New Zealand strawberry season: September - March

Spring heralds in the arrival of deliciously sweet strawberries, grown right here in New Zealand. Buying when they're in season will save you money and reward you with unbelievably tasty, juicy strawberries.

It’s a great time to buy them in bulk and preserve them until you’re ready to enjoy them. Imported strawberries from Australia and the USA extend our strawberry season. Off season, you'll find plenty of frozen, freeze dried and canned strawberries in store.

What to look for when buying fresh strawberries

Strawberries are best bought when ripe and freshly picked. When buying fresh strawberries, look for a bright shiny red colour, with an intact green stem.

Strawberries don't ripen after they are harvested, meaning their flavour won't continue to intensify or sweeten. The colour of strawberries can darken after picking, so colour is not always an indicator of sweetness. The best way to detect if strawberries are ripe and sweet is to smell them: if they smell strong and sweet, they are ripe and ready to eat.

The sweetest strawberry

The sweetest strawberry variety in New Zealand is the Pajaro. This premium berry is super sweet, bright red in colour, large in size and symmetrical in shape.

Strawberries get sweeter later in the season

Strawberry plants thrive in maximum sun and heat and we happen to have both in abundance during our Kiwi summers. You can normally find seasonal strawberries grown and harvested during summer to be sweeter than varieties picked earlier in spring.

How can you tell if a strawberry is fresh?

Strawberries have a short shelf life, so look out for these signs that they're no longer fresh:

• Bruised or soggy berries
• A limp green stem
• Signs of mould on the fruit surface
• An unpleasant, musty smell

Shop berries online

Frozen strawberries

Like most frozen fruits, frozen strawberries have a softer texture than fresh strawberries (providing they are not overripe). This makes frozen strawberries fantastic for blending into smoothies; baking muffins, cakes and pies; making compotes; and making jam.

Frozen strawberries can get soft, and a bit mushy, once thawed. So, it’s not ideal to use frozen strawberries where you would typically use fresh (e.g., fruit salads, decorating cakes, fresh strawberry tarts).

Canned strawberries

Canned strawberries are usually packaged in a sweet syrup. They are sweeter and softer than fresh strawberries making them great for smoothies, baking, compotes, sweet pie fillings and more.

Canned strawberries are not good for recipes that call for fresh fruit like fruit salads, decorating cakes and fruit platters.

Dried strawberries

Dried strawberries are like a deliciously sweet and chewy version of biltong! They are great for snacking, baking, desserts and more.

Strawberry jam or preserve

Strawberry jam or preserve are both sweetened fruit spreads. They are a delicious accompaniment to scones, baking, waffles and good, old fashioned toast.

Strawberry jam and strawberry preserve are similar but they are not the same. Strawberry jam contains crushed strawberries, an acid (e.g., lemon juice) and sugar and has a smooth texture and a sweet taste. Strawberry preserve has larger pieces of strawberry (whole or halved) making the texture chunkier and more rustic and the flavour tends to be fresher and less sugary.

18 ways eat strawberries

There are so many ways to enjoy this deliciously juicy red berry. Fresh, frozen, baked or blended - strawberries are great any time of day - for breakfast, lunch, dinner and everything in between.

1. In a salad: Toss a delicious strawberry salad together with avocado, baby spinach or rocket leaves, red onion, diced feta, walnut pieces and a balsamic vinaigrette.In a fruit salad: add fresh strawberry into your fruit salad.
2. Bake a tray of strawberry and white chocolate muffins. Strawberry and chocolate are a heavenly match.

3. Top breakfast cereal or yoghurt with fresh strawberries, honey and sliced almonds.

4. Make a smoothie - Blend fresh or frozen strawberry and banana together with peanut butter and milk for a nutritious, filling smoothie.

5. Sprinkle freshly diced macerated strawberries over homemade strawberry ice cream. For macerated strawberries: simply sprinkle granulated sugar over your strawberries and allow them to sit for up to an hour, until the sugar is drawn out of the fruit.

6. Cocktails: Shake up a strawberry daiquiri or margarita for happy hour or add slices of frozen strawberry to your gin and tonic.

7. Cheesecake: Strawberry and cream cheese are perfect companions in a strawberry cheesecake.

8. Serve fresh strawberries and whipped cream with plain scones for afternoon tea.

9. Make your own strawberry jam.

10. Chocolate dipped strawberries make a simply decadent after dinner treat.

11. Combine strawberries and cream in a light and fruity strawberry mousse.

12. Bake a comforting strawberry pie using fresh or frozen berries. You can combine strawberry with tart rhubarb when in season.

13. Strawberry and balsamic vinegar are a match made in heaven. Just mix and warm a little balsamic vinegar and granulated sugar in a pan, then stir the strawberries in and leave to sit at room temperature for an hour or two.

How to store strawberries

The secret to storing picked strawberries is to keep them cold and dry in an airtight container. Here are our top tips for extending the life of your strawberries. Strawberries can last from between 2 to 7 days depending on how ripe they were when you bought them and how they are stored.

Store them whole in the fridge

Stay fresh for 5 - 7 days unwashed or 3 - 5 days if washed

Fresh strawberries last longer in the fridge. They should always be stored in the refrigerator, whole and unwashed and with their stems attached. The green stem keeps a strawberry fresh for longer so only remove it when you're ready to eat. If you can, remove them from the container that they were sold in and spread the berries out in a single layer over a paper-towel-lined container and cover with an airtight lid before refrigerating.

Strawberries tend to have mould spores on their surface and this can cause them to spoil quickly when kept at room temperature. Remove any mouldy berries immediately otherwise the mould will spread to other berries and spoil them. 

If you have already sliced your strawberries, place them in single layers in a container lined with a dry paper towel. Seal the container with an airtight lid and store in the fridge.

Sliced strawberries will last for 2 to 3 days before they soften (up to 4 days if the fruit was very fresh).

How to keep strawberries fresh for longer

To extend the life of your strawberries, try soaking them in a solution of vinegar and water (1:5 ratio) for 5 minutes. The vinegar will destroy any mould or bacteria. Remember to dry the berries thoroughly before refrigerating.

Storing strawberries in a glass jar

A popular storage method used among the zero waste community is to keep strawberries in a glass jar in the fridge, where they should last up to 14 days.

You can freeze strawberries for up to 6 months

If you have an abundance of strawberries, did you know that you can freeze them? Begin by washing and hulling the strawberries. Spread out in a single layer on a parchment lined baking sheet. Freeze for 1-4 hours until solid, then remove and place berries in a freezer safe storage bag or airtight container. Frozen strawberries can be used later in smoothies, juices, compotes, muffins and fruit pies.

How to prepare fresh strawberries

Strawberries need to remain chilled in the refrigerator until just before serving. They are very simple to prepare - quickly rinse under cool running water until clean, then lightly pat the surface until completely dry.

• Remove the stem and core. Use a sharp paring knife to remove the stem but take care not to cut too much of the top off.
• You can serve strawberries whole, or sliced in halves, quarters, slices or diced.

Preserve your strawberries yourself

As a seasonal fruit, strawberries aren't available year round. The good news is that you can preserve them at home when in season, by freezing or bottling, making strawberry jams or sauces, freeze drying or dehydrating before grinding into powdered strawberry. You can then enjoy the sweet flavour of strawberries all year round. You will also find a range of preserved strawberries in your local food store:

• Canned strawberries - perfect for pies
• Frozen strawberries - great in fruit smoothies
• Dehydrated strawberry powder - to add intense strawberry flavour to sorbets, fruit jellies, cookies and cakes. 

Helping you to save more on your grocery shopping

When you buy produce that’s in season, you’ll enjoy our fresh guarantee with food at its freshest, tastiest and most nutritious. Discover what fruits are in season now by visiting our Fresh Market Update. If you'd like to discover more ways to save money on fruits and vegetables, or ways to save money on groceries all together, you’ll find plenty more tips on our website. 

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