It’s strawberry time!

It’s that time of the year for strawberrypicking. Well, Missouri is a couple weeks earlier this year. Normally picking time is the end of May, but can we all agree 2020 is unpredictable.

Thankfully we found a great strawberry patch within 20 minutes of our home, let me just say, they’re fabulous. Iron Gate Berry Farm in Eldridge Missouri is the place to go. Bright red and super sweet. If you haven’t ever had a fresh strawberry, only from the store you have to find a strawberry patch. You will taste the difference. Here are a few pictures of the strawberries Jeff and I picked.

We don’t really need to discuss the health benefits of strawberriesto your heart. Look at them, the shape and color of a strawberrysays I’m good for the heart. Here is a picture that shows a few more benefits of strawberries.

What I do want to share is a couple of options for enjoying and preserving fresh picked strawberries. The goal is also not to eat all of them on the way home from the patch. When you get home, hide some to freeze for later, if your kiddos are like mine they will eat the whole bunch in one setting.

I was going to share just how I preserve strawberries soso so we can have the fresh taste later in the year, but I couldn’t resist the one simple sweet way to eat strawberries. I love honey, especially infused honey, but when the strawberry patch has their own bee hives, I’m buying more honey. These bees are enjoying pollinating a farm filled with not only strawberries, but blueberries, blackberries and wildflower. I have to try this honey!

I know, sliced strawberries on a piece of bread, who knew. Okay, there is a tad bit more to this, but not much. You will get a punch of flavor though.

Strawberry Goat Cheese Crostini with Honey and Jalapeño Dust

1 small Sourdough or French baguette

Olive Oil

Strawberries

Goat Cheese

Honey

Jalapeño Dust

Slice your baguette to your desired width and spray with olive oil. Here you can toast or grill your bread, you just want to give a slight crust on each slice. Let cool slightly, while cooling you want to slice your strawberries. I have spread the goat cheese directly on the toast and top with the strawberry or place strawberry and crumble the goat cheese on top. Either option is fine. Next you will drizzle honey over the strawberries and top with a pinch of jalapeños dust.

It is this easy

Yes, trust me when I say to try the jalapeñodust. I also dash balsamic vinegar occasionally, but using the jalapeño dust satisfies the the flavor for me. I like simplicity when we are having snacks and this is simple and delicious.

Now let’s get to how to easily preserve these strawberries to use later on. We will use these in smoothies, shakes, quick jams and thaw for some snacks.

The best way that I have found to freeze strawberries so I can use however many I want at a time is to pre-freeze. what you will need is:

pairing knife

sheet pans

tea towel

freezer bags

I fill my sink up with cold water and pour my strawberriesin. If you have a divided sink I would add some water to the other side to just have a clean water basin to sink a strawberry, knife or hand to clean off.

Now you just start coring/cutting the leaves off of each strawberry. Make sure each strawberry is cleaned and place on tea towel. You want to get most of the water off of your strawberries, once they are not dripping with water place on sheet pan. The strawberries can touch on the sheet pan, but do not crowd the pan. You want the strawberries to be individual to place in freezer bag.

After they have spent a few hours in the freezer remove and place in the desired size of of freezer bags. Now you will have sweet strawberries anytime you wish.

I hope you can find fresh strawberries this season to enjoy and know that you’re feeding your heart with healthy produce.

If you’re wondering about the sodium, it will depend on your bread of course. A few slices will not hurt your sodium count for the day. Goat cheese is one of the lower sodium cheeses. The goat cheese I buy at Aldis is 45 mg per ounce and you are not needing a lot, but you do want this cheese to go with the strawberry, honey and jalapeño dust.

We were very thankful to be able to get outside and pick strawberries during this crazy time, I hope you all are doing well during this time and staying healthy and happy.

What is your favorite way to eat strawberries? Do you make jams?