The first few times I started froze strawberries I put them all in a zipper freezer bag and ended up with a frozen clump of berries that had to be chiseled apart. It was such a hassle. Then one day I thought that if I laid them out flat on a cookie sheet and froze them I could put them in a bag after they were frozen. That worked out so much better. So that is how I freeze just about everything now. I'm sure to many people it is just common sense, but I had to learn the hard way.
Here is how I freeze strawberries.
I fill the sink with cold water and add 1 Cup of vinegar and a 1/2 Cup of baking soda. I put all of the berries in the sink and swish them around. This is all 37 pounds that I had today.
I use a colander to scoop the berries into my large bowls. I use one of the boxes that the berries come in and line it with foil. This is where I put the berries instead of using a cookie sheet.
I place the berries in a single layer, and then put another sheet of foil over them. Another layer of berries goes on that foil, and I just repeat until the box is full. To save time today I did cut the tops off of the berries rather than core them. The tops were still white and would make the end product less appealing. Also, I wanted to save a little time since I didn't have help today. The tops will not be wasted, however. I am giving them to my chickens, so no waste.
Today I added a fourth layer a little higher then the box. If I had another few flats of berries I would have started a new box. Because I only had a few berries left, I put a final sheet of foil on top and turned up the edges to keep the berries from falling off.
I always have little hands sneaking berries. It makes my heart happy.
