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Enjoy this healthy and hearty Strawberry Granola for breakfast, made from scratch including an easy method for drying your own strawberries!
This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.
I used to think that a pint of strawberries was a pint of strawberries.
However, now I know that is SO not true! Ever since learning about Florida Strawberries, I have started paying more attention to the origin of my strawberries, and I have to say that the ones from Florida are fresher and sweeter than from other locations, like California and Mexico.
First of all, I had no idea that the Florida Strawberry season is actually November – April. So right now is the perfect time to get amazing, in-season Florida strawberries! In fact, they are so good, you will want to stock up. But how to stock up on perishable produce?
There are lots of ways, and this #SundaySupper event will give you great ideas on how to preserve them and how to use the preserved strawberries. I decided to try my hand at drying strawberries in the oven and using them in a delicious homemade granola recipe.
If you live in Florida, you can even take advantage of the opportunity to visit a U-Pick farm and pick out your own strawberries! It doesn’t get any fresher than that! Plus it can be a lot of fun for the whole family, as well as educational.
There are some things to know as you head out to enjoy a day in the strawberry fields. It is best if you pick only ripe berries (strawberries do not further ripen once they are picked!), and also try to clear every ripe berry from a particular plant before moving on, which helps to reduce the number of ripe strawberries that go to waste from being left behind. And don’t forget the sunscreen!
My plan is to buy lots and lots of Florida Strawberries now, while they are at their best, and preserve them to last all year long! There are so many different ways to preserve the berries, like freezing, pickling, canning, and dehydrating.
I decided to try the method of drying first, since I have been wanting to do that for a while, but you can visit all of the recipes below to find out more about all the different processes.
The process of drying strawberries is actually not tough, even if you don’t have a dehydrator. It took me a couple of tries to get the process just right for my oven, but even the first batch tasted wonderful! The drying process seems to concentrate the sweetness, so each dried strawberry tastes a bit like candy!
Here is my drying process that worked best:
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F.
- Slice the washed and hulled strawberries from top to bottom, in about ¼ inch thick slices.
- Soak the strawberries in a bowl with a mixture of lemon juice and cold water in a 1:1 ratio (i.e. 1 cup of lemon juice and 1 cup of water). This helps to prevent darkening and also acts as an anti-microbial.
- Remove the slices from the bowl with a slotted spoon and place them on parchment paper on a baking sheet.
- Bake for about 4 hours.
- Remove from the oven and let cool.
Strawberry Granola with Dried Strawberries
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Strawberry Granola
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup pure maple syrup
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1 teaspoon strawberry extract
- 3 cups puffed kamut
- 2 cups puffed wheat
- 1 cup rolled oats
- 1/2 cup sliced almonds
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds
- 1/2 cup dried strawberries (see drying directions in blog post)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F.
- Combine the syrup and butter in a small saucepan and heat on medium until the butter is melted and the mixture is hot. Stir in the strawberry extract.
- In a large bowl, combine the puffed kamut, puffed wheat, rolled oats, and almonds.
- Slowly pour the syrup mixture over the cereal mixture, stirring as you go to coat evenly.
- Sprinkle the sesame seeds over the mixture and stir to combine (this helps them to stick to the other pieces of cereal instead of just ending up on the bottom of the bowl).
- Spread evenly over a large baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes, stirring after 20 minutes.
- Let cool. Add in the dried strawberries and enjoy!
Nutrition
Tools used for this recipe:
Spices and other grocery products:
- pure maple syrup
- strawberry extract
- puffed kamut
- puffed wheat
- rolled oats
- sliced almonds
- sesame seeds
Check out more #SundaySupper Florida Strawberry posts:
Canning
- Strawberry Cheesecake Icebox Pie by Food Done Light
- Strawberry Eton Mess by That Skinny Chick Can Bake
- Strawberry Crepe Cake with Homemade Strawberry Syrup by Recipes, Food and Cooking
- Strawberry Crumble Bars by A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures
Drying (Dehydrated)
- Strawberry Granola with Dried Strawberries by Dizzy Busy and Hungry
- Strawberry Pancakes Recipe by Life Tastes Good
- Strawberry S'mores by The Crumby Cupcake
Freezing
- Strawberry Frosted Baked Cardamom Donuts by The Chef Next Door
- Strawberry Mocha Yogurt Smoothie by Casa de Crews
- Strawberry Parfait by Desserts Required
- Strawberry Swirl Coffee Cake by Renee's Kitchen Adventures
Pickling
- Pickled Strawberry Pepper Feta Salad by Go Epicurista
- Tuna Burger with Pickled Strawberry Relish by Cindy's Recipes and Writings
This post is sponsored by the Florida Strawberry Growers Association in conjunction with a social media campaign through Sunday Supper LLC. All opinions are my own.
Thanks for stopping by. Before you go, you might be interested in these products!
And check out my Dizzy Busy and Hungry store on Amazon for some great kitchen products I love!
frugal hausfrau
Love strawberries! Thanks for sharing at Fiesta Friday!
Mollie
Helen at the Lazy Gastronome
Thanks for sharing at the What's for Dinner Party - hope your week is fantastic!
Kristi Dominguez
This granola looks delish, Kristin! Thank you bunches for linking up with us this week!
Kristin
Thank you, Kristi!
Mother of 3
This looks delicious! I just love strawberries and will be looking for Florida ones at our local markets. Pinned.
Kristin
Thanks! Enjoy! 🙂
Maria | passion fruit, paws and peonies
Such an interesting recipe - over here in England granolas are always oat based. In recent years there are quinoa versions too. I love puffed grains so this really appeals xx
Misty Farmer
This looks delicious! It’s always great when you can find a treat that’s both tasty and healthy! Thanks so much for sharing the recipe!
Monika Dabrowski
This looks fabulous! I've been meaning to make granola for ages, I am definitely going to now.
Kriska Marie
Oh, dried strawberries! Never thought of this one. Thanks for the idea! And thanks for sharing it over at Food Friday. Excited to see what you'll be sharing next! 🙂
Theresa
Looks so yummy. We have a long strawberry season. I'd love to try this. Thanks for sharing at the Inspiration Spotlight party. Pinned & shared.