We love berries in our house.I go crazy when I spot the aromatic berries - be it in our local grocery, farmer's market or right at the "U-Pick" farms. But berries are just so fragile with a very short expiry date. There is only so much one can eat. So what do we do with the ones remaining (no) thanks to the overzealous purchase? Bets solution - FREEZING! Strawberries freeze beautifully and here's how I do it.

1. Wash berries and dry them gently using a kitchen towel /paper towel. You can even let them air dry for few minutes in the towel.

2. Hull them. Cut around the stem in a circular motion (like a crater).  You can at this point freeze them whole, or sliced. I prefer sliced since I can then simply use them in my pancakes/oatmeal right-away instead of having to chop/thaw them. Usually I also slice away any odd brown/very soft bits of flesh and keep the best ones for freezing.

3. Arrange them in a single layer in a large baking sheet. You can line the sheet with parchment paper if you wish. Place this sheet in the freezer. Flash freeze them for about 20 minutes.

4. Remove them and add it to a freezer safe silicon bag or zip lock bag.

5. Try to remove as much air as possible to avoid freezer burn. I use the straw technique.  Close the bag leaving a small hole just enough to fit a straw in it. Suck in the air from the bag and immediately close the bag.

6. It helps to create an almost vacuum like seal. Label with date and place this in the freezer. These are good up-to a year.