Freezing Fresh Strawberries

The best way to keep strawberries for the winter or out of season, is to freeze them!  And it is easy!  All you need are the chopped strawberries, sugar, lemon juice, and Ziplock freezer bags.

You will need:

1) 4-6 cups sliced strawberries (6 to 7.5 cups of whole berries average).

2) 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice

3) 1/4 cup sugar

4) Ziplock Slider Freezer Bags (Quart)

 Instructions:

To clean strawberries; Place whole strawberries in a colander and rinse them under           cool water.  Remove the strawberries and lay them (single layer) on a dish towel to drain. Using a large mixing bowl, clip the top leaf and slice, dice and chop strawberries into bite-size pieces.  Sprinkle strawberries with the lemon juice and sugar.  Gently, spoon-toss to combine.  Let mixture set for about 15-20 minutes.  This should activate the juices in the strawberries.  Label the Ziplock bags with the name and date.  Spoon about 1-2 cups into a Ziplock Freezer-Safe bag.  Work out all the extra air and zip.  Lay the bags onto a freezer safe cookie sheet - and place inside a freezer.  Let the strawberries thaw before using them.