Strawberry Processing Tips
Sweetened strawberries hold better in the freezer than unsweetened berries. For best results, wash the berries with hulls intact, then remove the hulls before processing.
Storing Fresh Berries for Immediate Use
Freshly picked strawberries can be stored in the referigerator for 2 to 3 days. Place the berries in a single layer on a paper towel inside a moisture-proof container. Do not wash berries until ready to use.
Syrup Pack for Freezing Berries
A syrup pack is best for whole berries. Make a syrup using 1-1/2 cups cold water to each cup of sugar. Dissolve the sugar in cold water only. Place berries in plastic containers and cover with the cold syrup, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Cover with lids and freeze.
Dry-Sugar Pack for Freezing Berries
A dry-sugar pack is especially easy and gives the best flavor and color for sliced or crushed strawberries. Add 2/3 cup sugar to each quart of fresh berries. Mix well until sugar is dissolved. Place berries in plastic contianers leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Cover with lids and freeze.
Freezing Berries Without Sugar
Select medium sized fruit and hull carefully. Place berries in the freezer on lined baking trays until frozen. Remove and package fruit in plastic bags. Return to freezer for storage.
Strawberry Facts
Botanically, the strawberry fruit is not a fruit, but is instead a greatly enlarged stem end that contains many partially embedded true fruits, called seeds.
The strawberry and the rose are both members of the Rosaceae family of plants.
One cup fresh strawberries has only 55 calories...plus 88 mg of Vitamin C which is practically one-third more that the U.S. Recommended Dietary Allowance for this nutrient.
At an elevation of 9,500 feet to 10,500 feet in the volcanic soil of the mountain tops at Guachi, in Ecuador, the Indians have long raised one of the original strawberry varieties, the Ambato.