Best Time to Pick
- Early morning when the berries are cool.
Best Practices for Picking
- Look under the leaves for the berries for bright red, well-shaped fruit with a shiny luster.
- Gently twist or snap the berry off the stem–don’t pull.
- Handle the berries gently and keep the stems and hulls on the fruit.
- Don’t stack the berries more than 3 layers high in the container to prevent crushing.
Berry Care and Handling
- Protect the berries from the sun and heat.
- Refrigerate in a loosely covered container
- Don’t wash the berries until you are ready to eat or use them.
- Strawberries generally keep for 2 to 3 days when refrigerated.
Tips for Freezing
To freeze your strawberries you will want to remove the tops from the berry. After you have washed your strawberries and removed the tops and place them on a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper. A single layer spread across the cookie sheet works best. Place the cookie sheet in the freezer until the strawberries are completely frozen (about 1 hour). By doing this you prevent the berries from sticking together. Once your berries are frozen, gently transfer the strawberries into a freezer tight bag.
Frozen strawberries will be slightly softer after thawing when compared to fresh fruit.
Strawberry Equivalents
1 quart weighs about 1 1/2 pounds
1 pail weighs about 5 1/2 pounds
1 flat weighs 12 pounds
12 pounds= 8 quarts = 13 pints frozen
1 to 1 1/2 quarts is required for a 9-inch pie
1 cup sliced fresh = 1 10-oz. package frozen
For information on picking times and availability see the Strawberry main page.
Sam's Produce 