You’ve picked your strawberries or bought them at an Arkansas farmers market, now what do you do with them if in your excitement you grew A LOT of strawberries or bought 20 pounds?
Here are some tips for preserving all that strawberry goodness and not wasting a single bite of their succulent, natural wholesomeness.
STRAWBERRY KITCHEN FACTS
• Fresh strawberries will last only a few days in the refrigerator.
• Strawberries left at room temperature will begin to mold quickly, so make sure you allow time after picking to process immediately.
• 1 pound of strawberries equals 2/3 of a quart.
• You will lose about ¼ cup per every quart of strawberries processed after stemming and culling.
• One serving of strawberries is about a cup.
• Wait until just before processing your strawberries to wash them.
FREEZING STRAWBERRIES
• Wash the berries in a strainer under cold water. Do not soak.
• Drain berries well.
• Hull berries. (Remove stem and hull with knife.)
• You can freeze the berries whole, halved or quartered. I prefer to quarter or cut the berries into uniform sizes so that they freeze, thaw, cook and blend easily.
• Place cut berries on cookie sheets lined with parchment paper.
• Freeze overnight.
• Remove berries quickly from cookie sheets, breaking apart any that may be frozen together.
• Place in gallon zipper bags. Remove as much air as possible.
• Return to freezer promptly.
• Take out and use portions of strawberries as needed.
• Use within 6 months.
HOW TO DEHYDRATE STRAWBERRIES
• Wash the berries in a strainer under cold water. Do not soak.
• Drain berries well.
• Cull out any berries that are bruised or overripe: they will not dehydrate well. (You can save the bruised and overripe strawberries for fruit leather. Instructions below.)
• Hull berries. (Remove stem and hull with knife.)
• Slice strawberries into slices of uniform thickness, or between 1/8 and ½ an inch. (Thinner slices will dehydrate faster.)
If you have a dehydrator:
• Lay strawberries on tray, not touching.
• Set temperature to 135 degrees.
• Dehydrate for 8 to 12 hours, depending on how crisp you want them. The longer they are dehydrated, the crisper they will be. They should be completely dry with no visible moisture.
• Turn off dehydrator and allow to cool for at least an hour. Check fruit by breaking a few in half to look for moisture. If there is still moisture, turn dehydrator back on for an hour and check again.
To dehydrate strawberries in the oven:
• Place racks toward the center of the oven.
• Set oven to ‘WARM’ or 140-170 degrees.
• Line rimmed cookie sheets with parchment paper.
• Place slice strawberries on cookie sheets, not touching.
• Place cookie sheets in oven.
• Rotate cookie sheets between oven shelves every hour.
• Dry strawberries for 3-8 hours, checking dryness of strawberries as you rotate the cookie sheets. The longer they are dried, the crisper they will be. They should be completely dry with no visible moisture.
• Remove from oven and allow to cool for at least an hour. Check fruit by breaking a few in half to look for moisture. If there is still moisture, turn on oven again and dry for another hour and check again.
Storage:
• Store in airtight container. Can be stored in the freezer to extend shelf life. Dried strawberries can be stored for up to a year in airtight containers at room temperature and even longer in the freezer.
HOW TO MAKE STRAWBERRY FRUIT LEATHER
1. Take the washed bruised and overripe strawberries (or ‘good’ berries as well, if you like) and hull them.
2. Puree hulled strawberries in a blender.
In Dehydrator:
1. Pour pureed strawberries 1/8 to ¼ inch deep onto dehydrator fruit leather tray.
2. Set temperature to 135 degrees.
3. Dehydrate for 6-12 hours.
In Oven:
1. Line baking sheet with parchment paper, making sure paper goes up the sides of baking sheet. (To hold liquid.)
2. Pull out oven shelf and place baking sheet on shelf.
3. Pour pureed strawberries 1/8 to ¼ inch deep onto baking sheet while on oven shelf. (This prevents spilling.)
4. Set oven temperature to ‘WARM’ or 140 to 170 degrees.
5. Dry for 6 to 10 hours.
How to tell if they’re ‘done’:
• Check by touching the fruit leather in the center of the tray. The surface should be solid and not leave fruit residue on your fingers.
• The leather should peel away from the parchment paper or tray without sticking.
Fruit Leather Storage:
• Allow to dry for at least an hour.
• Cut into pieces and store in airtight container for up to a year.
Arkansas Women Bloggers
member Mary Wood is a lifetime lover of words. She hails from the suburbs of Nimrod, Arkansas where she is co-owner and number one stacker of wood in her family’s sawmill. She loves playing in the dirt and raising a zoo-load of animals on their family farm. Her passions include living life with her husband Steve, son Caleb and all-grown-up daughters Rebecca and Rachel and son-in-law Matt. Homeschooling, writing women’s Bible studies, and renovating their home fill up the remainder of her time. She blogs at Run of the Mill Mary.