Strawberries: picking them ripe, storage and recipes
Strawberries don't ripen after picking — what you pick is what you get. So it pays to know what a perfect berry looks like.
📅 Season: Outdoors from late April (Dalmatia, Istria) to late June (inland); earlier from greenhouses.
How to tell it's ripe
- Red right to the tip and around the stem — white “shoulders” mean it was picked too early.
- Glossy and firm, not soft or dark red with bruises (that's overripe).
- You can smell them as you bend over the bed; no scent usually means no flavour.
- The green caps look fresh, not dry and brown.
How to pick
- Pick in the cool of the morning — berries are firmer and keep longer.
- Hold the stem between finger and thumb and twist gently; keep the cap on the berry.
- Don't stack more than 3–4 layers in a basket so the bottom ones don't get crushed.
- Leave unripe berries on the plant for the next pickers.
Storage
- Don't wash before storing; wash just before eating, caps on.
- In the fridge, uncovered in one layer on kitchen paper, they keep 2–3 days.
- To freeze: wash, drain, hull, freeze spread out on a tray, then bag (up to 10 months).
Recipes
Strawberries with balsamic and mint
Ingredients
- 500 g strawberries
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp honey
- a few mint leaves
- a little freshly ground pepper
Method
- Halve or quarter the strawberries.
- Mix the vinegar and honey and pour over.
- Leave 10 minutes, then scatter chopped mint and a pinch of pepper. Lovely with ice cream or fresh cheese.
Quick lower-sugar strawberry jam
Ingredients
- 1 kg strawberries
- 300 g sugar
- juice of 1 lemon
- optional: 1 sachet pectin
Method
- Wash, hull and chop the berries; mix with the sugar and leave an hour to release their juice.
- Boil, stirring, for 15–20 minutes until a drop on a cold saucer no longer runs.
- Add the lemon juice, pour hot into sterilised jars, close and stand upside down for 5 minutes.
Strawberry yoghurt smoothie
Ingredients
- 250 g strawberries (frozen is fine)
- 250 ml yoghurt
- 1 banana
- 1 tsp honey
Method
- Blend everything until smooth.
- If too thick, add a splash of milk or water and serve at once.
ⓘ These are general tips; at a pick-your-own always follow the host's instructions.
More tips
🍒 Cherries · 🫐 Blueberries · 🍎 Apples · 🍇 Grapes · 🟣 Figs · 🍊 Mandarins · 🍅 Tomatoes