Skip to main content

Strawberries abound at the farmers market: What to do with this tasty fruit

Got a ton of strawberries after hitting the farmers market? Here's what to do with them

Strawberries in a metal strainer

You know the awesome feeling you get when you find locally grown and harvested fresh fruits and vegetables, particularly if you’re lucky enough to have a farmers market nearby. Perfect for whipping up delicious salads, side dishes, and desserts, a bounty of fresh summer produce has to be one of the best parts of warmer weather — and strawberries are one of the very best farm stand treats.

Few fruits compare with the juicy, sweet taste of ripe, red strawberries. Sliced and added to salads, blended into smoothies, atop a homemade dessert, or picked fresh and eaten straight from the plant, strawberries are versatile, healthy, and delicious.

Why settle for grocery store strawberries when you can have locally grown and freshly picked strawberries instead? After all, the best part about the farmers market is the freshness. Here’s why you should pick up a few extra strawberries this weekend and how you can add them to this week’s meal plan.

Strawberries in a wooden basket

Growing seasons of strawberries in the U.S.

In the U.S., strawberry season is practically all year long, although not in every region at the same time. Strawberries are in season somewhere in the U.S. every month but in December. The three states that are the main growers of strawberries are:

  • Florida, where winter strawberries grow from November until April
  • Texas, which has a shorter season of three months (February through April)
  • California, where the growing season runs from February to November

If you’re looking to grab locally grown strawberries, this chart will help you determine when to find them in season at a farm stand near you.

Red stand mixer with strawberries

Health benefits of strawberries

Strawberries are not just sweet and tasty — they’re good for you, too. These berries are packed with vitamins and fiber, and they have high antioxidant levels. Sodium-free, fat-free, and cholesterol-free, they’re also low in calories and fit perfectly into any healthy diet. In addition, they can help protect your heart, lower your blood pressure, increase good HDL cholesterol levels, and possibly even guard against cancer.

To pick the best strawberries, look for berries that have:

  • Bright red color
  • A natural shine
  • Fresh green caps

To preserve freshness, refrigerate strawberries and keep them dry until just before serving, then rinse them under cold water, keeping the green stems in place. Strawberries are one of the most versatile fruits, able to go from breakfast smoothies to lunchtime yogurt parfaits and from dinner salads to glorious desserts.

Spoon scooping strawberry jam out of a jar with toast and fresh strawberries on the table around it

Make strawberry jam like a pro

If you got a little carried away at the farmers market and perhaps bought more strawberries than your family can handle, or if you’ve always wanted to try making homemade jam, you will be thrilled to know that making strawberry jam is easy and produces amazing results. You can find plenty of strawberry jam recipes on the internet, but there are always a few questions people have:

Is strawberry jam good for you?

Although most jam recipes contain a significant amount of added sugar, they also contain a significant amount of nutrients from the fruit used, so whether jam is “healthy” depends on how you look at it. Either way, making jam at home will ensure that you are using only the finest, freshest ingredients with no additives or preservatives.

If you have an abundance of strawberries on hand (or any other berry, for that matter), homemade jam will help use up your surplus and make you a kitchen hero to your entire family.

Should you use pectin in your strawberry jam recipe?

Despite what you might have heard, there is no evidence to suggest that pectin will prolong the shelf life of your jam. Pectin is used to help the jam set more firmly, impacting the gelled consistency of your final product and making it a bit thicker than jams made without pectin.

While many jam recipes include pectin in the ingredients list, though, you can still make a delicious jam that’s perfect for spreading on toast, muffins, croissants, and more, without using pectin.

Tips for making strawberry jam

With these tips, you’ll get prize-winning strawberry jam:

  • Make sure your jars are sterilized. This should go without saying, but sometimes people forget this includes the jars, the lids, and the tongs that handle the hot jars.
  • Crushing or cutting is completely your choice. It all depends on if you want larger chunks or a smoother finish at the end. (If you’d like really smooth jam, get your blender or food processor involved.)
  • Stir in the same direction. This will reduce the amount of scum at the end of the process.

Since fruit is imported from around the world to your grocery store, you can always find strawberries in stock. However, these locally grown farmers’ market berries are a whole new level of deliciousness. Buy them when you can, and get creative with new and inventive ways to eat them because when it comes to farm stand berries, when the season is over, it’s over!

Editors' Recommendations

Kim Renta
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Kim has written for Bloomingdales, Movado, and various e-commerce wine sites. When she's not writing about wine and…
What to grow in your apartment balcony vegetable garden
vegetable garden ideas for apartment balcony featured resized

There are many benefits to planting your own vegetable garden. Growing your own vegetables can improve your health in more ways than one. For obvious reasons, consuming more fruits and vegetables is one of the most important things you can do when you are trying to eat right, get into shape, and stay healthy overall. Additionally, picking vegetables from your own garden means the vegetables have a higher vitamin content than those you get at the market. Also, your garden's vegetables are free from harmful chemicals such as pesticides.

One of the most apparent perks to growing your own fruits and vegetables is that it saves you money on groceries. Gardening can also be a natural stress reliever because being outside and getting fresh air and sunshine can improve your mood and make you feel rejuvenated. But what do you do if you don’t own a home with a yard to plant a garden in? Vegetable gardens aren’t just for homeowners with yards anymore, as you can plant a wide array of vegetables on your apartment patio or balcony.

Read more
What buyers need to know to get their dream home in a fierce seller’s market
average size of a mortgage shutterstock 538370872

Buying a home is part of the widely sought-after American dream. However, as the pandemic wore on the past two years, the housing market quickly became a "seller's market." New homeowners are struggling to find an affordable home that doesn't require extensive repairs to make it livable. Home loans are skyrocketing and mortgage rates are steadily climbing back up from record lows, but buyers aren't helpless. So what should new home buyers do to ensure they're getting their dream home and an affordable mortgage?

The average home loan is at a record high
The demand for new homes has been steadily high over the past year, and homes are selling for higher and higher price tags because of it. According to CoreLogic's recent report, in December of 2021, the average price of homes was 18.5% higher than they were in December 2020. Then, in February of this year, the average home loan finally reached $453,000, a record high.

Read more
Make a tasty lasagna like a pro with these tips (plus, the easiest recipe ever)
easy lasagna recipes woman removing oven

In the search for the perfect crowd-pleasing, family-favorite comfort food, few things compare with lasagna. Traditionally made with layers of pasta, ground beef, sauce, and cheese, it’s relatively easy to prepare and is great for putting together ahead of time to bake and enjoy for a busy weeknight dinner. 

If you’re in the mood to satisfy your family’s hunger and tastebuds in a delicious way, use these useful tips and you'll be making authentic homemade lasagna in no time.

Read more