Grow, Eat, Enjoy - Strawberries

If I could only pick one thing to grow

...that would be so hard...

But strawberries may top the list. Nothing beats watching your children run from the sandbox for a quick strawberry snack.

Our area has quite few pick-your-own strawberry patches, but I before we had our own patch, we didn't eat many strawberries. By the time I got a babysitter, drove to a PYO patch, picked, paid, and brought home strawberries, I had killed a whole morning. I wasn't going to do that often.

With our own patch, we enjoy fresh strawberries nearly every day, for several weeks. Strawberries do take some land, but even a small patch can give quite a few strawberries. The plants are pretty enough to be grown in a flower bed. We've even planted corn amongst our strawberries to maximize our space.

Grow

I've written quite a few posts on growing strawberries and don't plant to repeat myself.

Planting strawberries
Growing strawberries - including pest management
Bird netting for strawberries
Revamping a strawberry bed
Two Hints for strawberries that I didn't follow


Eat

There is so many great ways to enjoy strawberries. On waffles with cream, to top a salad, on homemade ice cream, added to lemonade, chocolate dipped and more.  We are known to eat strawberry shortcake for breakfast, lunch or supper.

Strawberry pretzel dessert
Strawberry pie
 
Strawberry muffins




Strawberry scones 

 

Strawberry Rhubarb Coffee Cake



Strawberry Rhubarb Hand Pies



Homemade Strawberry Icecream



Old Fashioned Shortcake

Preserve 

Strawberries are easy to freeze. Just wash and place in bags or containers. I freeze lots of berries to eat in smoothies all winter.

I've also frozen strawberries in a glaze and frozen strawberry lemonade concentrate.

If I have lots of berries, I like to dehydrate a few. The children love dried strawberries on their granola.

And, of course, there is always strawberry jam.



Enjoy


Now it is your turn. I know there is many more ways to enjoy berries. Please share with us your favorite recipe in the comments or link to a recipe on your blog!