Money Saving Tip: Save your Strawberries

Tips for saving time and/or money so you have more time and/or money for quilting.

If you bring your fresh strawberries home from the grocery store and sort them by approximate degree of ripeness.  And then put them into a plastic storage container (like a Tupperware container) with the least ripe berries on the bottom of the container; they will keep so much longer than if you store them in the container they come from the store in. Then you can enjoy the full batch of strawberries and save time and money because you didn't have to run to the store for more! (I LOVE strawberries!) Here is my Mom's wonderful recipe for strawberry pie.

Elaine’s Fresh Strawberry Pie 

1 9-inch pie shell, baked and cooled
4 boxes whole strawberries (about 8 cups) washed and hulled
1 1/2 cup water
2 cups sugar
1/3 cup Cornstarch
3 Tab. Lemon juice
2 Tab butter 

Smash 2 cups berries, put them in a pan with the water and simmer for 4 minutes. Add the sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice to the pan; cook on the stove with medium high heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture is transparent instead of cloudy. Stir in the butter. Line pie shell with remaining berries. Pour the cooked mixture over the uncooked berries; cool. Chill until serving time.