How to Preserve Fresh Strawberries for Winter Use

Fresh strawberries are a delicious summer treat, but they don't last long. The natural sugar content in strawberries makes them delicate: the sweeter the berries, the faster they break down. When summer ends or gets too hot, strawberry season is over. Despite their delicate nature, strawberries will hold up in the freezer if you prepare them properly. This freezing method maintains the strawberries' fresh taste, too.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Knife
• Colander
• Freezer bags

1. Buy fresh, locally grown strawberries at the peak of the season. Local strawberries have the best flavor because they don't have to travel and can be picked ripe. If you can't get to a farmers' market, many supermarkets across the country receive daily deliveries of fresh local produce in season.

2. Wash and hull the strawberries. Hold each strawberry under running water while cutting the top off. Be sure the stem and leaves are completely removed because they will affect the flavor of the strawberries.

3. Drain the cleaned strawberries. Leave the strawberries in a colander for several minutes, until the water runs off them. Excess water on the strawberries will affect them in the freezer.

4. Bag the strawberries. Gently fill a freezer bag with the clean, drained strawberries.

5. Remove excess air and seal. Flatten the bag so there are no more than two layers of strawberries. Suck the air out of the bag while slowly sealing it.

6. Freeze the bags of strawberries in a single layer. Spread the bags around the freezer in a single layer until frozen. Once the strawberries are frozen, stack the bags to use up less space in the freezer.

Tips & Warnings

• Be careful not to bruise the strawberries while preparing them for the freezer.

• Use strawberries right from the freezer in smoothies and other blender drinks.

• Defrost strawberries slowly in the refrigerator for use in other recipes.

• Frozen strawberries are even better in strawberry shortcake than fresh ones because they are juicier.

• Don't add sugar to strawberries before freezing.

• Don't slice the berries before freezing them.