Too many strawberries!

[Millymollymandy]

I just picked 3.5kg of strawbs yesterday! We only just finished getting thru the 1kg that I picked two days previously! Help! I haven't really got the time to make jam and in any event I don't have enough sugar; as I've got to make elderflower cordial I'm going to be buying lots of it on Weds when I go shopping, and the cordial will take up my time and I've got family descending on Saturday and have got to cook and bake and make up beds and clean yada yada. I have got a recipe for strawberry conserve which I might have a bash at as I have a kilo of sugar so that'll use up a whole kilo of strawbs leaving us just 2.5kg to eat - while all the time more outside keep on ripening!!!

I wonder if it is possible to get sick of eating strawbs. Just hope they last so I can force feed them to my family!

[Muscroj]

not the worst problem to have though! We were the same with RAsberrys/blackberries & Loganberrys last year, I just picked them & stuck them in the freezer with the intention of making wine..... they're still there!

Our gooseberries were the 'worst' for producing a glut, I don't even like Gooseberrys, but we 'inherited 4 large bushes when we moved into this house. Despite giving away lbs & lbs I still have bags full in the freezer. I did, however, make a fantastic goosberry pickle, to go with indian in place of lime pickle mmmmm Anyway I've re-homed a couple of bushes so hopefully this year we'll have a more manageable amount.

[frozenthunderbolt]

Freeze 'em. Great for making instant ice cream, smoothies or just eaten as a frozen treat. Also then once you have time to make jam and defrost them they mush up so much more easily after having been frozen
Wizz 'em to make strawberrie daiquiris
If you have a dehydrator cut them in half and make delicious dried strawbs.
give them away in exchange for jam back
fondue - dip them in chocolate and eat, or let it set then sell chocolate dipped strabs at the local market at an exorbitant mark-up
Feed them to the chooks

[Rosendula]

I'll send LO round. I didn't get one strawberry last year 'cos she was going out 2 or 3 times a day and eating them off the plant as the ripened.
I agree with the freezing thing. When you defrost them the go a bit mushy so they're no good for eating whole, but if you just stick them in the blender they'll be fine for pouring over icecream or making into smoothies or something.

[george]

I find it hard to believe that too many strawberries are possible. I love them and always eat tons of them in season.

However, I would also suggest freezing them if you do have too many. When I was younger we used to pick loads and freeze them and then I would just eat them out of the freezer frozen and they were really good. You can also put them in a blender and make smoothies and you don't need to add any more ice.

[Broad Bean]

Wow, how many plants do you have? I've got a fair few but never get harvests like that!

[Millymollymandy]

1.9kg of the best strawbs now in a bowl layered with same amount of sugar (I used some golden granulated as well). The conserve sounds nice - whole strawbs in a syrup which I think will be wonderful on things like rice pudding or ice cream.

My lovely husband cleaned and readied the bedroom for my mum whilst I was preparing all this. What a lovely man (though I think it was more the thought of the strawb conserve which made him do it )

Thanks for the advice re. freezing - I hadn't realised they would be OK as always thought they didn't freeze so will do that. I freeze rasps and whilst they go a bit mushy it is a lovely taste of the summer in the middle of winter mixed in with yoghurt!

Whilst I had plenty of plants last year the ducks got into one patch and scoffed the lot, red and green so I never had quite so many fruit as this year!

P.S. Broadbean - I have one bed with 12 plants in and then 2 rows in the veg patch each with about 8-12 in. I bought some new ones but they are tiny and pathetic at the moment.

The ones doing best are 2 yr, 3yr and 4yr old. I don't know why 'they' say to take strawbs out after they've been in situ after 3 years. The 4 year olds are doing wonderfully!

[Millymollymandy]

Feed them to the chooks

The really squidgy ones or the mushy bits I've cut off do go to the chooks! It's fun watching them fight over a strawberry.

[Green Aura]

http://www.fruitexpert.co.uk/tips-advic ... rries.html

http://www.busbyandpartners.co.uk/info/ ... uprise.htm

Have a few ideas

[Millymollymandy]

Thanks GA - just read this and was amazed:

Did you know that even though strawberries are sweet with a delicious flavour they actually contain less sugar than a tart lemon?

Trouble is I don't eat lemons with cream and caster sugar on top! hee hee just joking really as mostly I eat strawbs with yoghurt! Or just au naturel. A smoothie sounds like a nice idea though as I never think to make them.

[Millymollymandy]

And I'm still picking them although after recent rain there is a lot of rot so my garden is scattered with half rotten strawbs that I chucked for the birds! I am getting sick and tired of the backbreaking picking and my fingernails are stained red/black from hulling so many! My conserve/syrup is very nice (well it would be as it's basically runny strawb jam ). Next year I'll try real strawb jam.

[Muscroj]

argh stop!!! MIne are STILL flowering, not had a single fruit off them yet

[red]

I'm jealous!

make some strawberry liqueur- you start by freezing them, mind you that will only use up a few. you can freeze before turnign them into jam too.

[StripyPixieSocks]

I just saw this recipe for Strawberry Lemonade: http://www.lifesambrosia.com/2009/06/sp ... ecipe.html

Looks fantastic for sitting out in the summer in your garden with!

[Mrs Moustoir]

We're having our best year ever for strawberries - we're strawberry'd out! I never thought I would say it but , we've had enough of them. The kids look at me in horror when I suggest strawberries for pud again. I made strawberry jam yesterday and gave away about a kilo of berries to my neighbours. And there are more to pick for the weekend.

It is the school kermesse (summer fete) on Sunday and I'll make a strawberry pavlova with a strawberry sauce as my contribution to the feast.

I planted 16 plants last year through weed suppressing membrane and they have just gone mad. I fed them in early spring which I was told was a big mistake as it just increases the leaf growth. It seems to have increased berry growth too. The tastiest ones are some teeny alpine strawberries that I bought over from the UK - not quite so much fruit but they are so sweet. I've got some runners from them to pot up for some French friends.

One advantage is that the house smells of strawberries - a gorgeous summery whiff!