One of my favorite things to do this time of year is pick fresh strawberries. I love everything about it: going to the strawberry field in my old clothes and mud boots, searching the rows for the perfect berries, filling my bucket to overflowing and of course, eating strawberries for weeks, and figuring out new ways to prepare them for my family to enjoy.
If you haven’t been to the strawberry fields yet this season, check out our guide to Knoxville’s Pick Your Own Farms, and get moving!
I like to bring home a LOT of berries. And my favorite thing to do with fresh strawberries is make freezer jam. I always try to make enough jam to last my family the entire year. Right now, I have one last jar in the freezer, and I’ll be making more this weekend, so I consider that a win!
For my freezer jam, I use the recipe included in the packaging of Sure-Jell, which is the fruit pectin product that I like to use. This link includes the same recipe. It is so incredibly delicious and very easy to make.
After I’ve made my jam, I usually have quite a few strawberries left over. Which makes me very happy. Then I get creative with how to use them.
Here are some of my favorite ways to prepare strawberries:
- Slice them and keep them in a big bowl in the fridge. Maybe add a little sugar or not. We like to eat them plain or over cereal, ice cream, or yogurt
- Wash and de-stem whole strawberries, and then freeze them in a gallon size zip-lock for smoothies
- Strawberry Cobbler
- Strawberry shortcake
- Strawberry cake
- Strawberry spinach salads
- Stuff them with cream cheese
- Dip them in chocolate
Strawberries and whipped cream 😍😍 or
frozen berry whip