Strawberries Keep On Coming

This weekend my strawberries took off.  I forgot how quickly they ripen.  The task of picking is a daily one.  I can really feel the daily work of the garden beginning.  The season always starts so slow with growing the seeds and waiting to set them out.  But then comes June and the strawberries remind me of the labors and fruits that are ahead for the summer.

Saturday yielded 4 cups of strawberries, here is a picture of half of them:

Sunday I then picked 5 cups more.

After picking, I hull, rinse and freeze the berries.  I place them in a Ziploc bag and indicate how many cups are inside.  Then, when I want to make ice cream or jam, I know how much is inside each bag.  Also, by freezing them, I can make a large batch of whatever I am going to make instead of several small batches, it saves time and clean up.

If you do not grow your own strawberries, you can use the same clean and freeze method for berries you buy at a farmer's market, farm stand or grocery store.  Strawberries are only available for a short season, so stock up on them now.