Strawberry Season

It’s here, it’s here! Oh, how I love berry season. A couple of years ago, I took our firstborn to Rittman Orchards and we had the most magical time picking berries and coming home to make strawberry bread together. I also made jam, and that took care of the berries. THIS year, the girls and I decided to pick a lot more and so we picked…and picked…and picked. And ended up with over 16 pounds! We had an even better time this year, and now we’re left with six jars of jam (which we made using the Sure-Jell recipe for strawberry freezer jam), strawberry bread, strawberry muffins, strawberry pancakes, and finally…strawberry popsicles. The popsicles are my fave. Oh, and we STILL have 3 freezer bags full of whole strawberries for smoothies and such. Here are some pictures with recipe links or instructions.

Strawberry Pancakes courtesy of Rachael Ray

Freezer bags full of berries

There’s something so gratifying about seeing fresh produce stacked in my freezer. Here’s a quick tip for freezing the berries: after you hull and rinse them, let the excess water drip off in a colander, then spread them in a single layer on a cookie sheet. Put them in the freezer like this for 30 minutes or so, then dump them in freezer bags. That way, they won’t freeze together as much.

Strawberry Popsicles (I’ve made these with raspberries, too, and they’re really good!)

Boil 2 T. sugar and 2 T. water to make a simple syrup; cool.

Puree 1 1/2 c. fresh strawberries.

Mix berries with syrup and 2 T. orange juice.

Pour into molds and freeze.

And here are two variations of a Strawberry Spinach Salad:

Spinach, sliced strawberries, toasted almonds and poppyseed dressing OR
Spinach, sliced strawberries, pecans, feta, and balsamic dressing

Eat ’till your heart’s content!