Each spring I freeze lots of strawberries — usually sliced, mixed with just a little sugar (it’s amazing how the sugar brings out the color), and packed into quart plastic bags. Sometimes I cap them and pack them whole into bags.
These frozen strawberries can be used in many recipes that call for fresh strawberries, from shortcake to ice cream and more. My family has settled on a few tried and true and very easy ways to use them. One of our favorites is in a fruit 
salad– this is healthful and uses a lot of fresh fruit as well. We slice up apples, bananas, oranges or clementines and any other fresh fruit we have, maybe some grapes or pineapple), thaw out some strawberries and maybe some blueberries, and mix them together. A little shredded coconut adds some sweetness and holds it all together but is optional. It disappears fast!
Another favorite is a recipe from the NC Strawberry website, “Strawberry Shortcut“. All you need is a poundcake, some ice cream, and the strawberries.
Whipped cream would be even better (but more work). It is sweeter than shortcake and the ice cream is colder than whipped cream so a bit harder to taste the flavors. But it is about as easy as it gets, always enthusiastically consumed, and the frozen strawberries work well.
The new harvest will be upon us in less than three months now. I take on the challenge of the freezer with happy diligence, because I know that the fresh berries will trump those that are frozen– instead berries will go into the freezer again.
