Freezing some spring ..

~ Lets Freeze some Spring ! ~ 

Spring is undoubtedly the most beautiful season of the year . Its the 

time of  the year when crisp and cold winter gives way to warm , lush 

and scenic spring and the winter goodies at the fruit mart make way for

 the seasons most awaited jewels - the fresh berries . Strawberries,

 mulberries , cape gooseberries , red and  green grapes (yes botanically

 they are berries too) the market seems to overflow

with the produce . 

Strawberries are the most loved berries of the season. Although the

 North Indian produces  are a bit tart than the sweet , juicy , ripe ones

 from the Western Ghats ,Mahabeleshwar belt yet they are enough to

 pamper us in innumerable avatars - shakes, smoothie, sorbets, 

crumbles, panna cottas, fresh fruit cakes, ice creams, cheesecakes ......

the list is endless. Throughout the season the refrigerator is stacked

 with the red beauties and a glass of freshly made strawberry milkshake

 is what the lil ones gets before heading for school . 

The receding availability of the strawberries this week was enough to prove 

that spring is making way for summer and our dear fruit can be relished for

 just a few more days . After seeing the frozen berries in some speciality stores 

last year I was eagerly waiting to freeze a big batch of my own . The vendor 

was more than happy to offer me a good bargain price for picking up 2 kgs

  (approx. 4.5 lbs). After removing the greens, washing and pat drying I placed 

a kg on a large tray , froze overnight - removed and repacked in a large

 ziploc freezer bag next morning.  

The remaining were made into puree with some sugar to be consumed

 for  milkshake , mock tails and fruit lolly bites on the go . I preferred to 

keep them low in processed sugars, which if required can always be 

added as per the recipe demands.

Strawberry Puree 

( tiny frozen cubed delights)

Ingredients

1 kg strawberries , 100 gms sugar ( adjust to tartness or liking ) 

 few Ice cube trays .

Method

Clean , wash and hull the strawberries .Pat dry and cut into large slices.

Grind along with sugar till smooth. Pour in ice trays and freeze for 5-6 hours 

or till firm . Unmold and pack in 2-3 ziplock freezer bags . 

Can be frozen up till 4-6 months. 

So next time your lil one craves for some strawberries in summer/ autumn- 

 Just whiz together a glass of milk with 5-6 puree cubes and some sugar/ honey

 and serve. Or prick a toothpick on a cube and relish it as a guilt 

free summer soother.