I have a freezer full of strawberries. Send help.

[brigid]

Yonks ago, I worked for a small bakery that, surprising nobody, has closed down. PROTIP: if your paychecks to your employees keep bouncing and they have to handle calls from irate suppliers about getting paid, you are doing something wrong. Other than pay issues, I loved working there. Sometimes a dude would come by and sell my boss giant flats of strawberries for really cheap, and then my job would be to wash, sort, and slice them and we’d make a bunch of strawberry cakes. As an aside, I will never buy a cake/baked good containing strawberries because my boss was a little lax on what constituted mold and spoilage.

While we were driving to the store yesterday, “strawberries” on our shopping list, I caught sight of a produce truck by the side of the road. Now, I live in Chicago which is a big city, very urban, yet it’s common to find little truck stands scattered alongside busy roads. The last time I stopped at a truck stand I bought 5 pounds of cherries for $5 and Nesko ate them all in one sitting which turned out to be a bad move on his part. Despite our rocky history with poor impulse control and truck stand fruit, I made Nesko pull over and he got out of the car and bought a flat (8 pints) of strawberries and a huge bag of green grapes for $5. Apparently $5 is the magic price or something? He shoved this massive flat of fruit into the trunk of the car and we went to the store. When it was time to load our groceries (all cloth bagged, tyvm) into the car, the whole trunk was fragrant with strawberries.

I find the smell kind of nauseating, actually.

Once home, I sorted through 5 pints of strawberries and now our freezer is stocked with diced, sliced, and chunked strawberries for later strawberry based shenanigans. I tossed about 20% of the strawberries as moldy or far too over ripe (like, turning to mush, couldn’t pick them up) which seems about on par with what we get from the grocery store AND what I’d end up with when processing berries for the bakery. Niko has consumed almost an entire pint in one day. I plan to make strawberry short cake tonight, and strawberry pancakes tomorrow or the day after. Would strawberry oatmeal be tasty? What other strawberry recipes would you recommend?

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Comments

[al_zorra]

I purchased two quarts of strawberries Saturday for $5. They are breakfast with sunflower seeds, a banana, raisins and non-fat yogurt this week.

It seemed much too early for strawberries, but they looked -- and more to the point -- smelled good. Which is why I bought them.

Love, C.

[pinesandmaples]

It seemed much too early for strawberries, but they looked -- and more to the point -- smelled good

Actually, we're coming to the end of California strawberry season. Louisiana and Florida have already ended their seasons. (Louisiana strawberry season is from late December to mid-February. Florida is from mid-January to late March.)

[pinesandmaples]

The Farmer and I have been nibbling through strawberries and custard. I had extra cream cheese custard from a cake so it wasn't any extra work. But custard custard custard!

And smoothies. Strawberry smoothies for dessert? Heaven.

[twistedchick]

Strawberry smoothies. Strawberry-Apple juice (in a blender). Strawberry liqueur (if you want -- add berries to vodka in a wide-mouth jar, let it sit for a couple months, strain out the berries, and sip it next winter when it's cold.)

[brigid]

Strawberry vodka sounds heavenly, actually.

[twistedchick]

I also freeze strawberries (with the stems removed) and then toss them into smoothies later on, just as they are.

[brigid]

Niko, who is four, won't eat custard.

*dead eyed stare*

That sounds good, though.

[pinesandmaples]

More for the adults?

[brigid]

Yeah.

I think I need to host a strawberry eating party.