Pickling strawberries might not be your first thought to preserve this sweet and juicy fruit, but I have a great recipe for you today that makes it a tasty and refreshing idea!
This post is sponsored by Florida Strawberry in conjunction with a social media campaign through Sunday Supper LLC. All opinions are my own.
Those lucky-ducks in Florida get to enjoy their strawberry season from December to April! We Northerners were just starting to feel a little touch of the Spring season, when Mother Nature decided to play a little joke and bring us this 4th little snow storm- so tickled! Seriously, the unique growing conditions during the Florida winter results in the sweetest, juiciest strawberries, that are second to none and we in the north are just plain jealous!
The good news for us, is that there are many ways to preserve delicious Florida Strawberries, so we can enjoy them throughout the year: In jams, jellies, compotes, sauces, dried, or even pickled recipes….
“Pickled strawberries?” you ask.
“Yes!!” A resounding yes!
This method for preserving is one that I hadn’t tried before and now I just wonder, why not? So much easier than any other method I have used, and so many ways to enjoy pickled strawberries: I am thinking on salads, over ice-cream, in smoothies, over a little cream cheese on a bagel…in baking….just going on a bit, but honestly, this is so great and you don’t spend all day doing it- just a few minutes, and a few ingredients…we’re not making a bushel here, just one quart of yummy!
Now is the time to stock up on these beauties! In-season berries are like candy to me really, and the smell! Oh- so good!
Pickled strawberries aren’t like pickles in the jar- they aren’t pucker-making sour things. They are wonderful little tangy berries, and hold all the sweetness of a ripe Florida berry. Once strawberries are pickled you can enjoy them for a week in the refrigerator. I followed a combination of methods from both Epicurious and Food & Wine to make these:
Pickled Strawberries
1 lb. of perfect Florida Strawberries
1 1/4 cups white wine vinegar
¼ cup sugar
2 Tbsp. kosher salt
⅔ cup water
½ tsp. Pure Vanilla extract
Wash and dry a large (1 quart) pyrex or canning jar.
Wash and cut the stems off your berries- choose firm and ripe berries. Larger ones, should be halved. Put these in the jar.
In a heavy bottomed pan, add the vinegar, sugar, salt, and water. Heat over medium stirring to get all the sugar and salt dissolved. Turn off the heat. Add the vanilla.
Let cool to room temperature in the pan. Pour this over the berries in the jar. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes before use.
The beauty of these pickled strawberries is that you can snack on the strawberries themselves- a sweet and sour snack that is surprisingly addictive…but also a terrific tangy addition to a refreshing cocktail! I made mine with my favorite vodka, but this is easy enough to make with no alcohol at all, and have a refreshing strawberry soda! This is my own recipe, that I taste tested a ton until I got it right- and this is very much spot-on…a great drink! I highly recommend this sipper, and don’t skip rimming the glass with sugar, as that makes it that much sweeter and festive too!
Strawberry Fizz Cocktail
Get a rocks glass.Wet the rim, and dip in sugar.
Add 1 teaspoon of sugar (or ½ packet of stevia) into the glass.
Add 3 pickled strawberries.
Muddle together until a mash.
Fill the glass with ice.
Add 2 ounces of vodka.
Fill the glass with lemon or lime seltzer. Garnish with another pickled berry.
Serves 1. Enjoy!
Here’s a printable recipe:
Ingredients
- one rocks glass
- 3 Pickled Strawberries
- 1 teaspoons of sugar, plus more for sugaring the glass
- 2 ounces of vodka
- 3-4 ounces lemon or lime seltzer
Instructions
- Wet the rim of your rocks glass, and dip in sugar.
- Add 1 teaspoon of sugar (or ½ packet of stevia) into the glass.
- Add 3 pickled strawberries.
- Muddle together until a mash.
- Fill the glass with ice.
- Add 2 ounces of vodka
- Top with the seltzer.
- Enjoy!
Just look at this! And those berries! Aren’t we lucky?! I just love my Florida Strawberries to get my fix in the middle of a Northeast winter like this! Pickling is easy and a great way to keep these berries for a bit longer! You also have all that pickling liquid- a sweet, strawberry vinegar that makes a great base to make a great salad dressing! I hope you try pickling but there are all sorts of ways to preserve strawberries and here are some great ideas from the Sunday Supper Bloggers:
How to Preserve Strawberries
Canning
- Chocolate Strawberry Cream Whoopie Pies by Soulfully Made
- Homemade Strawberry Pie Filling by Flour On My Face
- Strawberry Kiwi Crumb Bars by Pies and Plots
- Strawberry Mint Shrub Drink by My Life Cookbook
- Strawberry-Banana Jam French Toast with Strawberry Butter by Authentically Candace
Dehydrating
- Make-Ahead Quick Oatmeal with Dehydrated Strawberries by Simple and Savory
- Strawberry Basil Chocolate Discs by Desserts Required
- Strawberry Cacao Crunch by Wholistic Woman
- Strawberry Coconut Granola using Dehydrated Strawberries by My Sweet Savings
- Strawberry Marshmallows using Dehydrated Strawberries by Recipes Food and Cooking
Freezing
- Strawberry Banana Acai Bowls by Family Foodie
- Strawberry Chutney Baked Brie by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
- Strawberry Lemonade Blondies by Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
- Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
- Strawberry, Thyme, and Goat Cheese Hand Pies by Casa de Crews
Pickling
- Cod Tacos with Pickled Strawberry Slaw by Caroline’s Cooking
- Herbed Goat Cheese Crostini with Vanilla Pickled Strawberries by Books n’ Cooks
- Pickled Strawberry Cocktail by Sunday Supper Movement
- Quick Pickled Strawberry Salad by Helpful Homemade
- Strawberry Fizz Cocktail by Hardly A Goddess
- Yogurt Parfait with Pickled Strawberries by Renee’s Kitchen Adventures
The Sunday Supper Movement is committed to bringing our readers delicious recipes that encourage them to gather and eat together around the family table. Search for your favorite ingredients on our Sunday Supper website. Also check out the Sunday Supper Pinterest boards for plenty more ideas and inspiration.
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This post is sponsored by Florida Strawberry in conjunction with a social media campaign through Sunday Supper LLC. All opinions are my own.
