Strawberries: How to Freeze Strawberries

How to Freeze Strawberries!

(also works for blackberries, raspberries, gooseberries, tayberries, loganberries, saskatoons, cranberries, marionberries, boysenberries, etc.)

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If you like strawberries in the winter, for cobblers, dessert, or just in a bowl; just imagine how good it would taste if you had picked a couple of quarts fresh or bought a them from a farm stand and then quickly froze them at home!  It is also one of the simplest ways to put up a fruit for the winter. Here's how to do it, complete instructions in easy steps and completely illustrated. Your own frozen strawberries will taste MUCH better than anything you've ever had from a store. Strawberries are different in that you must remove the hulls (the green cap) after washing, but otherwise the same as other berries. See this page for easy strawberry jam and preserves recipes and complete directions. To freeze blueberries, see this page (there are a few differences).

Directions for Freezing Strawberries

Ingredients

• fresh strawberries - any quantity

Equipment

• a pan or tray that will fit in your freezer
• a strainer or colander  
• Vacuum food sealer or "ziploc" type freezer bags (the freezer bag version is heavier and protects better against freezer burn.

Instructions

Step 1 - Get the freshest strawberries you can!

Start with the freshest strawberries you can get.  Look for plump, full berries with a good color. I've used blueberries as an example, but these directions would equally well for any other berry (blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, etc.) See the picking tips page for other berries.

 

Step 2 - Wash and sort the strawberries.  

Wash the strawberries in a bowl of plain cold water.

Then you need to pick out and remove any bits of stems, leaves and soft or mushy strawberries. It is easiest to do this in a large bowl of water and gently run your hands through the strawberries as they float.  With your fingers slightly apart, you will easily feel any soft or mushy berries get caught in your fingers.

 

Step 3 - Drain the strawberries

Use a large sieve or colander to remove as much water as possible.  I usually let them sit for about 10 minutes in the colander.

 

 

Step 4 - Cut the leaves (hulls) off the strawberries

Cut the hulls off the strawberries, then drain the water from them. You can cut the berries up, or leave them whole, as you like.

 

Step 5 - Put them a freezer bag

Pack a freezer bag with the strawberries, and exclude as much as air as you can when you seal the bag.

I love the FoodSavers (see this page for more information) with their vacuum sealing!  I am not paid by them, but these things really work.  If you don't have one, ziploc bags work, too, but it is hard to get as much air out of the bags.  Remove the air to prevent drying and freezer burn.  .

If you use the vacuum food sealer, and the berries have a lot of juice or liquid on them, you can freeze the filled, but still open bags and then vacuum seal them, so the liquid doesn't get sucked into the device.

A tip for a low budget vacuum sealer:

To remove the excess air from a ziploc bag, put a straw inside the bag and zip it closed as far as possible. Then suck the air out of the bag, pinch the straw shut where it enters the bag and pull it from the bag and quickly zip the bag the rest of the way.

Pop them into the coldest part of the freezer, or the quick freeze shelf, if your freezer has one!

I leave them in the freezer overnight, to get completely frozen.

Step 6 - Label the bags!

Of course, you will want to label them with the contents and date, or all this work could be wasted, if you can't identify them later, or don't know how old they are.

 

Step 7 - Done!

Pop them into the deep freeze, or in the coldest part of your regular freezer!

To use them, just set them in the fridge overnight, or on the counter for a couple of hours.  I wouldn't recommend the microwave unless you are planning to cook with them!

Tips:

• Harvest early in the morning, especially if the weather is hot, to get peak flavor.
• Harvest the berries at its peak maturity, but not overripe and mushy.
• Process promptly after harvesting, or keep cooled in the fridge or with ice until then.

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Illustrated Canning, Freezing, Jam Instructions and Recipes

[ Easy Home Canning Directions] [FAQs - Answers to common questions and problems] [Recommended books about home canning, jam making, drying and preserving!] [Free canning publications to download and print]

Canning Books, Supplies and Accessories

These are my favorite essential canning tools, books and supplies. I've been using many of these for over 50 years of canning! The ones below on this page are just the sampling of. my preferred tools. but you can find much more detailed and extensive selections on the pages that are linked below.

• Vacuum Foodsealers for freezing, dried foods, and refrigerated foods - the FoodSaver line
• Selecting a KitchenAid mixer and attachments for home canning
• Steam Juicers
• Strainers, pit removers, seed-skin-stem removers, jelly strainers, etc. All types, makes and prices (from $19 to $350)
• Cherry pitters reviews, prices and ordering
• Food dehydrators - easy and fast to dry your own fruits, veggies, sun-dried tomatoes, etc.