My Strawberries are Melting!

The later harvests of strawberries seem to begin to mush and decay within hours of picking. Late in the strawberry season, I just don't think there's much way around it. So what do I do with these bits which are not ideal for chomping nor for cereal nor shortcake? I haven't time nor enough to boil them into jam or syrupy dessert topping, but I'd hate to see them go to waste.

Well, born of late night computer chats with expert preservationists, I have the simple solution. I have rinsed my berries, chopped out the worst bits and the stems, laid them out evenly distributed on a cookie sheet, and placed them in the freezer for a few hours. Later, I can bag up these frozen nibblets and enjoy smoothies and desserts through the winter.

Actually, honestly, I likely never will as my children gobble up all the kale, fruit & yogurt smoothies I make.