Hulling strawberries

Grow your own?!

That’s why I only buy British. The Spanish ones tend to be hard and green round the top so you can’t pull the tizzy out. Ok if you want strawberries out of season.

I hull them using a plastic straw.

You push the straw up its ‘bottom’ end and push the stalk out. If they are fairly ripe, it comes out quite cleanly.

Leaves a nice neat hole.

I do grow some in a pot but don’t have space for any in the ground.

I rarely have a problem, not with properly ripe strawberries - I only ever buy U.K. grown in season.

I was once both startled and miffed to see a Canadian guest* cutting a third off the top of each one before adding them to her cereal.
Such a stupid waste.
*pleased to say she was a relative of dh, not one of mine!

This gadget is invaluable, saves a lot of frustration.

www.amazon.co.uk/s?ref=nb_sb_ss_midas-iss-sm_1_11&crid=2M0C27CW19N3N&sprefix=Strawberry+%2Caps%2C179&k=strawberry+huller&tag=gransnetforum-21

I like Calendergirl use a plastic straw method, pushing through middle of strawberry from the bottom end?

My grandson's love to do their own ? ?

DH recommended the straw method but I don't want to buy plastic straws now.
I do have a knife with a very short, curved blade and it is excellent for hulling strawberries.

Ours were tiny and had a very short season this year.

I use a small pair of sugar-tongs, inherited from my MiL. You push the spoon ends into the strawberry either side of the hull and twist. The hull is cut out neatly. At one time, car boot sales and charity shops were awash with out-of-date cutlery items like this, you may still be able to find one. The smaller the better!

Cornwall - I've grown my own for five years now and keep increasing the numbers. It's a rare occasion when the hull comes straight out with a twist and pull.

Quite enjoy sitting with a bowlful and de-hulling with my little knife. Curved blade sounds useful Callistemon. Short season with me too.

I can't remember where I bought it, muse
Possibly TKMaax umpteen+ years ago

I bought a huller from a kitchen shop, works well. I would if it's that they are not properly ripe, just look it?

Calendargirl

I hull them using a plastic straw.

You push the straw up its ‘bottom’ end and push the stalk out. If they are fairly ripe, it comes out quite cleanly.

Leaves a nice neat hole.

Sounds a top tip thanks ?

I have very strong nails, useful for topping and tailing garlic too, not at the same time!>

I just slice the tops off and then cut them lengthwise in case there is anything inside. A couple of years ago some bozo put pins in them. They are really big these days and not so much flavour as they used to have. When we were in the UK a couple of years back we had some and they tasted so good, much nicer than ours. The raspberries in the Lake District were to die for, never as sweet here.

I’ve got one of those gadgets, Saxifrage. It seemed expensive at the time but I’ve had it for years and it saves my poor fingers! I find using a knife means you can lose too much of the fruit esp if it’s small. Or maybe I’m just not very dexterous.

I only buy UK strawberries now. Yet another box of tasteless European strawberries in winter made me decide to not waste my money again so I just have them in the UK season. We’re lucky to have a massive soft fruit farm over the hill from us so local fruit is available pretty much April-October. I freeze some for the winter, too. Strawberries with another fruit in a crumble is a taste of summer.

Seems everyone has their own method, I did wonder if it was because they just aren’t left to ripen long enough. I think I’ll stick to our own growing season and try the straw method. ?

The straw method is good. I’ve been using some “glass” straws bought from IKEA a good three years ago. They were a pack of six in three colours.

They do packs of paper straws in Tesco too.

I use the strawberry hullers, very easy. I was so pleased with them I gave each family one in their Chrismas cracker on year, and they left them all behind. Now when I go to help out at their homes I am back to using a knife!

My plastic straws are unused ones, left over from the children’s birthday parties when young, Callistemon.

The ‘children’ are now 45 and nearly 47!

I try not to waste stuff!

I grow my own and never eat them out of season The middle comes out with a pull I can’t stand the hard huge things they sell out of season from Spain etc they re tasteless

I think strawberries this summer are terrible which I guess is down to the poor weather. Within a day of purchase they have turned to mush. Soft fruit last summer was very much better.

I use the end of a potatoe peeler. Works well