripe Strawberries

These fresh strawberries from Aldis are delicious but will quickly spoil. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

How to Preserve Ripe Strawberries

The joke in this Midwest state is that people stock up on milk and bread as soon as the forecast calls for bad weather. There’s something about a Missouri snow storm in the forecast that makes me worry about not having enough fresh strawberries.

When I found a great supply at my local Aldi’s store, I stocked up. These are smaller, longer strawberries but with great flavor. The challenge is not to let them spoil and that’s quite easy: freeze them.

After a good wash and gently drying with a kitchen towel, I cut the strawberries into smaller sliced pieces and placed them on a tray to freeze. Aldi’s produce is from non-pesticide suppliers so the produce is not treated with wax and other preservatives found in other stores.

I like freezing the individual pieces so that I can easily choose the size of helping I want while still preserving the rest of the strawberry supply.

Cut up strawberries frozen and ready for packing in plastic bags. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

It’s that easy. Whether its blueberries, blackberries or strawberries, this is a fast and easy way to preserve them so you can enjoy them later.

Reminds me of the Strawberry Shortcake dolls that used to be the rage!

Charlotte

How to Save Summer Tomatoes

Some of the tomatoes I grew last year, sliced into quarters and individually froze. (Photo by Charlotte Ekker Wiggins)

How to Save Summer Tomatoes

Tomato season is almost here so this is a good time to talk about the easiest way to save some of the wonderful summer tomato flavors out of our gardens for the upcoming winter.

Tomatoes made a wonderful base for chili, soups and sauces. Chili is my favorite dish to cook mid-winter using some of my saved summer tomatoes. Soups are second so whatever tomatoes I save, they will both become smashed in the cooking process.

The first step is to pick wonderfully tasty tomatoes that are ripe and ready to use. After washing and letting them drip dry on a towel, I cut them into quarters and place in a tray that fits in my freezer.

A couple of hours later, when they are individually frozen, I toss them into a good quality freezer bag and return them to the freezer for winter use. If I remember, I will mark on the bag when I froze them and what kind of tomatoes they are. Considering that most of my tomato plants are volunteers that sprout early spring in my inside plant pots, most of them are of the mystery variety.

Friends of mine go through the canning process but I find this much quicker and easier to do.

Charlotte

Freezing Blueberries

Freezing blueberries individually makes them easier to serve later.

June is blueberry-picking time in Missouri. There are several pick your own farms around where I live so anyone visiting me during these weeks can count on a trip to pick some.

Although some silly people - like one of my brothers who shall remain nameless to protect the guilty - worry about only picking what they can immediately eat, I don't believe there is such a thing as too many blueberries. What we don't eat fresh I freeze for enjoyment later, especially in the middle of winter.

Find the Right Container

I have several trays that fit my little door freezer so find one that works well with your freezer. A cookie sheet with raised sides will work, or even a pie or cake tin.

This is something that little hands can help you do so invite kids into the kitchen with you. Don't count the blueberries, some may inadvertently disappear in the process. 

After washing and drying the blueberries, spread them into a single layer on the tray and place in freezer until frozen for several hours.

Once frozen, store in a freezer bag for easy individual berry retrieval later. Having the berries frozen like this makes it easier to grab a handful for cereal or to spread in a salad.

Works With Other Fruit

This applies to almost anything else you want to freeze. Once you get the system down, it will be easy to preserve extra fresh fruit for enjoyment during the off season.

Charlotte