• Buy berries ripe, as they won’t mature after picking.
• Select firm, evenly coloured berries that are free from bruising, mould or sticky juice.
• At home, remove any mushy berries and refrigerate the unwashed remainder, loosely packed in a covered container, for no more than a few days.
• Washing berries before storage speeds up the spoilage.

For maximum flavour retention when freezing, coat berries in 175 mL (¾ cup) of sugar for every litre (4 cups) of fruit.

1.  Wash the fruit.
2. Hull strawberries. (Remove green tops)
3. Place in freezer bags in amounts you can use for one meal or in a recipe

• To freeze berries that will be easy to remove individually without freezing together place on a cookie sheet and freeze first then take berries and place in freezer bags. This will insure they don’t mold together.

Alternatively try washing berries when pulling them out of the freezer instead of before freezing. This reduces their excess water content, maximizes flavour and makes freezing easier.

8 Medium Strawberries (5.5 ounces) (147 grams) Contains:

• 50 calories
• 1 gram protein
• 13 grams carbohydrates
• 0 grams fat
• 3 grams dietary fiber
• 0 milligrams sodium

Pop a mere eight medium strawberries for an entire day’s vitamin C; more than what’s contained in an orange.

A bowl (3/4 cup) of raspberries provides 4.5 grams of dietary fibre; as much as a bowl of bran flakes, plus more than 1/3 of the recommended intake of vitamin C.