Strawberry season seems so short in Mississippi. A warm spring is here and then, poof, it’s too hot for the luscious red berries. Last year I bought way more than Terry and I could possibly consume, so I threw them in the food processor, pureed them, and then froze them in baggies. I measured out the portions by one, two and 1 1/4 cup amounts. The odd 1 1/4 cup is for strawberry bread, my new favorite bake sale item.
There are several refinements on what I do. You can strain the puree to remove the seeds; you can add sugar or lemon or both, or you can add simple syrup. I don’t go to the trouble of any of this, as I don’t always know what I’ll use the puree for. I just cut off the green stems, wash the berries and throw them in the food processor, pulsing five or six times until it is the consistency I want. When the berries thaw I can puree to a smoother state and add lots of good things to them.
I also freeze blueberries, but whole, not pureed. The best method is to put them on a pan in a single layer and freeze them. Then put the individually quick frozen (IQF) berries in a freezer bag and store in the freezer. This way you can pull out as many as you want because they are not all stuck together. They thaw quickly enough to throw on oatmeal or cereal straight from the freezer. You could take the strawberry puree and put it in a saucepan, heat until thawed and throw blueberries in. Taste for sweetness and add sugar as needed. Cook this down until the blueberries are bursting and you have a delicious topping for angel food or pound cake or vanilla ice cream.
I also wanted to share with you some of the produce I saw at the Hitching Lot Farmers’ Market in Columbus last Saturday: beets, kale (several varieties), young collards, fresh eggs, squash, sugar snap peas, green tomatoes, fried pies (fried fresh on-site! While not strictly produce, they did have apples in them), and more.
Here are some other uses for your frozen strawberry puree. Hope you enjoy them!
Anne Freeze was a restaurant general manager and owner of a gourmet food store before moving to Columbus. Email reaches her at [email protected].
STRAWBERRY FOOL
Serves 4
1 pint strawberries
1/2 cup sugar, or to taste
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract, optional
STRAWBERRIES AND CREAM POPSICLES
4 cups strawberries, washed, hulled and sliced
3 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons sugar or honey
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
STRAWBERRY LEMONADE GRANITA
1 pound strawberries
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup lemon juice
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