What to Do When You Have Too Many Strawberries

The first week strawberries come into season, I can't get enough of them. I overbuy the tiny sweet ones at the farmers' market. I scoop up the larger ones on sale at the supermarket. I eat them raw as a snack and stir them into my morning yogurt. I eat them with whipped cream and meringue in a kind of ersatz pavlova. And then, at a certain point, I hit a strawberry wall. 

Strawberries are wonderful, but if they're just hanging around your fridge, threatening to turn into mush, there are a lot of things you can do with them beyond toss them into a smoothie—though of course freezing them and putting them into a smoothie is never a bad option. There are salads to throw together, cakes to turn pink with berry juice, and even strawberry curd to make. The world is your strawberry, is what I'm saying. Here are some thing to do with that abundance. 

Easy never tasted so awesome.

Make Your Own Strawberry Milk

Pink milk isn't just a millennial trap. If you love the taste of strawberry milk, there's no reason why you can't make your own. All you need is a food processor and a seive. Process the berries with sugar and then squish the pulp into a seive, collecting all that delicious strawberry juice. Mix it into milk and voila, you have your own strawberry milk. Serve it on its own as a treat for kids, or use it as a mixer for cocktails. 

Try an Icebox Pie

When it's too hot out to turn on the oven, there's no better gift to yourself than an icebox pie. The only cooking involved in making this Strawberry Pretzel Ice Box Pie is forming the crust, and honestly, if you just want to pick up a premade crust because that's what you're working with this week, it'll do you just as well. 

Put Them In a Spinach Salad

Strawberries and spinach are a great flavor combination, particularly with a balsamic vinaigrette. Even berries that aren't at their peak will do well dressed. Try them with blue cheese and red wine vinaigrette in this Strawberry Spinach Salad, or add goat cheese and pecans for a Southern twist. 

Curd Is the Word

Jam is the classic answer to the too-many-berries problem. (Try this strawberry orange version if you want to go down that road.) But making strawberry curd takes it up a notch, turning strawberries into a more luscious custard-y spread that's incredible in biscuits with great dollops of whipped cream for an easy dessert. 

Combine Them With Chipotle Peppers

Strawberries don't get into savory applications as much as they should. In this Chipotle Strawberry Glaze, the sweetness of the berries pairs with the kick of chipotles of a tangy, sweet, spicy glaze that pairs excellently with pork or chicken. 

Need some more inspiration? Check out our gallery of strawberry recipes for ideas. 

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