Nothing beats fresh strawberries either from your garden, “u-pick farm”, or local Farmers’ Market. Here are a few tips for selection and preparation of this year’s crop.
- Look for bright red berries with fresh green caps on. When you remove the caps you tear cells in the berries, activating ascorbic acid oxidase, an enzyme that destroys Vitamin C.
- Visually check each package, making sure there are no signs of mold growth. If one berry is molded, mold spores will have traveled throughout the entire package. Research has linked mold to some forms of cancer. Always avoid moldy berries.
- When purchasing strawberries by the pound, one and a half pounds equal one quart. This will yield about four cups of sliced strawberries.
- Use strawberries as soon after harvesting or purchasing as possible. Refrigerator storage does not improve the quality of fresh strawberries. Berries should not be left at room temperature for more than a few hours.
- Store unwashed berries loosely covered with plastic wrap in the coldest part of your refrigerator for two to three days at most. Do not wash berries until ready to use.
- To wash, place berries in a colander and rinse under cold running water. Do not allow berries to sit in water as they will lose color and flavor.
- After washing, remove the green cap with a paring knife without removing any of the fruit.
- To freeze strawberries for use in sauces or baked products, freeze sliced or whole (after washing) with sugar for best flavor. You can also try a tray or loose pack method. Spread a single layer of prepared fruit on shallow trays and freeze. (A jelly roll pan is ideal for this.) Leave in the freezer just long enough to freeze firm (1/2 to 1 hour). Longer exposure to dry freezer air will result in moisture loss and a decrease in quality. When frozen, promptly package, leaving no head space. Seal tightly and return to the freezer. The advantage of tray packing is that food pieces remain loose and can be poured from the container and the package re-closed.
Here are a few reminders for making strawberry jam:
- Jams and jellies will not always gel when the recipe has been doubled. A gel depends on many things, one being the amount of evaporation that takes place during the cooking time. Never double a jam or jelly recipe.
- To reduce and even eliminate sealing failures, current research results show processing jellied products in a boiling water bath canner for 10 minutes. Do not use paraffin.
- If your jam or jelly molds, it needs to be thrown out. Removing visible mold does not necessarily remove all the mold roots growing down into the product which cannot be seen with the naked eye. Mold roots include mycotoxins, which may or may not be carcinogenic to humans.
- Recipes are available in the packages of pectin products. Also, look for tested recipes in reliable resources such as the National Center for Home Food Preservation website www.homefoodpreservation.org and the Cornell Cooperative Extension of Herkimer County website at http://bit.ly/CCEHerkFoodPreservation
