Rhetorical question: What’s a girl to do with a freezer full of strawberries?
Last week, a friend and I headed out to a strawberry farm about 30 minutes from home. The weather was perfect and strawberries were in their prime. In just a few hours, I picked 22 pounds (not including the ones I ate…I really think these u-pick farms should weigh me before and after I go out in their fields in order to charge me more accurately). To be clear, these were not your run-of-the-mill grocery store strawberries imported from California. These were a variety called Hood strawberries that are smaller, more flavorful, and rare treats given that their harvesting season lasts about a month or less. I was determined to come home with enough to last me through the summer.
For all their good qualities, Hood strawberries can’t boast a long shelf life. One they’re picked, they want to be eaten in a day or two. Their thin skins quickly become too soft and, as I learned, piling more than a couple of layers in your picking box will yield a layer of strawberry mash at the bottom. Which means that I had my work laid out for me when I got home from the farm. There was not time to waste. The rest of my day was spent washing, topping, and freezing strawberries. It’s so satisfying to open my freezer door to see the “fruits” of my labor staring back at me. :)
Because it’s strawberry season, I’ve been seeing tons of tempting strawberry recipes around the web. To name a few:
- Strawberry Rhubarb Tart with Oat Topping from Sweet Remedy
- Strawberries and Cream Biscuits from Smitten Kitchen
- Honey Strawberry Jam from Naturally Ella
- Roasted Strawberry Buttermilk Cake from Joy the Baker
- Lemon Poppyseed Pancakes with Strawberry Topping from The First Mess
I want to make ALL of these. But for now, I’ve been perfectly happy blending them into creamy smoothies. Jeremy has been even less fancy…he eats them straight from the freezer!
Strawberry Matcha Smoothie
serves 1
Ingredients:
- 1/2 banana, the riper the better
- 1 cup frozen strawberries
- 1 cup milk
- 2 Tbsp cream (optional)
- 1 tsp matcha powder
Blend all ingredients until smooth and creamy. Enjoy right away.
* I shared this post with Seasonal Recipe Roundup, Gluten-Free Wednesday, Fat Tuesday, Hearth and Soul Hop, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday, My Meatless Mondays, Melt in Your Mouth Monday, Monday Mania, and Mix it Up Monday.
22 lbs! Strawberry heaven! You’re going to be so glad you did all that work.
This should be called Temptation. I have a refrigerator filled with blueberries. Come on over and duplicate this with blueberry. Thanks for sharing with My Meatless Mondays.
Your smoothie looks delicious. Matcha has so many health benefits, but I’m not keen on the flavour, and the strawberries would disguise it beautifully! I like the optional addition of the cream too!
I agree, I don’t really like matcha on its own but I love it in smoothies!