And here it is, strawberry season is finally here! In spring as in summer, it is impossible to pass the strawberry stalls without cracking up! Gourmet, juicy and packed with vitamins, this little red fruit slips easily into our summer salads, homemade pies, morning smoothies or grandma’s jam. The only problem? It has a reputation for being too fragile and for being damaged quickly. So what to do with strawberries when you have a lot? Our recipe ideas and canning tips are for you to eat them to the last!
What to do with strawberries when you have many? Recipes and storage tips
Indoors, on the balcony or in the ground in the garden, strawberries are relatively easy to grow. Sunny location, regular watering, natural fertilizers, mulching the soil … having an abundant harvest is not at all a complicated task, unlike the preservation of these juicy little fruits. Delicate and ultra-gourmet, strawberries require special attention after picking. If you have a lot of them, throwing them away is out of the question! Why not throw a few pounds into your homemade jams, cakes or liqueurs instead? Although they reveal their full potential in the raw version, strawberries are all good when cooked or blended. Homemade jam, summer tarts, fruity sorbet or flavored liqueur, you are spoiled for choice to enjoy this summer. As for the remaining kilos of fruit, go to the freezer. Strawberries are very easy to freeze. So you can eat it even in winter.
Homemade strawberry liqueur
To prepare homemade strawberry liqueur, you will need:
- 1 kg of strawberries
- 1 kg brandy
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 800 g granulated sugar
Preparation:
Prepare the strawberries and mash them in a bowl. Pour in the sugar, cinnamon and brandy, then mix. Transfer the mixture to a terrine, close and leave to macerate for 1 month. At the end of this time, the spirit is filtered and bottled. Store it in a cool, dark place.
Strawberry Clafoutis
Ingredients:
- 1 kg of fresh strawberries
- 3 large eggs
- ¾ cup sugar
- ½ cup whipping cream
- ¾ cup whole milk
- 3 tbsp. on p. unsalted butter, melted
- ¼ cup flour
- ¼ cup almond flour
- 1 c. vanilla extract
- 1 C. c. almond extract
- 1 pinch of salt
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Grease a 22cm diameter tin and set aside until ready to use. Add eggs, sugar, cream, milk and butter to the bowl of your stand mixer. Blend until combined, about 30 seconds. Add all-purpose flour, almond flour and salt. Blend until smooth. Let the dough rest for 15 minutes. Pour half of the batter into the greased tin and bake for 10 minutes. Take the mold out of the oven, cover the dough with a layer of strawberries and pour the remaining dough over it. Return to the oven and bake for a further 40 minutes until the edges are golden brown. Let cool slightly before serving. Sprinkle with icing sugar. Top with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
You can also try a tarte tatin, but replace the apples with strawberries.
Homemade strawberry ice cream in just 3 ingredients
Ingredients:
- 1 kg of strawberries
- 1 lemon
- 250 g of sugar
Preparation:
Whether fresh, overripe, damaged or tasteless, strawberries fit easily in the food processor. Mix a kilogram, then pour in the juice of one lemon. Put the resulting puree in a small saucepan, add sugar to it and cook for 20 minutes. Let it harden in your ice cream maker or in the freezer. So! Your kids will love it.
Strawberry crufiture: my grandmother’s recipe
To show you how to use your extra strawberries differently, I took the liberty of quickly flipping through my grandmother’s culinary journal. After the family dish in gravy that I stole from him, it’s time to treat yourself to something sweet. And what could be better than a homemade strawberry jam that smells like childhood!
Ingredients:
- 2 cups strawberries
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 bag of liquid pectin
- 2 tbsp. lemon juice
Preparation:
Mix the strawberries and sugar in a fairly large bowl and let them sit for about 10 minutes. Then add pectin and lemon juice while stirring gently. Stir for 3-4 minutes, then refrigerate for 24 hours. Finally, pour it into an airtight jar and enjoy!
Quick and easy strawberry coulis
Ingredients:
- 1 kg of fresh strawberries, ripe or spoiled
- 100 g of sugar
- 75 ml lemon juice
- 125 ml of water
Preparation:
Wash and peel your strawberries. Put them in a large bowl and mix them with sugar and lemon. Crush them or blend them with an immersion blender. Filter with a colander. Add a little water if needed! Use this coulis to cover your homemade cheesecake or to make a strawberry tatin cake.
Our tips to keep your strawberries longer
Regardless of its shape or variety (gariguette, ciflorette or mara des bois), the strawberry has a reputation for being quite fragile and difficult to preserve. To enjoy your juicy fruits longer, a few techniques are necessary:
- sort your fruit regularly
- bath in white vinegar
- store them in perforated containers
- avoid overlapping and pursuing them
- freeze your strawberries
