If you have ever wanted to preserve that delicious taste of early summer, try freezing strawberries. Frozen strawberries are not only a healthy and delicious snack, they're easy to prepare and store. Also, who doesn't like a nice, healthy treat.There are various methods, some that enable you to keep the strawberries longer than others; select the one that fits in best with your needs. If you will be storing the frozen berries for a long time, make sure to remove as much air as possible from the plastic bags and seal them thoroughly. This will help to prevent freezer burn and keep the berries freshYou may wish to cut the strawberries into smaller, bite-sized pieces. This can be done before freezing to lessen the freezing time needed, or after they come out of the freezer.
http://www.pickyourown.org/strawberries_canning.php
Pack into plastic containers or into plastic bags. They may, however, become stuck togetherFreeze whole on flat trays. This will prevent them from sticking together. Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper or paper towels. Stand the strawberries on their bases on the cookie tray, making sure that they don't touch. Put the strawberries in the freezer.
Wait until they are frozen, then remove from the cookie tray and place in strong sealable plastic food bags to store. Wait until they are frozen, then remove from the cookie tray and place in strong sealable plastic food bags to store.Get yer berries!Start with the freshest strawberries you can get. Look for plump, full berries with a good color. I've used blueberries as an example, but these directions would equally well for any other berry (blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, etc.) See the picking tips page for other berries Wash and sort the strawberries. Wash the strawberries in a bowl of plain cold water.Then you need to pick out and remove any bits of stems, leaves and soft or mushy strawberries. It is easiest to do this in a large bowl of water and gently run your hands through the strawberries as they float. With your fingers slightly apart, you will easily feel any soft or mushy berries get caught in your fingers.Cut the leaves (hulls) off the strawberriesCut the hulls off the strawberries, then drain the water from them. You can cut the berries up, or leave them whole, as you like. Put them a freezer bagPack a freezer bag with the strawberries, and exclude as much as air as you can when you seal the bag.I love the FoodSavers (see this page for more information) with their vacuum sealing! I am not paid by them, but these things really work. If you don't have one, ziploc bags work, too, but it is hard to get as much air out of the bags. remove the air to prevent drying and freezer burn. . A tip for a low budget vacuum sealer: To remove the excess air from a ziploc bag, put a straw inside the bag and zip it closed as far as possible. Then suck the air out of the bag, pinch the straw shut where it enters the bag and pull it from the bag and quickly zip the bag the rest of the way. Pop them into the coldest part of the freezer, or the quick freeze shelf, if your freezer has one!I leave them in the freezer overnight, to get completely frozen. Label the bags! Of course, you'll want to label them with the contents and date, or all this work could be wasted, if you can't identify them later, or don't know how old they are. Done! Pop them into the deep freeze, or in the coldest part of your regular freezer! To use them, just set them in the fridge overnight, or on the counter for a couple of hours. I wouldn't recommend the microwave unless you are planning to cook with them!