If you wondering about how you can effectively preserve your strawberries and keep them fresh long after the season for strawberries is over, then this guide is for you, in this guide you will learn how you can effectively store your strawberry fruit and use them for making recipes such as smoothies even after summer.
I am sure every one will find it great to always have some strawberries and bananas available for making smoothies. I have mentioned these two because they are the staples for most of the smoothie recipes I have. Freezing strawberries is quite a lot easier than you think it is. Strawberries can be frozen whole, sliced, or crushed. For making my smoothies, I like to freeze my strawberries whole.
By having some frozen fruits such as bananas and strawberries handy, you are always guaranteed that the basic smoothie ingredients are within reach for any surprise guest or for a late night snack.
The best period to source your strawberries is during summer, i like to buy mine from the local farmers market. Select strawberries that are dark red, firm, and fully ripened. Do not not select strawberries that are moldy, damaged, or discolored.
Dip the selected strawberry fruits in lemon juice. The lemon juice helps the strawberry fruit retain some of its original coloration. Of course there are many great ways you can use your frozen strawberries for besides smoothies, like sauces for fruit salad, pancakes, frozen margarita, jams.
Now pack the strawberries in zip-lock bags and place them in your refrigerator, you should put them in a refrigerator where the will freeze completely. Freezing strawberries does not sterilize them, but the cold prevents microorganism growth which is the cause for food spoilage. Properly frozen strawberries will contain most of their taste and nutritional value.
