So you’ve purchased one too many delectable clamshells from the Florida Strawberry Festival.
Once you get them home, how can you preserve your strawberries to make the most out of your trip? It all comes down to basic care and proper storage. These tips will allow you to enjoy your Plant City strawberries past the season.
Pick | If you’re buying already picked berries in a clamshell or flat, make sure they have their caps on. Look for ones that are plump, firm and red.
Wash | There are several ways to wash your fruit beside just running them under the faucet.
One trick is to make your own part vinegar solution. Mix one part vinegar, white or apple cider, with ten parts water. The pH in the vinegar is thought to kill mold spores and other bacteria that might be on the fruit. Store the dried fruit in a sealed container that has been lined with paper towels.
Another way to wash your strawberries is to use an all natural cleaner like Veggie Wash or Eat Cleaner. These cleaners remove waxes, soil and agriculture pesticides from produce. They are made of food-derived ingredients, such as sea salt. These products can be found online.
Freeze | Make sure to dry your strawberries before sticking them in the freezer or the water will freeze on them, making them hard to eat.
One method is to freeze the strawberries without adding any sugar or syrup. Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper or paper towels and line the strawberries on the tray. Once they are frozen, you can remove them from the tray and place them in a strong sealable bag to store. Make sure to get as much air out of the bag as possible before sealing. They can be stored for about two months.
To freeze strawberries using sugar or syrup, slice the berries up into pieces. Sprinkle one half cup of sugar over each quart of strawberries or pour syrup over the strawberries. To make the syrup, boil one part sugar to four parts water. Place in a plastic container and freeze. They can be stored for up to six months.
A fun way to freeze your strawberries is the ice cube method. Slice each strawberry in half and place one half in each square of an ice tray. Fill with water and freeze. You can also use pureed strawberries instead of water to make an ice lollipop. Strawberry ice cubes can be frozen for about two months.
Thaw | Remove strawberries from the freezer and place the amount you would like to defrost in a secure plastic bag or container. Slowly defrosting the berries in the refrigerator is the best method. It can take six to 15 hours depending on the size and amount. You can place the berries in larger containers of cold water to speed up the time. You can also put them in the microwave, checking on them every minute until they thaw.
Can | Cut off the caps and place the berries in a pot. For each quart of strawberries, add one half to three-fourths of a cup of sugar. Stir to coat the strawberries and let them sit for five to six hours in a cool place. Then, heat on medium until the sugar dissolves. Don’t simmer the berries or they will turn to mush. Pack the strawberries and syrup into hot jars, leaving one half inch of headspace.
Place the jars into a boiling water bath canner. Don’t let the jars touch each other. Process the pints for 20 minutes and quarts for 25 minutes. Remove the jars and let them stand on the counter until all of them have sealed.
TIPS:
When freezing your strawberries, make sure to label the bag or container they’re in so you know how old they are.
Fruit that freezes faster will be less mushy when it thaws. That’s because the slow freeze time creates bigger ice crystals. Bigger ice crystals destroy the cell walls of the fruit. Although fruit can be frozen in a bag, freezing fruit on a cookie sheet or tray will help them freeze faster and have smaller ice crystals.
When canning, wipe clean with a paper towel or cloth the tops of canning jars before putting on the lids and rings. Contamination trapped between the canning jar and the rubber gasket of the dome lid will cause the jars to not seal.