Freshly Picked Strawberries and Ice Cream

Nothing can more exciting than picking fresh fruits and veggies directly from the farm. Fruit picking is always fun when u go with your little ones...You will love to see them picking and eating the fruits on their own. We had been to Larriland farms in MD for strawberry picking. We could pick 6 lbs of strawberries.. Those were the best strawberries i ate in recently times, very sweet and red. Its a tedious job for the people who pick....especially on the hot summer day, but those who have the passion for fresh fruits and veggies, its all worth the effort.

6 lbs!!!! what could i do with them? Should I give away some of them to my friend? Will I be able to finish them before they begin to soften? will they go bad before i think of recipes? After a lot of research on strawberry recipes, I could short list a few recipes and ice cream is one of them.


Here is the recipe for Fresh Strawberry Icecream:

Ingredients:
2 cups Fresh ripe strawberries stemmed and sliced
1 cup sugar, divided
1 cup whole milk, well chilled
2 cups heavy cream, well chilled
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Method:
1. In a small bowl, combine strawberries with lemon juice and 1/2 cup of sugar. Stir gently and allow the strawberries to macerate for 2 hours. Strain berries, reserving the juices. Mash or puree half of the berries.
2.In a medium bowl, combine the milk and remaining sugar and let it dissolve. Stir in heavy cream, reserved juices, vailla and mashed strawberries.
3. Turn your ice cream maker on, pour the mixture into freezer bowl and let it mix until thickened, about 20-25 mins. Five minutes before mixing is complete, add the reserves sliced strawberries and let it mix completely. I like to add strawberries on top of the ice cream for garnishing. The ice cream will have a soft and creamy texture. If firmer consistency is desired, transfer the ice cream to an air tight container and place in freezer for about 2 hours.

  

  

My tips:

1. Make sure your freezer bowl is frozen. I keep this bowl in the freezer for a day before preparing ice cream.
2. Always use well chilled milk and cream. I keep the cold milk and cream in the freezer for few minutes before using them in the recipe.
3. I always keep the ice cream in freezer overnight to get the required texture.
You will love this, I bet!!

Although we all enjoy freshly picked fruits and veggies, there are some points to consider before you leave for picking: protecting yourself and your kids from the sun, carrying a bottle of water to drink, carrying a your camera to capture the moments with your kids, Going to the restroom before you leave for picking... huh? Well, its very important as you may or may not find a good loo in the farm :P Make sure you make space in your refrigerator before you start for the picking, freshly picked strawberries can soften and become soggy very quickly if they are left in the room temperature for too long.