Buy the most delicious, ripe strawberries you can find from your local farmers.

Gently rinse all of the berries in a large strainer. (You may need to do this in rounds.)

Carefully remove the stems from each precious little berry. This is time consuming but all in all it only took me about 10 minutes for 8 quarts. It’s worth it, I promise.

Working in batches, lay the berries out on a cookie baking sheet in a single layer. Pat the berries dry with paper towel and freeze for 1 hour until firm. This step helps prevent the berries from sticking together in one large clumb when you place them in a plastic bag.

Place the partially frozen berries in a resealable plastic bag and freeze for up to 3 months.