Strawberries tend to have a relatively short shelf life, and while they’re delicious to eat on their own, you may find yourself with too many strawberries to eat before the end of their shelf life. Perhaps you’ve started your own strawberry patch this year, or you’ve purchased a large quantity of strawberries from your local produce stand.
If you’re looking for creative ways to use strawberries before they expire, here are a few suggestions:
Strawberry Jam
Strawberry jam is easy to make, and is an excellent way to preserve strawberries for later use. Strawberry jam can be made with just a few ingredients, including sugar and lemon juice for preservation. The jam can be used on sandwiches or biscuits as an alternative to store bought jam or jelly.
Strawberry jam lasts for up to 6 months in the refrigerator, or one year when frozen.
Strawberry Milk
Making strawberry milk is a creative way to use up extra strawberries. Strawberry milk can be made by boiling strawberries with sugar and water into a thick syrup. After the syrup is made, the strawberries can be strained out and discarded. The strawberry syrup can then be mixed with cold milk to create refreshing homemade strawberry milk.
The shelf life of strawberry milk will be about the same as regular milk. Strawberry milk should be consumed within 7 days of opening the container of milk.
Add To a Salad
Strawberries can be a wonderful addition to a sweet, summer salad. Strawberries pair especially well with spinach and goat cheese. Adding strawberries to your everyday salads is a wonderful way to add new flavors to your salads while making use of your extra strawberries.
Strawberry Vinaigrette
Instead of adding strawberries directly to a salad, you can make a strawberry vinaigrette to use as a salad dressing. Strawberry vinaigrette can be made using strawberries, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, and honey.
Homemade strawberry vinaigrette will last up to 7 days when stored in the refrigerator, so it is best to make a small amount that can be used within a week.
Freeze for Later
If you simply have too many strawberries to add to a recipe or eat before they expire, freeze the strawberries for later use. Frozen strawberries are an excellent addition to smoothies, or can be used in baked goods or recipes after dethawing.
Frozen strawberries last for up to 12 months, so you’ll be in no rush to use all of your strawberries.
Add to Cocktails or Sangria
Strawberries are an excellent addition to cocktails or sangria. Add strawberries to a mojito, margarita, or daiquiri for a refreshing treat. Share with friends to impress them with your bartender skills!
Can Strawberries
Canning strawberries allows you to preserve whole strawberries for later use in pies or desserts. In order to can strawberries, all you need to do is remove the hulls (the green leafy end) from the strawberries, and coat each berry in sugar. After simmering the berries on low heat, they can be added to airtight jars for storage.
Strawberries can be canned without sugar, but they will need to be canned in water instead, so they may lose some of their flavor as they’re stored.
Strawberries can last for up to a year after being canned, but they may darken in color and lose their texture after around 6 months.
Dehydrate Strawberries
Another way to preserve strawberries for later use is to dehydrate them. Strawberries can be dehydrated by slicing them into thin layers and placing them in the oven for about 8 to 10 hours. They should bake at a low temperature around 135 degrees Fahrenheit to slowly draw moisture out of the berries without burning them.
Dehydrated strawberries make a perfect on-the-go snack or can be added to granola, oatmeal, tea, or baked goods.
Add to Recipes
Fresh strawberries can be added to a variety of baked goods and recipes. If you’re looking for creative ways to eat your strawberries, add them to crepes, oatmeal, or muffins for a delicious breakfast. Or, bake a classic strawberry shortcake to enjoy your strawberries as a dessert.
Make Your Own Ice Cream
Strawberries can be used to make your own fresh strawberry ice cream. Strawberry ice cream can be made by combining strawberries with sugar, whole milk, heavy cream, vanilla extract, and ice cream.
If you don’t have an ice cream machine, you can use an alternate method such as making ice cream in a bag. This can be a fun craft for children on a summer day. In order to make ice cream in a bag, add your ingredients to a blender or food processor to blend the strawberries, then add your ingredients to a plastic bag. Place the plastic bag in a larger plastic bag filled with ice cream and salt. After around 10 minutes of shaking, the mixture will freeze into ice cream.
What to Do With Too Many Strawberries: Final Thoughts
While strawberries may have a short shelf life, their shelf life can be preserved by properly storing the strawberries and monitoring the shelf life of the berries with the Lil’ Broc app. If you find that you have too many strawberries to use before the expiration date, try a few of the creative methods on this list in order to use or preserve your strawberries so none go to waste.