Wash well, drain until dry. Cap and place on a cookie sheet (I set them on end, like little pyramids) and freeze overnight. Put in freezer bags and remove as much air as you can. . Label with date, they should keep for 3-4 months.
Then you can use them over the winter to make the
SMOOTH OPERATOR SMOOTHIE
This is my favorite fruit smoothie:
(USE ORGANIC IF YOU GOT IT....EVERYTHING HERE IS AVAILABLE AS ORGANIC)
This recipe will make one big smoothie
Handful of nice, ripe strawberries (use some of those you froze)
1 ripe banana
1 small container of any berry-type or vanilla yogurt
Handful of blueberries (freeze them just like the strawberries...on a cookie sheet)
1/4 cup of coconut milk
A shake of vanilla protein powder* (the addition of this makes it more like a meal)
About 1/8 cup of soy or regular milk.
Put in the blender and make it into a smoothie!
SIMPLE STRAWBERRY BUTTER
6 CUPS OF STRAWBERRIES, WASHED AND SLICED
1/2 TO 3/4 CUP ORGANIC CANE JUICE CRYSTALS (OR you COULD use regular sugar)
1/2 TEASPOON FRESH LEMON JUICE
Place berries and lemon juice in a Dutch oven or large pot over low heat. Slowly heat berries until they start to liquify, stirring occasionally. DO NOT ADD WATER unless it is no more than a tablespoon. Raise heat to medium and add sugar (by now the berries sould be starting to cook down pretty well), stirring continually to mix. Continue cooking until all sugar is dissolved and lower heat to medium low.
At this point, all you need to do is stir frequently and cook down until berries thicken (this may take over an hour..but you won't care because the entire house will smell like strawberries.)
IF you have a handheld mixer, you can use that to puree the berries once they have begun to heat up and loose some of their moisture. This isn't necessary but will give you a smooth consistency instead of leaving pieces of fruit in the butter.
If you want a "real" fruit butter, you can actually stir in about a tablespoon of real butter while this is hot....not necessary but it does add a creaminess to the texture. Pour hot berry butter into clean, HOT jar (so it won't break...you can just fill a jar with hot water and let the glass heat up so it isn't cold when you pour in the hot stuff), slap on a lid and let it cool. Store in the fridge until you are ready to eat. If you want to preserve it for much later use, you have to put it through a hot water bath for 10 minutes, but that constitutes canning which is another subject.
This is going to cook down quite a bit and you will end up with about 3 half pints. I just put it in a quartsize airtight container (like Tupperware) when I make a small batch like this. Or you can cut this recipe in half just to make some for your breakfast muffin. It will keep in the fridge for several week, if it lasts that long.
