The Louisiana Strawberry

Louisiana Strawberries ~ Oh boy, oh boy, oh boy!
 

I recently purchased this luscious flat of Louisiana strawberries from our local 4-H club. I couldn't resist supporting our local 4-H and our local Louisiana strawberry farmers. An annual benefit the likes of this is right up my alley. Who wouldn't want ripe, sweet strawberries? What a fantastic thing to sell.

The afternoon they were delivered I was of course working, however, going home to a chore like processing strawberries is not a chore at all to me. I reserved two boxes to just enjoy. The rest...here's how I did it. I used the dry sugar method which is a bit of a misnomer since the sugaring process creates copious amounts of juice.

First, I removed and discarded the caps and tossed the berries into a bowl for a cool bath. I rinsed them twice to be sure they were spanking clean. Next, I carefully laid them onto a super clean cotton kitchen towel to dry. After draining and drying sufficiently I tossed the berries back into a large bowl and added the sugar, one-half cup sugar per pint. I had six boxes so three cups of sugar. After sprinkling the sugar over all the fruit, I very carefully and gently mixed the sugar and berries. Then I allowed them to sit at room temperature until the sugar melted. I stirred them carefully again and sealed them, juice and all, using my fabulous Food Saver. I ♥ my Food Saver a bunch. I happily found room in the freezer for four brilliantly red bags of this delicious fruit.

Perfection in a fruit!

A bath in cool water.

They look happy, don't you think?

Big, sweet and juicy ~ And the color is striking

Showered with sugar

Ready to seal

Four bags of sweetened, crimson strawberries in the freezer for tasty pies or cakes or as a topping for creamy cheesecake

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I'm thinking strawberry jam, à la minute, for a weekend brunch will probably be my first creation with one of these bundles of Spring

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Tastes like home