Canning and Freezing Episode 2 : Strawberries

6/17/10: Freezing Strawberries

I froze four quarts of strawberries last year and I had them for, guess what, my January birthday! :) I never ever had them at such a time of year so that was real special.

How to freeze strawberries: Last year I froze them following the Ball Blue Book of Preserving instructions. The book included four choices: dry pack, sugar pack, syrup pack, and puree. I decided on doing two quarts with the sugar pack and two quarts with the syrup. When we tasted the berries months later I didn't notice much of a difference between the two. The syrup quarts could have been sweeter but that is all I could detect.

So for this year I went with the sugar pack method. . . It is the easiest one to do and is basically what we do whenever we prepare berries for shortcake or ice cream!

If you want to try freezing your own, I have the Ball instructions here in a previous post of mine.

Freezing Details: I froze two quarts of strawberries.

Strawberries in January

1/09/10 : Frozen Strawberries

For my birthday supper, Annemarie baked a pound cake and served our frozen strawberries, our canned peaches, and whipped topping with it. I froze three quarts of strawberries for the first time last year in June so that is how they made it to my plate. So how did they taste? They were fantastic! They had very strong strawberry flavor and their texture held up considerably well. I thought they would turn out to be mushy, so I was very happy to find that they went through the freezing process with flying colors.

I used two methods to freeze them, the sugar pack method and the syrup pack method. We only tried the sugar packed so far so I will have to update this post later once we try out the ones packed with syrup.

For those who are interested in freezing strawberries, here is the recipe I used:

Freezing Strawberries - Sugar Pack Method
(Recipe Found in Ball Blue Book of Preserving, copyright 2005)

Select fully-ripe, firm strawberries with a deep-red color. Discard immature and defective fruit. Wash strawberries; drain. Remove caps. Slice berries lengthwise in halves or thirds. Mix 1 part sugar to 6 parts strawberries. Allow to stand until sugar is dissolved, about 10 minutes. Gently stir. Pack strawberries and syrup into can-or-freeze jars or plastic boxes, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Seal, label and freeze.

Freezing Strawberries - Syrup Pack Method

Prepare a heavy syrup by combing 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water in a saucepan. Cook over low heat until sugar is dissolved.

Wash strawberries, remove caps, and slice strawberries or leave them whole. Pack strawberries into can-or-freeze jars or plastic freezer boxes. Ladle syrup over berries, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Seal, label and freeze.

The Blending Operation Went, Well, "Smoothie" :)

7/14/09: Lemon Asparagus Pasta & Strawberry & Peach Smoothies

• Meal details: Main course, lemon asparagus pasta -- steamed asparagus and ruffle pasta tossed together with lots of lemon zest, evaporated milk, Parmesan cheese, and pepper.

Dessert, strawberry and peach smoothies -- strawberry smoothie was made with our own fresh strawberries and a few spoonfuls of ice cream. The peach version was made using our frozen peaches packed in simple syrup. Nothing was added to the peach concoction except for water.

• Recipe sources: The pasta dish came from kitchenparade.com, the strawberry smoothie was found by visiting cooks.com, and the peach smoothie was my own doing.

• Defining moments: I USED THE BLENDER! Gosh, that's a big stepping stone, isn't it? :) Kidding aside, the blender experience was really something extraordinary. You wouldn't believe how many settings it has and the horrific noise it makes!

Besides the blender, anything exciting and new? Well, this would be the first time I had to steam a large amount of asparagus at once. The steaming part was no problem, only the washing and cleaning.

• What I learned: I learned that our blender can crush ice. The day before I made the smoothies I thought the blender wasn't capable of doing this and I thought I would have to do it all by hand. Fortunately, I misread the instructions and discovered that it is possible. Glad to hear that!

I also learned that using the double boiler works very well with steaming the asparagus. And you know what? The asparagus that I've been keeping in the refrigerator is holding up rather nicely. I was thinking they would be limp by this time but they have remained crisp and fresh. I guess the plastic bag with some water is doing its job well. I still need to freeze some because I don't think we will be able to use them all in time. It would be nice, too, to have asparagus available when our fruits and vegetables are ready to harvest.

• Any modifications? Yes, I made some to the pasta recipe. I eliminated the dill from the recipe and I used evaporated milk rather than the half-and-half it called for. I also used less asparagus, about half of what they called for. My family is new to asparagus so we have to take it slow you know!

• How it tasted? The pasta was really bright and fresh and the addition of Parmesan cheese did wonders! According to one taster, I added too much pepper. I may want to go back on that ingredient a bit next time. The smoothies were just how I expected them to be: fruity, summery, nectar-y. . . Don't I explain it so well? Annemarie said the strawberry version was really, really good; said it three times in fact!

• How about a 2nd time? All were winners, so yes. I would, however, add more asparagus to the pasta dish.

Now doesn't that look so nectar-y?

They Have Arrived!

Our strawberry patch is bearing fruit as I speak! We started picking them on Thursday. Here, take a look at the fruit of our labor.








We've already been enjoying them on shortcake and cereal. For this Sunday we'll be having more for breakfast and they will be served along side homemade pancakes. I can undoubtedly say that it will be yummy!

Strawberry Search

Strawberry season is coming soon and I would like to make some strawberry dishes for my family, freeze some, and maybe make a smoothie. Now I just need some ideas and I am hoping some of you who are reading this post may share a recipe or recipe idea in the comments section. It would really help me out! You can share desserts, smoothies, or main dish recipes; I'm open to anything.

So which strawberry path should I take. . .

(image from notquitenigella.com)

Shortcakes?


(image from fun345.com)

Strawberry Pie?


(image from luvsandlife.blogspot.com)

Strawberry Cheesecake?


(image from thekneadforbread.com)

Strawberry Bread?

Or maybe. . .

?

. . . you fill in the blank, thanks!