Strawberry overload!

[yellowsprings]

Help!

I have a 10' x 40' strawberry patch (400 sq. ft.). I let them get out of hand so the whole patch is nothing but wall to wall plants! This gives me thousands of plants and a bigillion strawberries.

I have frozen them and made some jam. I am thinking about putting some in the dehydrator. Other than that and fruit roll ups, what can I do with all of these strawberries?!? I am looking for an easy way to process them quickly.

I think I am headed toward strawberry burnout ... or maybe I will just turn into a big strawberry ... (I certainly have eaten enough!)

 

[Splicer205]

Are you bragging, or complaining?
Sounds like you've got it covered, but if you have all you need you could easily sell or barter them. Or, turn a hungry 5 or 6 year old loose in the patch.

 

[blueberry]

Good problem to have! About all you can do, is to keep doing what you are doing - putting them up any way you can.

But when my fruit trees give me tons of fruit all at once, I feel the same way.

 

[Mrs Smith]

When I come out Rt 444 to Wright Patt on Saturday, I'd be happy to take some off your hands!

 

[readerb]

We went strawberry picking the other day & came out with alot more than I knew what to do with too. One thing I've done was make a sort of Sundae topping with some of it.. mixing sliced strawberries & a bit of powdered sugar + a few cups of frozen black cherries I still had from last years harvest. Together, I let the flavors mingle overnight to create their own 'sauce' in the fridge. Next day, I got a container of coconut joy ice cream (made by Hudsonville, its coconut ice cream w/ fudge swirls, sliced almonds & bits of almond joy candy mixed into it) sliced up a banana or two.. filled up a few bowls with the cream, bananas & then the strawberry topping & let it rip! Tastes alot like a banana split, only better. You won't need to worry about what to do with the rest of the strawberries after this! Here, theres still enough for another batch of topping + enough to make a strawberry rhubarb pie (if I can get my hands on some rhubarb tomorrow, if not a strawberry pie will work too!) Another thought.. A strawberry topping that you could use on a cheese cake or as a filling between layers of a yellow cake!

Of course you can always freeze some of your strawberries until you're ready to use them too. Just remember, if using a Food Saver - to FREEZE the strawberries first, on a cookie sheet BEFORE freezing them in a FS bag.. otherwise the juices will bleed & may cause your machine to clog & go ka-poop!

Heres a link to a list of different type strawberry pie recipes if you need ideas, I hope it helps:
http://search.allrecipes.com/recipe/quick.asp?q1=strawberry+pie&lnkid=65&x=5&y=2

 

[readerb]

Oops.. one more idea.. Sliced strawberries are great in a mixed greens salad with carrots, thinly sliced red onion & a nice strawberry vinegarette! They don't only have to be used as a sweet, they can be used in a savory dish too.. Yum-yum!!

 

[Fly Girl]

ReaderB,

I dont have a food saver, but would love to go pick some berries (strawberry and blueberry) and get alot of them to freeze. I bought a smoothie machine 2 months ago and strawberry yogurt smoothies are an awesome breakfast!!!!! what is the best way for me to freeze berries without a food saver so they will last a while?

TIA,
FG

 

[readerb]

Hi Fly Girl:

What I used to do, before the FS... Was use a good freezer style zip lock bag. You still want to 1st freeze your berries on a cookie sheet since it also make it easier to grab just a few as needed without defrosting them all - it keeps them from clumping together as their juices freeze.

After I'd put the berries in the zip lock bag, squeezing out as much air as possible & 'almost' completely sealing it except for one small hole - my husband would then (this is going to sound silly, but really - it worked quite well!) take a 'homemade' straw (made from an old pen barrel) & use that to suck out the remaining air.. I was amazed at how good a job it did & how it improved the shelf life of the berries.

 

[Fly Girl]

thanks, ReaderB!!!!!

I will try that, or I will just breakdown and buy a food saver! I always buy meat in bulk and it would be nice to have a saver. I will take my kids to the berry patch this weekend and put them to work. they have never seen berries grow, let alone pick em, so it should be fun. I will enjoy the smoothies, thats for sure! i was at the grocery store a few weeks back and thought to see how much frozen berries cost for when my supply in the fresh section gets out of season and too expensive..........FIVE BUCKS FOR A TINY LITTLE BAG THAT WOULD MAKE TWO MEASLY BREAKFAST DRINKS!!!!!!! ok, i am cheap. i know people who spend that on starbucks everyday....but that is alot of money to me.

thanks again!!!!

ps: any recommendations on a good food saver brand and model??????

 

[yellowsprings]

Are you bragging, or complaining?
Sounds like you've got it covered, but if you have all you need you could easily sell or barter them. Or, turn a hungry 5 or 6 year old loose in the patch.

I think I am whining!

I have fed the whole family strawberries till they come out their ears! I have had tendenitis in my right arm for almost two weeks. It is killing me! Even hulling the berries hurts!


I have been slicing them in the food processor, bagging them in freezer bags and putting them in the freezer. Some are mixed with sugar (instant strawberries for shortcake) and some are plain. Unfortunately my freezer is packed to the gills from a huge grocery cache I received for free last week.

Maybe I will be super lazy and just dry the rest ...

 

[yellowsprings]

When I come out Rt 444 to Wright Patt on Saturday, I'd be happy to take some off your hands!

I won't be around on Saturday but I could leave you some at my parents house on the porch. They live right off RT. 444 between Enon and Fairborn.

 

[yellowsprings]

I found this recipe in my search:


Strawberry Pineapple Freezer Jam

1 3/4 cups crushed strawberries
1/2 cup pineapple
4 1/2 cups granulated sugar
1 pouch liquid Certo pectin
1/4 cup lemon juice

Hull and thoroughly crush strawberries, one layer at a time. Drain can of crushed pineapple.

In a large bowl, stir together prepared fruit and sugar.

Let stand 10 minutes.

Add certo and lemon juice. Stir for 3 minutes.

Put into clean containers filling up to 1/4 inch from rim. Cover with lids. Leave at room temperature 24 hours or until set.

 

[yellowsprings]

Strawberry Lemonade

4 qts strawberries, washed and hulled
4 cups lemon juice (I use bottled)
3 qts water
6 cups sugar
1.Puree strawberries. For a clearer lemonade, extract juice of strawberries with a juicer. (I use a food processer and strain it)
2. Place strawberries in an 8 qt pot. Add lemon juice, water and sugar. Place mixture over medium heat and heat to 165 degrees, stirring occasionally. Do not boil.
3. Remove from heat and skim off foam with a metal spoon.
4. Ladle hot juice into clean, hot jars, leaving 1/2" headspace; seal.
5. Process in boiling-water bath for 15 minutes.
Yield: 6-7 qts.

 

[fruit loop]

Sell some of them

Put an ad in the paper and let people come and pick their own. Pocket the cash

 

[Dinghy]

Make wine!

 

[yellowsprings]

Make wine!

I thought I was already "whining"!

What a great idea! Anyone have strawberry wine recipes?


fruit loop:

I have thought about putting up a sign and letting people pick but, DH and I are "anti-social" and do not like strange people on our property.

 

[yellowsprings]

Would this work without yeast? It is a long way to the nearest store that carries yeast for alcohol.


Strawberry Wine Recipe - Homemade Strawberry Wine


Plan in advance for this easy strawberry wine. It needs to age at least one year.

INGREDIENTS:

* 7 pounds whole fresh strawberries, (fresh picked, if possible), washed and hulled
* 2 gallons boiling water
* Juice of 1 lemon
* 5 pounds sugar

PREPARATION:
In a large earthenware crock, mash the strawberries. Cover with boiling water, add lemon juice, and quickly stir for about two minutes. Cover with a clean linen cloth. Let rest in a cool, dark place, stirring daily for one week.

After one week, strain the mixture through a double-layer of cheesecloth into a large, clean bowl, discarding strawberry pulp. Combine strawberry liquid with the sugar, stirring to dissolve sugar. Pour into cleaned crock and let stand another week, stirring daily.

After the second week, pour the strawberry liquid into 1-gallon glass wine bottles and cork loosely. (May use fermentation locks, if you have them.) Let rest in a cool, dark place for 3 months. When wine is clear and no longer fermenting (bubbling), pour into individual bottles, cork, and age at least 1 year before drinking this delicious strawberry wine.

 

[Dinghy]

That recipe sounds good. I haven't made any yet because I can't get decent strawberries around here. I'm trying to grow them, so hopefully one day I'll have my own! I make blackberry wine, and that recipe sounds close. I just use regular yeast, about a teaspoon. Blackberries have their own yeast, but I'm not sure about strawberries. The only thing about regular yeast from what I hear is that the wine may be a little cloudy compared to wine making yeast. Give it a try. All you have to lose is some sugar and berries!