I thought I had already shown how to do this in a previous post, but since I searched and couldn’t find it, I’ll show it now.
We had strawberries on the Fourth of July! Did you?
Whatever you call it, burring the strawberries, hulling them, stemming them or de-coring them, it’s not much fun…and sometimes it seems like you take 1/4th of the berry off with your paring knife. Add all that waste up and you can potentially lose half a dozen berries or more.
Here’s a quick and easy way to get the leafy stems off your strawberries. You’ll only need a regular sized straw…I’m guessing about 1/4th inch wide.
When you cut the stem off with a paring knife, it can look like this…and when you use a straw it looks like this… you can give it a try and see which way you like.
All you do is take your washed strawberries and stick the straw in the pointed end and push it up toward the leafy stem.
As the straw goes through the berry it will push the leafy part off, while keeping the core attached. Occasionally a piece of the green stem will still be attached. All you do is pull your straw back a bit and push it up again to get the rest.
Most of the time the core will stay attached to the leafy part, like this…
…but occasionally it will stay inside the straw and push out the bottom as you do more.
This is what you end up with….
…and this is how pretty they look. Almost a shame to smash them up, isn’t it?
Now you can do whatever you like with them…
Want to know my favorite go-to easy dessert? I like to slice them up, sprinkle a little sugar or sweetner on them, use a potato masher to squish them up, let them get juicy, crumble up some saltine crackers on top, add a squirt (or two) of aerosol whipped cream, and YUM!!!
We call it poor man’s strawberry shortcake and have been doing it for years.
I think I’ll have another bowl!!! YUMMY!
See you tomorrow,
Blessings, Jeanne
Your strawberries look delicious! I never saw this method for removing the hulls before–I just usually use the tip of my paring knife. It’s pretty ingenious!!
In either my Betty Crocker cookbook or the Better Homes & Garden one is a good shortcake recipe; beside it I remember writing a note, “Dad says this is the closest to what his mother used to make.” I made sure to make it for him every spring after I found that out. Daddy’s been gone 15 years now.
In one of the above cookbooks there’s another recipe that originally called for raspberries, but I used it with strawberries, and it was so good, I never have tried it with raspberries! It has a vanilla wafer crust topped with a meringue and baked; when cool, the sliced berries go on top. Yum! It’s been a long time since I last made that, though–with only two of us here, we wouldn’t be able to eat it fast enough (the berries go on top of the whole thing, and then it’s refrigerated for a while).
Okay, now I’m hungry! I think I’d better get some strawberries next time I’m at the store!
Hope everyone had a good 4th of July. We had our church picnic–a small group, and we were outside, but the weather cooperated, and we all had a nice time.
Oh, strawberries! We too, had strawberries baked into a pie for the Fourth, Jeanne! Well, the strawberries weren’t baked, but the crust was! The grocery store had such beautiful strawberries when I went shopping last time, that I just had to get some, since they looked so tempting! That is a great idea you have for hulling strawberries, and I might try that if I can find straws strong enough.
I made a lazy woman’s pie, yes I did. No pie crust from scratch for me! I used the Pillsbury ready made ones, and just cut the tops off the berries, and then sliced them in half, or more, depending on the size of the berries. Boiled a cup of water and a cup of sugar, plus 2 tablespoons of corn starch. Bring to a boil and when it gets thick, take it off the heat and add 3 tablespoons of dry strawberry Jello to it and set aside to cool a bit. After cooling, add strawberries and then pour into the crust, refrigerate for a couple of hours, and serve with a dollop of whipped cream. Really easy and no big messes!
I don’t know about everyone else, but it was much too hot to do anything outside for us, so it was a low key fourth of July, just watching fireworks from our windows!
No apologies needed, Linda–I use the pre-made pie crusts all the time! I find they are prett good, and save me a lot of extra mess and work!! I also have a recipe for a push-pastry crust, where you mix the ingredients right in the pie pan, then use your fingers to compress and push the crust against the pie pan. You then bake it before adding a filling similar to what you did for your strawberry pie. Easy!
There are reusable straws that come with a long, thin gadget like a tiny bottle brush. If they are sharp enough, they’d be perfect for this. I must get some strawberries and try it.
Interesting about the straw use. I have a little metal clip like thing which you pinch and pull off the the green top of the strawberry. Called a strawberry huller. It belonged to my mother, and I used it as a kid. Most of the time, like Charlotte, I use a knife. 🙂 We had fruit salad for the 4th with strawberries, oranges, kiwi, bananas, and blueberries. Was delicious.
I’ve been watching Linda’s weather as it has been hot here too. Keeping the vegetables damp has been a challenge, but they seem to be doing fine. Finally, blossoms on the tomatoes. I’m sure Jeanne is harvesting now. We will have to wait.
No strawberries here. We had everything omelets for brunch. Hubby made them on his new fathers day outdoor grill. I made a chefs salad for supper, also with all the veggies plus a little chopped ham. That may not have all happened on the same day. Somewhere in the long weekend he also grilled a pork loin that was fork tender and delicious!
The store didn’t have any organic strawberries trip. Our garden plants are bearing, but not heavily quite yet. A couple more weeks should do it. The straw idea is interesting. I don’t take the entire core out of my strawberries when I hull them. I had one of the little pinch hullers the was my grandmother’s until the thumb ring sadly broke. It just removes the leaves and the tiny bit of white at the top.
I make a recipe called “Cottage Pudding” from our old Fannie Farmer cookbook as the shortcake. I have always replaced the butter with oil because I like the taste better. Can’t wait for peaches to come in so I can make my grandmother’s custard peach pie. We’re pretty sure she made it up as I’ve never seen a recipe like it.
Speaking of kitchen gadgets, I love old ones. I still whip egg whites for cake or meringuewith the Sunbeam hand mixer my mom used… better than the Kitchen Aid because I can just tell when they are right.
I have the Sunbeam mixer too. As well as a ton of vintage kitchen gadgets. Sorry to hear about your huller, but maybe you might find one at a thrift shop? Just a thought. 🙂
Laura, I make my mother’s peach pie recipe, which also has a custardy filling. Halve, peel and pit peaches, put them pit side up in an unbaked single crust shell. Mix dry ingredients (sugar, flour, cinnamon) and sprinkle over peaches. Pour heavy cream over that and bake. Mom got it from our neighbor in the 1950s; not sure where she got it. YUM! (I’ll be happy to send Jeanne the recipe to share, if people want)
Ingenious idea for removing the tops of strawberries. I usually use a small paring knife with a sharp point. I haven’t bought any strawberries lately. Must look into that and try the straw idea.
We didn’t meet up with our son and family for fireworks this year on the 4th. We decided sitting out in the Texas heat, even in the evening, with masks on would be uncomfortable, so we stayed home. They had a wonderful steak dinner and then, since they live in the county and can have their own “fireworks”, Dionne bought some sparklers, etc., and they went out after dark and did them. The kids loved it. So we decided that would be our new 4th of July tradition. Dinner and “fireworks” at their house next year. I realized when I got to thinking about this that next year on the 4th of July our sixth grandchild will be almost six months old.
I have to take David to the ophthalmologist this afternoon. He got something in his eye last week. We took him to the emergency room the other day and they gave him some drops but they don’t seem to be working for the problem. Hopefully it’s nothing serious.
Such a clever idea! I have one of those little “pincher” strawberry hullers too.
We went to friends’ home for BBQ and burgers..so nice to share time with new friends. We moved across country in March and my grown children and grandies are back in California.
People here are so friendly…it’s felt like ‘old home week!”
no fireworks for us although they are legal in Georgia,..with 3 dogs, no need to stress them out .Our some turned 16 on July 3, so it’s been a Party Week!
Loved reading all of the fun celebration events from everyone!
Jeanne,..your sewing room looks marvelous! SO NEAT and everything in it’s place..I’m trying to do the same.LOL
We are having a family dinner tonight, try to do it once a month if we can and I have to make a dessert. Everyone’s all time favourite (except me, I just think it is nice but not my favourite) is lemon meringue pie and I was just thinking about it and wishing we could buy ready made pie cases and here you are talking about them! We will celebrate my granddaughter’s 20th birthday as well. Last time we met was my daughter’s birthday but we celebrated mine, my daughter in law and my grandson’s as well as Mothers day as they were all during lockdown.
Loved your idea about strawberries Jeanne. Will try that when they are in season (if I remember lol), mind you they might drown this year. So far this is the worst winter I remember in the 47 years I have been here. Rain, rain and more rain. A month ago we were suffering drought conditions! School holidays have started too so hope it improves though the weather man doesn’t think it will till Saturday! On Tuesday I am going with the children to Hanmer Springs which are hot pools surrounded by mountains. Fortunately it is a bus trip so I don’t have to drive (90 mins each way). They would much prefer to go with Sam but she has radiology in the morning so they have to make do with Nana. Poor Ashley, she is 9 and is really struggling with the fact that Mum is tired all the time or has a hospital appointment and can’t do the things with them that they are used to doing. Another 7 months yet before it all ends. Keep praying people I really appreciate your prayers.
Glad you all had a great day.