{The credit for today’s tip goes to my friend Dixie.}
It’s summertime! Among other things, I love that there is an abundance of fresh, in-season fruit available at low prices. We are blessed to live in a time and country where we can get fresh produce year-round, but in the winter the prices are higher and the flavor isn’t as good.
So buy lots while it’s cheap in the summer, and freeze it for winter! No, this is not a new idea, and if you farm or garden or like to pick-your-own, you probably already do some version of this. But I know it had never occurred to me to freeze produce I got at the grocery store. I’m specifically talking about berries, because they are the easiest to freeze; other fruits like peaches and plums require peeling, slicing and a sugar syrup before you can freeze them (according to www.pickyourown.org).
For berries, just wash them (hull strawberries and slice if desired), then spread them in a single layer on a cookie sheet to freeze. Once frozen, put them in labeled freezer bags, get out as much air as possible and put them back in the freezer. Then in the winter when berries are $3-4 a pound, you can pull a bag out of the freezer. Toss some on your cereal, make a smoothie, bake a pie or cobbler, or add them to pancakes. Yum!
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6 comments:
You are so right about the berries, etc. Something else I have learned is to blend up marinades and sauces with them and freeze those too. In January it's nice to pull a "fresh" mango-chipotle-cilantro marinade out of the freezer. :)
Thanks for hosting, Holly! We are lucky enough to be surrounded by U-Pick farms here in central PA and we are always looking for uses for berries to make them last throughout the year.
Hey Holly! This is a great idea. I'm going to remember this the next time I happen upon a produce clearance at the grocery store! :)
You know, I have not tried freezing strawberries! Too bad our strawberry plants aren't doing anything. :s I'm going to remember this one!
So many great ideas here. I am so glad it's summer!! The laid back scheduling and sunshine make for a little fun each day.
Ruth
I'm so glad you posted this! The only way I knew to freeze strawberries was to add the sugar to make a syrup and freeze them. DUH! I'll definitely do this!! Thanks!
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