***RECIPE***
Do you have a garden full of strawberries and not sure what to do with them? Here you'll find our four favourite strawberry recipes plus lots more ways we want to try eating strawberries with this year's harvest.
Strawberries are an excellent source of vitamins C and K as well as providing a good dose of fibre, folic acid, manganese and potassium as well as being a quintessential summer treat, they are good for us too.
In fact, Strawberries contain nearly 5 times as much vitamin C as blackberries; twice the amount of vitamin C as grapefruit, mangos, nectarines or redcurrants; they are also high in phosphates and potassium; they are low in fat and rich in antioxidants which protect against heart disease and cancer ... and 150g of strawberries contain only 45 calories.
The strawberry season in the UK is short and runs from the end of May through July. Most years I'm usually willing our strawberries to ripen in time for Wimbledon, last year they just started to turn red just made the men's final was played. Did you know that during Wimbledon 2 million strawberries are eaten by the tennis fans?
However this year we have so many already. And we live in Newcastle. All that sun and rain has done the garden produce lots of good.
Picking Strawberries
However this year we have so many already. And we live in Newcastle. All that sun and rain has done the garden produce lots of good.
When picking, choose berries that are firm, plump and unblemished with a shiny, deep red colour and bright green caps attached. Be careful not to pick them too soon as once picked, strawberries do not ripen further. My boys are really good at picking strawberries now.
So now you've picked them what are you going to do with them?
As well as eating them fresh on their own, or with cream or ice-cream, here are four of our favourite strawberry recipes (one strictly adults only) plus some more recipes I'm going to try this summer.
Strawberry Jam
A classic and also well-loved recipe in our house. No need for special ingredients or equipment - this is how we make it.
Ingredients:
- Equal amounts of strawberries and sugar - I usually have around 2lb
- 1 apple
- A dash of lemon juice
Method:
1. Chop the strawberries - how small depends on how chunky you like your jam.
2. Chop the apple.
3. Put the strawberries and apple in a large saucepan on a low heat. Most recipes say a heavy bottomed pan - we only have one kind of pan so we use that, just the largest one.
4. Add the sugar and lemon juice and bring to the boil.
5. Simmer for approximately 20 minutes. Then check the jam on the back of a spoon if it coats the spoon and doesn't drip then the jam is ready.
6. Pour into sterilised jars (I do mine in the microwave) and put in fridge when cooled.
Strawberry Sorbet
Strawberry sorbet is a simple combination of fresh fruit with sugar. The boys love it.
Ingredients:
- 1lb strawberries
- 1cup of sugar
- 1 cup of water
- A dash of lemon juice
Method:
1. Chop the strawberries
2. Simmer equal parts sugar and water until the sugar is dissolved
3. Add the lemon juice and strawberries and blend until smooth.
4. Once cooled put in a freezer safe tub or individual moulds and place in the freezer.
Strawberry Syrup
This is really lovely added to milk to make a healthy shake or I often drink it diluted with hot water and lemon before breakfast.
Ingredients:
- Strawberries
- Sugar
- Water
- Use twice as many strawberries as sugar and water
Method:
1. Chop the strawberries
2. Simmer equal parts sugar and water until the sugar is dissolved
3. Mix the strawberries into the saucepan and bring to the boil, then simmer on a low heat until the strawberries mixture thickens (about 10 minutes).
4. Blend and add to a bottle before placing in the fridge or you can strain it if you want to take the seeds out. We don't bother when it's strawberries but we do with blackberries.
Strawberry Infused Vodka
This works a treat as the Vodka extracts the colour, flavour, sweetness and aroma from the strawberries.
Ingredients:
- 370ml Vodka
- 10 Strawberries
- 200g Sugar
Method:
1. Chop the strawberries so they are small enough to add to a bottle or Kilner jar.
2. Decant the Vodka to the jar.
3. Add the sugar.
4. Add the strawberries.
5. Close tightly and shake well.
6. Place in a dark cool cupboard for at least three days - shaking regularly to ensure the sugar dissolves. I often leave mine for up to 6 weeks.
7. Strain and decant to a bottle - it should keep for up to a year.
New Recipes to Try ...
I've also found these fab recipes that I'm going to try ...
What is your favourite strawberry recipe?
Deb x
9 Comments
Thanks for including our recipes. I really want to try and grow our own strawberry plants next year as I'm always jealous of other people's harvests! Enjoy your jam xx
ReplyDeleteThat strawberry syrup sounds delicious! We love strawberries in this household, my son demolishes them and I can't wait to take him fruit picking for them this year... last year he slept through the whole thing!
ReplyDeleteThat strawberry syrup sounds delicious. We love strawberries in this house too, my son demolishes them! Can't wait to go fruit picking for some this year, last year he slept through the whole thing!
ReplyDeletePerfectly timed post! I have always wanted to try making strawberry jam. Will look forward to trying this recipe out!
ReplyDeleteOoh these look lovely. I have never made my own jam but your recipe looks simple enough for me to cope :)
ReplyDeleteThese look fantastic, I love the idea of the strawberry vodka at the end, as if once you've done all these it's what you can reward yourself with ha.
ReplyDeleteMy mum is a strawberryaholic I shall have to send this over to her x great ideas
ReplyDeleteGreat recipes, shall have to try out strawberry vodka, we have strawberry plants but I keep forgetting to check them!
ReplyDeleteOh this is such perfect timing reading this post, we decided to try growing our own strawberries this year and they're all ready to be picked. Going to giv eyour recipes a try x
ReplyDelete