My strawberry patch just exploded this year, so much so that I could barely keep up! After harvesting several flats, I froze half of them (see my post on how to freeze strawberries here) and sliced up the other half for Dried Strawberries with Black Pepper. Dried strawberries are great on their own, but I like the kick of black pepper to spices things up. The fragrant berries pair beautifully with pepper, particularly when you add them to salads, cheese plates and yogurt. Cream cheese on toast with peppery dried strawberries? Perfect.
Dried Strawberries with Black Pepper Recipe
Ingredients:
• 2 lbs strawberries
• freshly ground black pepper
Instructions:
1. Use homegrown or local berries when you can, as the flavor is far superior to store-bought berries. Wash and hull the berries, then slice them a 1/4 inch thick. Lay them out on dehydrator sheets and sprinkle them lightly with freshly ground black pepper.
2. Set your dehydrator to 120 degrees and leave the strawberries to dry over night. Dry them only until the strawberries are flexible and not wet. They should be the texture of fruit leather, with just a bit of moisture. Store in airtight jars or glass containers. Makes one quart.
Photos by Tammy Kimbler
Tammy Kimbler is the blogger ofOne Tomato, Two Tomato. A cultivator at heart, Tammy’s passions lie with food, preservation, gardening and connecting to her local community through blogging and urban agriculture. She eats well and love to feed others as often as possible. She currently resides with her family in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
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