How to Freeze Strawberries

 We have 10 kilos (22 lbs.) of strawberries that are completely ripe and need to be dealt with before Canon gets into it all.  Here's a step by step guide to freezing strawberries, or any type of berry for that matter. 

1.  First, remove the stems and any soft or brown spots
2.  Wash them.  Put berries in a colander and pour cold water over them to rinse.  If you are concerned about mold or bacteria, you can soak them in a sink of  10 parts water, 1 part vinegar.

I remove the stems before washing them, otherwise you end up washing them a second time to remove stubborn green leaves. 

3.  Lay them flat on a baking sheet.  Don't overcrowd or they will freeze together.
4.  Place in the freezer for a minimum of 1 hour.
5.  Remove from the freezer and place in freezer bags.  Return to the bag of strawberries to the freezer.  Stores well for up to 1 year. 

We freeze them individually first.  Otherwise you end up with a huge frozen block o' berries that isn't very nice.