Berry season is upon us and my wife picked up eight pound of strawberries a week ago and another eight pounds last weekend. The problem with strawberries is that the mold almost before you can get them home from the store. To say that they are very perishable it putting it mildly. I decided to share some berry preservation techniques that may help those among you who with to take advantage of these seasonal jewels.
• Hull (remove the green part) and halve the strawberries. Dry in a food dehydrator cut side up until crunchy. Store in a sealed container in a cool, dry place away from light.
• Hull and halve. Full a quart mason jar with them then top it off with a mid-shelf brandy. Lid and store. They should keep indefinitely at room temperature.
• If you are looking for something a little less potent try this: Hull and half the berries and fill a quart mason jar. Add about 2 tbs of honey, zest of one lemon, a few grinds of black pepper and top the jar off with a sweet red wine. Keep it in the fridge and it makes a nice topping for shortcake.
• Hull your strawberries and mix them with a few pounds of crushed dry ice in a pot. Toss the pot in a cooler and let em freeze solid. Bag them and store in the freezer. The colder temperature means faster freezing means smaller ice crystals means no mushy berries after you thaw them.
We are getting a bunch of blackberries this weekend- I would guess that it should with them as well. We shall see...
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