Ideas for Seasonal Fruits — Strawberries and Cream & More!
If you grew up eating strawberries and cream during strawberry season, then you know all about this treat, but as much as we loved desserts at my house, this isn’t something I remember having when I was young. It’s so easy and nutritious though! Yes, it still has some sugar, but you can easily control how much. And it's loaded with healthy fats and nutrients from the cream and the local organic strawberries–it's a perfect light summer indulgence.
We tried strawberry picking at a local organic farm once–the weather was perfect and it was kind of fun, for the first little while anyway; but it ended up being an all day project. (No, I didn’t see any snakes, but you can bet I was on the lookout.) We picked for a good share of the morning, and I guess that’s why they’re so much less expensive when you pick them yourself, because of how time-consuming it is.
Nowadays I'd rather pay extra and get them already picked! We love our farmers who grow “beyond organic” strawberries–they're not certified organic but their soil and growing practices go even beyond what that label requires, so the berries are loaded with nutrients and taste AMAZING!
Oh what fun it is now that I've got them all cleaned and ready to use!
I usually get 3-4 flats and here's what happens, always on the day we get them so they don't get mushy:
- Rinse off well, usually 2 quarts at a time in a big bowl or in the sink full of water.
- Cut the tops off.
- Dry them on some clean dish towels.
- Put them on a piece of parchment paper in a single layer on a sheet pan.
- Freeze for an hour or two. (Doing this rather than throwing them all into a baggie right away and freezing keeps them from clumping together.)
- Then they go into freezer baggies to use all year long and I feel RICH just having them here!
That's what happens to the majority of them, but we leave some in the fridge to snack on or to make some yummy recipes! Below you'll find some of my favorite strawberry recipes, and then please let us know what are your favorites?
Keep in mind the below ideas can easily be adapted to whatever fruits are in season at the time. Whether it's raspberries, blueberries, peaches, apples, etc. The recipes and ideas for seasonal fruits and how to serve them up are never ending!
Strawberries and Cream:
(Soon it will be blueberries and cream, and peaches and cream…don't you love summer? Those of you in areas with longer growing seasons are SO blessed, I hope you appreciate it!)
- Start with local fruit in season, organic if possible–anything you can buy locally and in season is nutritionally leaps and bounds ahead of trucked-in produce.
- Sprinkle a little palm sugar on top. I like that it doesn’t have a real strong taste like Rapadura, yet it is still a natural sweetener. Read more on sweeteners. A little maple syrup is yummy too!
- Pour real cream over the top. Raw cream if you can get it. We usually just shake our raw cream into our milk, though, so I'll sometimes buy the whipping cream from the store (don't get ultra-pasteurized — read why here!). Cream has good nutrients in it from the healthy dairy fat! Or whip it up for real whipped cream, yum! (More about raw dairy here.)
That’s IT!
Another plus to this treat is that it is a little sweet (you can put as much or as little sweetener on as you’d like), without any grains for those who are grain-sensitive or watching carbs. Not that I plan to give up cookies for life or anything crazy like that, but it makes me thankful that I love treats like this recipe, along with other no-grain sweets, like Creme Brule, my homemade ice cream, etc.
More Recipes & Ideas for Seasonal Fruits:
- Organic Strawberry Bruschetta–Sonia’s Recipe, it's so good!
- Organic Hot Fudge Sauce Recipe – to dip your fresh berries into like a fondue!
- Also don't forget all of the old favorites, like cheesecake with berries on top, fruit pies or cobblers (here's how to make homemade pie filling), scones, pancakes with berries on top, or muffins! Fresh berries are also delicous on salads.
- And of course don't forget that once your fruit is frozen, it's great to use in these superfood smoothies!
What am I forgetting? What are some of your favorite ideas for seasonal fruits and ways to use them?
More you might like:
- Why eat local, organic, sustainable foods?
- Do you know anyone with breast cancer?
- Crispy Nuts – a healthy snack!
Sarah says
Kelly, who is your organic farmer? I didn’t see a name in the comments. I also live in MI and would love to pick strawberries or order some!
KitchenKop says
Hi Sarah,
I’m waiting to hear back if they have enough berries and if they want me to give their name out. If they do, I’ll reach out to you!
Kelly
Debbie Covello Harvey says
Peach Ridge Farm has some pretty amazing fruits and veggies in Walker MI. Not certified but organic practices and prices are pretty good too.
Angie Tillis says
I wish we had an organic strawberry field.. all we have is heavily sprayed strawberry farm
Tammy Klein Stuyfzand says
Which farm do you go to? My local organic farm isn’t doing strawberries this year 🙁
Tim Robinson says
(Sarah) We have our own strawberries as well as enjoying them from our CSA. Waffles with strawberries and whipped cream, eggs, and sausage are the dinner menu tonight!
Kelly the Kitchen Kop says
Lori Koester — I don’t pick, did that a couple times but I’d rather pay extra now. 🙂
Lorraine Rudd says
Biodynamic berries … a lucky find! 🙂
Margaret says
Where did you pick? I am looking for a place to pick.
Ima says
YES!!! Strawberries! I just cut up 2 GIANT freezer bags full last night to add to the stash… and we got them for free which tastes even sweeter. The family that owns the farm stand/country store at the end of my road always calls us to come get their fruits and veggies when they go “past” the sale point – which to them and us is when they’re just right to eat. So, yay for fresh local strawberries that no one wanted to buy because they were RIPE! Happy freezer stocking everyone.
Kelly says
SE, you’re making me want a dehydrator BAD.
Elizabeth, what unique ideas, thanks, I’ll try them!
SCB, yep, that’s what I do, too. 🙂
Hi Kim H.! Our cherries should be ready anytime, I can’t wait to try your ice cream!
Alyss, geesh, I wish I didn’t know about that yummy treat idea…that may prove to be dangerous someday…
JenO, so fun to meet you the other day at the car seat check!! I went to Carmody Farms, but you’ll have to go quick, they may be past strawberries now. 677-3181. It’s in Marne, though, I think.
Jeanne, yummy recipe!
Jeanne says
For a really decadent dessert:
Last week I had some homemade vanilla icecream (about 3 cups). I let the icecream soften a bit than add 1 qt. strawberries that I had thawed, juice and all to the icecream. I beat this mixture until incorporated. Then put it in a homemade graham cracker piecrust and froze. I served this with homemade whipcream.
Yummy!
I used to make a similiar pie with fruit yogurt and cool whip — good, but full of junk!
Living A Whole Life says
Love all the great ideas and I am currently enjoying some great Michigan strawberries too!
Karla
Living A Whole Life
Rebecca in Michigan says
I will have to look for this for next year. I purchased Ball Fruit Jell Freezer Jam Pectin. It only uses 1 1/2 cups of sugar vs. 4 cups of sugar. To me this is better than the other and then next year I can go even less. Thank you for the help.
JenO says
I’ll 2nd the Pomona Pectin for a no sugar jam.
Kelly, I’d love to know where you picked your berries. I’m hoping to stay on the NE side of town.
Erin says
To Rebecca, You can make jam with honey if you use Pomona’s Universal pectin. I buy mine thru Azure. It’s great! I’m hoping to attempt some freezer jams this weekend, those don’t get cooked! Talk about fresh!
Erin
Caroline says
I love doing my strawberries (or other fruit. not local here but mangos are GREAT with cream, as are all berries, peaches, etc) and cream with no sweetner. Then there is no sugar guilt, and really between ripe fruit and cream, its plenty sweet. Or if I must add a sweetener to cream or whipped cream, my choice is always maple syrup. Its pretty healthy, traditional, and adds good taste as well as sweetness.
Can you can the no-sugar jams? I thought the jam was a sweetner
I’d love your recipe for fruit crisps.
Caroline
Tamara says
Strawberry season just ended over here in MD (or at least thas what the farmer told me on Sat at the farmer’s market) so i missed most of the fun. Next year I will know better, cause im a strawberry fanatic.
Alyss says
Mmm… it’s strawberry season here in Western Oregon and we’ve been eating plenty of them. I had some for breakfast the other day (a pint of strawberries, washed, hulled and sliced, with about a tablespoon of evaporated cane sugar sprinkled over top) with a big dollop of sour cream. My dad likes to serve peaches and sour cream too!
I like to make whipped cream in a mason jar. Fill the jar up about 1/4 of the way, put on a lid and shake shake shake. Sometimes I’ll eat a half pint jar of whipped cream with maple syrup and chocolate chips for dessert instead of ice cream.
Rebecca in Michigan – look for Pomona’s Universal Pectin. It uses a calcium solution to set the jam so you can use whatever sugar (stevia, honey, none at all) you want in the recipe. Most pectins require sugar to set so you don’t get a good jam if you reduce the sugar.
Alyss
Millie says
We used to live in Oregon and loved going each year to pick strawberries. We usually ate so many fresh that it was hard to have enough left to freeze!
We recently moved to Wyoming and I have yet to find a place for strawberries (or pretty much any other fruit or veggie). I’m hopeful that some will turn up soon.
Millie
Sustainable Eats says
You can also use pomona pectin and honey or stevia. Pomona does not use the sugar to activate the pectin so you can use however or whatever you want to flavor and as much or little as you want. It’s very cool! https://www.sustainableeats.com/2009/06/product-spotlight-pomona-pectin/
Sustainable Eats
Catherine says
Rebecca, I am sure you can use stevia as a replacement. Stevia mixed with other sweet fruit masks the stevia aftertaste quite well. The health food store carries jam sweetened with grape juice concentrate and they are still very sweet. There are also some fermented jam recipes in Nourishing Traditions using sugar. During the fermentation process the sugar would be digested and the final product not as sweet.
Catherine
Rebecca in Michigan says
I am wanting to make strawberry jam. Any ideas of making this without all the sugar?
Kimberly Hartke says
Hi Kelly–I found pink lady cherries at the farmers market this weekend, and made cherry ice cream! I pureed some red cherries, and then seeded and halved the pink cherries and added those. It was yummy! The pink ladies are so sweet, I only used 1/4 cup of maple syrup (could have used an 1/8 of a cup!)
Kimberly
Kimberly Hartke
SCB says
Hi Kelly – what is your strawberry freezing method? Some people sugar them, some don’t (sounds like you didn’t). The only way I’ve done it is to stem them, wash, make sure dry (so no ice crystals will form) and then spread out on a cookie sheet, freeze so they stay separate, and then put in a ziplock. Is that what you do too? Yours look gorgeous! Thanks.
SCB
Elizabeth says
Fresh strawberries is one of my favorite treats and I’ve got a freezer full of them right now! I have so many great uses for them, but here are my favorites:
1) Strawberries with Balsamic Vinegar. Delicious! About a pound of fresh strawberries, hulled and sliced (I haven’t tried this with frozen). Drizzle 2 T organic balsamic vinegar over them, Sprinkle 1/4 C sugar (I know, I know, sugar’s the devil, but this is one of the times that the devil makes me do it!) over them. Mix gently and let sit for an hour or so, then crack fresh pepper to taste over them. Try it! You’ll like it!
2) Partially defrosted strawberries topped with homemade, raw milk, plain yogurt dolloped on top (add a bit of honey if you absolutely have to), sprinkle with your favor nuts. Gives me an ice-cream feel.
Elizabeth
Sustainable Eats says
We like to make fruit leather with strawberries. I do about 1/2 the quantity of applesauce (homemade with no sugar) and strawberries in the blender and then pour it onto the fruit leather sheets for my dehydrator. It makes a great sugar free snack for the kids to take in their lunches.
Another great fruit leather is cream cheese mixes with strawberries then dried and we also like cocoa nibs mixed with strawberries and then dried.
I’ve also just dehydrated straight strawberries to use in muffins – it makes them so intense!
And freezing any leftover strawberry smoothies into popsicles is a great treat as well. Love, love, love that summer is finally here!
Sustainable Eats