Welcome Strawberry Season
This week its seems every store (near me) has strawberries on sale. I made a big purchase at Meijer. However, Kroger also has them on sale and I was pleasantly surprised to find my Aldi had them priced at $.99! Aldi also had Pineapple on sale for $.99 too – I got two!
I'm planning on cutting a few containers up for smoothies and flash freezing. I may go purchase more because at $1 a container, you can't beat the price for fresh produce! I bought ingredients to make Parfaits too. I need a good granola recipe though because I want to try to make my own :) Suggestions there?
Do you have other ideas for my surplus of strawberries?
This is my absolute favorite strawberry salad- it is always a hit at parties! :)
http://momadvice.com/blog/2009/05/an-elegant-strawberry-salad
Strawberries have been on sale for $1.50 a container here in my neck of the woods. I’ve bought a few of them, wash them up and freeze them for my healthy smoothies!
I have a few…
Cut up your strawberries and add sugar…like you are making strawberry shortcake. Once they sit and become all juicy, freeze them. Thaw and make strawberry shortcake or serve over pancakes. If you freeze them without creating juice first you never get it!
Here is a salad I made last week, it is delicious!
http://cuttingbackkitchen.blogspot.com/2010/04/strawberry-poppyseed-salad.html
Have you ever tried freezer jam? I don’t recall the exact recipe, but its in the Knox gelatin box. It is super easy and doesn’t require the patience (which I do not have) to “can” or “preserve” them. I put it in small ziploc containers. It always tastes fresh.
This granola is SUPER easy, and is quite popular on my site. http://amysfinerthings.com/crystals-lazy-granola
Also… you NEED to make Strawberry Limeade Slush http://amysfinerthings.com/kitchen-tip-tuesday-fresh-strawberry-limeade-slush
and
Fresh Strawberry Sheetcake http://amysfinerthings.com/fresh-strawberry-sheet-cake
I just stocked up at Meijer too … what a treat!!
I’m prepping mine for jam. At this price, why go and break my back berry picking??
There is also a Strawberry Rhubarb pie in the near future for my hubby… a fave of his. I’ve got a great granola recipe, I better get that out, parfaits sound yummy!
This is my favorite granola recipe!
http://www.faithfulprovisions.com/2010/03/04/kellys-homemade-granola/
Andrea – I get my wheat germ in the organic & natural section. It is the Hodgins Mills (sp?) brand.
Also, I like to eat it with Homemade Yogurt. This recipe is super simple!!
http://faithfulprovisions.com/2010/03/30/homemade-yogurt/
Cookswares in Harpers Point has a strawberry class coming up 5/11 if you want to freeze some for later. The schedule is about to come out. I made a ton of jam last year and it lasted me well into the school year. Rita Heikenfeld will also have a preservation class in Aug. at Jungle Jim’s if you freeze them now she will teach some jam making. (She & Amy Tobin are my favorite teachers!)
I love Strawberry Cornmeal muffins – a little sweet, a little crunchy, and a whole lot of delicious. I’ll have to find my recipe for you.
I also love rhubarb-strawberry-raspberry pie. Just throw in some raspberries in place of some of the strawberries. It tastes great, but without the cloying sweetness that comes with most str/rhub recipes.
I’m soooo jealous! I’ve slipped and bought a few packs of strawberries, but I’m trying so hard to wait for locally grown fresh produce. But, in NW Ohio, that can be a loooong wait. At least the asparagus is almost here!
LOVING all the strawberry sales! Stocked up from Meijer. Some are frozen and some stay fresh for snacks through the week. We love just simply cutting up a package and adding a sliced organic banana or two for a nice after dinner snack.
Strawberry Cream Puffs or a Strawberry Roll (Jelly Roll w/ whip cream and sliced strawberries for filling) are my favorite fresh strawberry desserts :)
I highly agree with Romy and recommend Sure-Jel or Ball pectin found in your canning section. Make the freezer jam recipe, SO EASY and delicious, plus it can be frozen in any sort of container (think free, sour cream or butter tubs)! I also love this recipe… http://www.recipezaar.com/recipe/Oatmeal-Cookie-Granola-174742 I just cut back on the brown sugar just a bit. Good luck!