Nothing says summer like fresh strawberries! In my previous post 9 Reasons To Pick Your Own Strawberries, I mentioned that I had been on 6 fun-filled strawberry-picking excursions with my daughters last month (and I’ve even been again since that post!) One would think we would have more strawberries than we know what to do with, but the truth is I’ve been having trouble keeping the strawberries long enough to make anything out of them. My girls devour them (sometimes even before we get home!) It wasn’t easy, but I did manage to save some strawberries to make a few things. Here are 10 delicious ways to use those fresh-picked, juice-dripping strawberries!
1. Eat them just as they are!
Of course, this is the healthiest (and our favorite) way to eat them, and they don’t last long.
2. Chocolate-Dipped Strawberries!
Who doesn’t love the combination of chocolate and strawberries, right? And truly, they couldn’t be easier to make! It requires 2 ingredients – Fresh picked strawberries & Baker’s Dipping Chocolate (you can find this in the baking aisle of your local grocery store – next to the chocolate chips.)
Simply melt the chocolate as instructed, dip your strawberries, place on a tray on waxed paper, and enjoy! If you prefer the chocolate a little bit harder (as we do), place in the refrigerator for about 10-15 minutes.
3. Strawberry Jam
This was our first attempt at making strawberry jam. Although this particular recipe didn’t go over well with my family, I’m including it in here anyway since we spent the time making it. Based on the reviews, it is very popular and it does seem like most people enjoyed it. We halved the recipe since I didn’t know if we would like it and I wasn’t sure how much it would make. It ended up filling 4 mason jars (8oz each). Since I normally try to minimize the amount of sugar I put into recipes (and this time I didn’t), for us it seemed way too sweet. I think next time I would use much less sugar. You can find the recipe we used here: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/strawberry-jam/
4. Strawberry Parfait
This is one of our favorite choices for breakfast. Simply use your favorite yogurt, fresh strawberries (chopped) any other desired fruits, and granola. Layer and enjoy!! 🙂
5. Strawberry Banana Smoothie
Nothing beats a refreshing, fruit-filled smoothie on a hot day! You can use any fruit you have on-hand, but here is one of my favorite combinations:
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup fresh strawberries
- 1 cup fresh pineapple, chopped into bite-sized pieces
- 1 frozen banana
Blend all ingredients together until smooth. Enjoy!! 🙂 Note: Make sure at least one of your ingredients is frozen to make your smoothie cold. In the absence of frozen fruit, you may want to add some ice to make it cold. If this doesn’t appeal to you, try my other Strawberry Banana smoothie recipe, my Strawberry Banana Peanut Butter smoothie, or create your own yummy combination!
6. In a salad
I love strawberries in my salad! I also like to add blueberries, grapes, pineapple, cashews, and chocolate chips in addition to the lettuce, tomatoes, and cucumbers! 🙂 The fruit adds a wonderful juiciness that practically eliminates the need for salad dressing. YUM!!
7. In your cereal
We love adding fresh berries to our cereal. Yum!!
8. Freeze them.
If you have more strawberries than you know what to do with, you can freeze them for later use. To freeze, begin by removing the stems. Lightly rinse them and allow to dry. Then, place them on a piece of wax paper on a cookie sheet in the freezer. Once frozen, transfer to a ziploc freezer bag.
9. Topping for cheesecake, ice cream, or pancakes
My kids absolutely love this stuff!! Here is the recipe we used (next time I’m going to double it!):
Ingredients:
- 2 cups fresh-picked ripe strawberries
- 1/3 cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Directions:
- Wash strawberries and remove stems.
- Chop strawberries
- Combine sugar, vanilla, and 1 1/2 cups strawberries in a saucepan. (Set aside remaining 1/2 cup strawberries.)
- Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Cook until sauce thickens, about 15 minutes.
- Remove from heat. In a blender, puree mixture. Add in the 1/2 cup strawberries you had previously set aside.
- Store in refrigerator.
The original recipe can be found here: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Supreme-Strawberry-Topping/Detail.aspx
I was also hoping to make strawberry pie and strawberry shortcake with fresh-picked strawberries this year, but unfortunately strawberry season is now over in my area so I’ll have to try those out next year.
10. Strawberry Pie
Update 7/9/15: I made Strawberry Pie with my daughters this season, and it was delicious! The link to the recipe I used may be found on my blog Stacy Loves here.
11. Strawberry Ice Cream
Update 6/16/16
This strawberry ice cream, made with freshly picked strawberries, is the perfect treat on a hot, summer day! The recipe can be found on Stacy Loves here.
What is your favorite way to eat strawberries? Do you have a favorite use for strawberries that is not included here? Please leave a comment below.