May 17, 1954 Freezing Strawberries, Chicken Little Pies, Pie Crust

Freezing Strawberries

In my opinion these are the queens od the freezer. They are in best supply for freezing during May and June. Varieties  in this section  best for freezing are: Culver, Premier and Sparkle, however most berries will freeze well if the berries are fair to large size, of uniform bright color to the very center and not too sour.

Preparation for Freezing: Sort, washin ice water. Hull, slice, cut in half or leave whole.

Packaging: Mix sliced or halved berries with 1 lb. (2 c.) sugar to 5-6 pounds (10-12 c.) fruit. Stir only enough to dissolve sugar and allow to stand until sugar is dissolved. Package in rigid containers. Label and freeze.

Whole Strawberries: Whole berries may be packed in medium syrup. For medium syrup dissolve 4 c.sugar in 6 c. boiling water. Bring to boiling point. Chill. Make syrup a day or so ahead, store in covered jar in refrigerator, so it is ready when needed.

Whole strawberries may be frozen to use as a garnish: Select perfect medium sized berries. Leave caps on and wash gently in ice water. Drain well. Spread out on cookie sheet or large shallow pan so berries are not touching. Freeze with caps on. When frozen, put whole berries in container for storage. To use: Remove berries as needed for garnish. Serve while they are still icy.

Chicken Little Pies

2 c. diced cooked chicken
1 c. cooked peas
1 c. cooked carrots
1/2 c. finely choppede celery
1 t. salt
2 c. hot chicken gravy or medium white sauce or diluted canned cream soup
1 T. chopped parsley
Pie crust

Combine chicken, vegetables, gravy and seasonings. Heat. Put in individual buttered baking dishes or pie tins or a 1 1/2 quart casserole. Top with pie crust. Bake in hot oven 425 degrees F. 20 to 25 minutes. Serves 6.

Pie Crust

2 c. flour
1 t. salt
2/3 c. shortening
5 to 6 T. water (iced)

Sift flour, measure, resift with salt. Cut in shortening with pastry blender until mixture resembles fine meal and some of the pieces of shortening are the size of small peas. Add just enough water to hold pastry together.