How to Cope with a Glut of Strawberries

According to the Financial Times we should all be eating as many strawberries as possible due to coronavirus. If we don’t we may end up with a glut of strawberres, as if we haven’t enough problems already! You have been warned.

So, here’s some ways to help with this strawberry glut situation that will still be useful once Covid 19 is a thing of the past.

Firstly, because this is useful if you have a glut of strawberries …

How to Freeze Strawberries

~   Rinse the strawberries in cold water, drain and allow to dry a few minutes on paper towel or a clean tea towel.
~   Hull them or slice off the very top and the leaves.
~   If the strawberries are tiny leave whole, halve biggish one an quarter very big ones.
~   Spread out on a baking tray so they don’t stick together and freeze for 2-3 hours.
~   Decant into freezer bags or plastic containers and store in the freezer. 

Thaw frozen strawberries slowly so they don’t go mushy but, if you are cooking with them, no need to thaw!

Ideas for Frozen Strawberries

~ Add individual frozen strawberries to drinks as posh ice cubes. 

~ Blend into smoothies or milkshakes – add simple or flavoured syrup to taste.

Frozen Strawberry Yogurt

300g frozen strawberries
3 tablespoons honey
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
125g plain yogurt

~   Process everything together till smooth and creamy.
~   That’s about it.
~   Serve immediately or freeze till needed.

Cooking with Frozen Strawberries

~   No need to thaw them first.
~   Use the same quantity of frozen berries as fresh berries in the recipe.
~   If you sweetened the strawberries before freezing, as in the macerated strawberries below (if you have bought in frozen strawberries – check the packet), remember to adjust the amount of sugar, downwards!, in the recipe. So add them to cakes, pies, crumbles, cobblers and so on.

Fresh Strawberry Recipes & Ideas

Strawberry Coulis

You can make this with strawberries straight from the freezer too.

fresh strawberries – hulled and halved
caster sugar – half the weight of the strawberries

~    Put the berries and sugar into a small saucepan.
~    Stir over a medium heat giving the fruit a squash now and then – you could add a dribble of water to encourage the sugar to melt if the fruit isn’t very juicy
~   Continue to cook till the sugar has melted and then cook gently till the fruit has softened and broken down.
~   Strain through a fine nylon sieve pushing on the fruit debris to extract as much coulis as poss. (Don’t waste the squashed fruit! Eat it with ice cream or yogurt or stir into your porridge.)
~   Cool, cover and chill till needed.

What to do with Strawberry Coulis?

~ Serve the coulis over creamy desserts and ice cream or make an ice cream sundae.
~ Fold into whipped cream as a cake filling or frosting.
~ Make a no bake strawberry cheesecake.
~ Drizzle over pancakes.

Coulis freezes very well – you could make ice cubes or lollies with it.

Strawberry Scones

Or replace the jam in a traditional cream tea with fresh strawberries. This is the only occasion when I put the cream on first – normally, of course, it always jam first!

Simple Strawberry Ice Cream

500g sliced fresh strawberries
250g sugar
juice of ½ an orange
500m double cream
200g condensed milk

~   Mash or purée strawberries. Add the sugar and orange juice and stir until the sugar has dissolved.
~   Chill for at least an hour but several hours or overnight is fine.
~   Whip the cream till thick and fold in the condensed milk.
~   Fold in the fruit sauce. 
~   Freeze.

Macerated Strawberries

Basically, you stir together caster sugar and sliced strawberries in the ratio of 1 tablespoon of sugar to 100g of strawberries.  Leave to macerate (which is a sweet vertion of marinate) and the sugar and the juices from the strawberries will combine to make a light syrup.

You can also add a little something to the strawberries before macerating, such as …

~   a little Grand Marnier or Cointreau or other suitable spirit
~   a squeeze of orange juice and/or a little orange zest
~   a spoonful of Port (plus maybe a sprinkling of black pepper!)

These are delicious with ice cream, clotted cream, whipped cream, yogurt, on cakes, etc. They also make superb Strawberry Fool and Eton Mess.

Freezing Macerated Strawberries

Fill ziplock or other freezer bags not quite full then gently, gently squeeze out the air. I have read of people doing this by inserting a straw into the top of the bag and sucking out the air, but not tried it. Once you have remove as much air as possible zip, seal or tie the bag and freeze. They will not freeze solid due to the sugar and possible alcohol but that’s fine, just makes them easier to work with when you need them, for instance when making …

Warm Strawberry Sauce

Thaw the strawberries and heat gently then remove half and purée in the blender, return to the pan et voila – a hot strawberry sauce.

A Few More Ideas for Strawberries!

~ Add to breakfast cereal.
~ Stir into yogurt.
~ Add to fruit salads, crumbles and pies.
~ Make strawberry butter!
~ Strawberry Wine!
~ Dip whole strawberries in melted chocolate and lay on parchment paper or a silicone sheet to set.

I hope these ways to use up strawberries will be of help in these dificult times.

Oh, and be careful how much you pay for them!

Is this the World’s Most Expensive Strawberry?

I hope so!! Paul Hollywood paid £350 for it – but at least he enjoyed it.

Please tweet to help out others with a bit of a strawberry problem!