Fresh Strawberries-Fruit Smoothies
A very dear friend of mine has started visiting our local Amish produce auction about every other week. She doesn’t usually know what will be at the auction each week, we get just what ever items happen to be in season. Now that I have moved into the local community I get to enjoy the benefits of her shopping spree.
About 2 weeks ago I ended up with about 8 quarts of strawberries. and 6 heads of broccoli. Since I do not have a large family this will last us quite a while. I decided to freeze both of the items as I didn’t have time to can them this week. Freezing provides fresher veggies when dinner time comes and the process is quite simple. Just wash and store. Some vegetables require a quick blanching before going into the freezer, but Broccoli does not.
Strawberries are a perfect way to consume some of the antioxidants that our bodies need, and in the hot summer weather frozen strawberries are the perfect ingredient for smoothies.
Here is how I make my smoothies, which I have to say are simply the best in the world. At least to me, that is why I make them.:)
- 1 cup orange juice
- 10 frozen strawberries
- 1/2 slice frozen fresh pineapple
- 1 frozen banana
- a hand full of frozen cherries
I like to use a not from concentrate OJ. Finding affordable good fresh oranges to squeeze my own is a bit of a challenge. But if you are a Florida or California resident then you should have no problem. I usually buy banana’s when they are marked down on clearance because they are really ripe. There is no way we could bring them home and eat them, so we just bring them home and freeze them. I do recommend peeling them first and putting them in zip lock bags. You can throw the banana in the freezer peel and all, but when you thaw them out it gets quite messy. The pineapple is also fresh we peel and slice it and bag it for freezing. We first discovered the idea of freezing pineapple by accident. My daughter put the bag of fruit in the freezer instead of the fridge. It turned out to be a tasty mistake. And, that is it. stick with as much fresh produce as you can. If fruits are out of season then I recommend buying frozen. or stocking up and freezing while the harvest is plentiful. Some people like to add yogurt to their smoothies. I do not have a recipe for that but if you would like to share your recipe then I would love to try it.
