High in nutrition, low in calories, strawberries are one of nature's tastiest treasures. From the tiny, sweet wild strawberries that grow in most rural areas, to the large commercially grown strawberries, these bright red berries net the U.S. Strawberry industry over 1.2 billion dollars a year. That adds up to a whole lot of strawberries! Because strawberries keep best in a jarred or frozen state, most of these berries wind up either being eaten within a few days of being purchased, or preserved in jams, jellies or freezers.
The nicest thing about freezing strawberries is that unlike vegetables, there is no need to blanch, or to cook the berry previous to freezing it. They freeze very well in a raw state. There are several ways that you can choose to freeze your strawberries and the method that you choose to use is completely dependent on your tastes. Strawberries can be frozen whole, in halves or in chunks. They can be frozen within fruit syrup, frozen in a sugar coating, or dry (in their natural state). All methods are very simple to accomplish.
The first step is to clean the fruit by immersing it in cool water. Be sure not to soak the strawberries because long periods of time in water will reduce the nutritional value of the fruit, and cause it to become mushy, or unfirm. Remove any stems, leaves or flaws in the fruit with a sharp paring knife. Set fruit on either paper towel or drain racks to remove excess moisture.
To freeze fruit in a whole state, lay the fruit out on cookie trays, it is okay for the strawberries to sit quite close to each other on the tray. Put the trays in the freezer till fruit is frozen solid after which time the fruit can be transferred into small containers or freezer bags. The strawberries can be frozen in about one half cup of sugar per one quart of sugar, or the strawberries can be bagged, and frozen just as they are.
If you prefer your fruit frozen in halves or chunks, then, after cleaning the berries, simply chop the fruit into the desired size. Place the fruit into small containers, or freezing bags, and with or without the use of sugar. The bags can then be deposited into the freezer immediately after filling them.
Another freezer option is to pack the strawberries in syrup. This method works especially well if you are planning on using the strawberries, at a later date, for either baking purposes, or jam. Fill containers one half full of fruit. Create the syrup, by dissolving one cup of white sugar in two cups of water, pour the cooled mixture over the packaged fruit till containers are one third full. Then transfer these containers to your freezer section. Packaging strawberries in this manner insures that they will keep until the time arrives when you are ready to use them.
Strawberries keep well in the freezer for several months, so no matter the method that you choose to use to freeze your strawberries, rest assured that all the freshness and flavor with remain within them.
A few interesting strawberry facts:
One cup of strawberries contains approximately fifty calories but will provide you with 23.24 mg of calcium, .63 mg of iron, 16.60 mg of magnesium, 31.54 mg of phosphorus, 44.82 mg of potassium, 1.16 mg of selenium, 94.12 mg of vitamin C, 29.38 mg of folate, 44.82 IU of vitamin A and one gram of protein. That is a pretty impressive list for such a low amount of calories!
Consider picking yourself a handful of strawberries out of the garden today or stopping by your local supermarket to pick yourself up a basket of these little red treasures. Strawberries are definitely worth including into your diet plan.
Sources:
http://www.strawberry-recipes.com/freeze_strawberrie s.html