How to Eat Frozen Strawberries

Strawberries come into season at different times of the year in different parts of the country. In Florida and Texas, for example, they might become ripe as soon as April. In the northern parts of the country, however, they might not ripen until late June. Strawberry season can last from several weeks to a couple of months. If you want to enjoy the brilliant flavor of ripe strawberries at other times of the year, freeze strawberries to eat later. You can use frozen strawberries in place of fresh strawberries in most dishes, but the frozen ones tend to have a softer texture once thawed and be wetter than fresh berries. For this reason, they work well in smoothies, sauces and other dishes where the texture and liquid content are helpful rather than harmful.

• 1

  Remove the strawberries from the freezer and allow them to thaw slightly at room temperature. You can keep them mostly frozen, but thawing them somewhat will make them easier to cut and eat. Thaw the berries until they are slightly soft to the touch. At this point they will still be frozen inside, but will be easier to cut than they would have been when they were frozen solid.

• 2

  Place the strawberries on a cutting board and slice each one into pieces of your desired size. This might involve cutting the berry in half, into quarters or into very thin slices.

• 3

  Include the frozen strawberries in the dish of your choice or simply eat them plain, sprinkled with sugar or topped with whipped cream. Some other uses include ice cream toppings, smoothies, fruit salad and making strawberry shortcakes that will stay cold.