To make strawberry ice cream YEAR ROUND - you need lots of strawberries (cǎo méi 草莓)! Fruits are only available out here during their peak season - and strawberries are not going to be around much longer - so we had to act fast!This week began our Strawberry Bonanza 08: Early morning trips to the fruit market to bargain for the best boxes at the best price. Over the course of 3 days - we bought 10 huge boxes of strawberries (160 kilos = 353 pounds), and gathered a faithful crew to help prepare them for ice cream. This should be enough for our first year in business....but next year, we may need about three times this much!
We washed, strained, hulled, and blended countless strawberries - spending about 65 man-hours to finish the job! It was a fun learning experience, and good bonding for all involved. Here are some highlights of the mess we made!
boxes of strawberries - fresh from the market
hard at work: sorting and taking the tops off
blending into a fresh mushy pulp
some bags ready to freeze
'08 Strawberry Price Comparisons:Basket of strawberries in CA: about $4.99/basket
Pick your own @ Gizdich Ranch: about $1.45/pound
Average price here in NW China: $0.17/pound*
*Just another reason to come visit!
