Care for Strawberries
- Strawberries are very perishable and need to be handled gently.
- Protect berries from direct sunlight, especially in your car.
- Open car windows to allow air movement inside.
- Place berries in refrigerator as soon as possible.
- Do not rinse strawberries until you are ready to use them.
- Never remove hulls before washing.
- Grade your berries-use the ripest ones first.
Freezing Strawberries
Wash, hull, and slice into large shallow pan. Sweeten, ½ cup sugar to 4 cups prepared berries. Stir and let stand until sugar dissolves. Pack in freezer cartons leaving ½ inch head space to freeze. To use frozen strawberries, thaw until berries can be broken apart. Serve while fruit still has ice crystals for fresh-like flavor. Berries can also be crushed, sweetened and frozen for short cake or ice cream topping. Frozen berries taste great all summer & winter, so pace your usage. Next season is coming upJ
Glazed Strawberry Pie
Baked 9-inch pie shell
1 ½ qt. drained, hulled strawberries
3-oz. Cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup honey*
3 Tbsp. Cornstarch
Spread cream cheese over bottom of pie shell. Cover with 2/3 of the (choicest) berries. Mash and strain the rest of the berries to extract juice. Bring juice to a boil; stir in honey and cornstarch. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until boiling. Boil 1 minute. Pour over berries in pie shell. Chill 2 hours. Just before serving decorate with whipped cream.
*To substitute sugar for honey, use 1 cup and increase liquid ¼ cup.
Frozen Strawberry Daiquiri
1 ½-oz. Light rum (optional)
½-oz. Strawberry Schnapps (optional)
1 tspn. Triple Sec (optional)
1 ½-oz. Lime juice
1 tsp. Powdered sugar
1 tsp. Sugar
1-2 cups fresh picked strawberries
1 cup crushed ice
Combine ingredients in an electric blender and blend at low speed for 5 seconds. Then blend at high speed until firm.
Strawberry Milk Shake
1 cup milk
1 cup ice cream
1 cup fresh strawberries
3 Tbsp. Sugar
Mix in blender. (If using sweetened frozen strawberries, omit sugar.) Serves 2.
Strawberry Smoothie
1 ¼ cups fresh strawberries
1 ½ cups cold milk
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. lemon juice
Put all ingredients in blender. Cover and blend until mixed thoroughly. Serve immediately. Makes 3 cups.
Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries
4 ounces semisweet chocolate
24 fresh strawberries (stem & cap attached)
Break or chop chocolate coarsely. Place chocolate in small heat-proof bowl, then place bowl in ½ inch barely simmering water in small skillet over low heat. Heat, stirring occasionally, just until chocolate is melted. Stir until smooth.
Remove skillet from heat, leaving bowl of chocolate in hot water. Pat berries dry. Holding by stem end, dip each strawberry into chocolate, then place on waxed paper-lined tray; refrigerate to harden. | 
