Strawberry Infused Water

Spring has sprung, the air has gotten warmer, and my sinuses have filled with pollen.

But really, besides for hay fever, there are countless reasons to love spring. Strawberries… baby birds poking their little, itty bitty beaks out of eggs… strawberries… the crisp breeze, not yet too hot, the temperature juuust right… strawberries.

I really, really like strawberries. They’re one of my favorite fruits. They’re delicious in salads, in all sorts of desserts, in drinks, dipped in chocolate, eaten plain, or—my favorite—in a sandwich with peanut butter.

As a part of my Garbage Food series, today I’ll be introducing a simple recipe that uses strawberry tops to infuse water.

Drinking water has never been a problem for me. I’m not one of those people who carries around a gallon of water wherever I go, but I’ve also never hated drinking water. Some people view hydration as a chore, even going so far as to say that water “tastes boring.” I don’t really feel the need for my water to taste interesting, but if you’re one of those people, or if you just want a fun little way to get more bang for your buck when it comes to strawberries, this one is for you!

I like keeping my strawberry tops in a bag in the freezer to save them for later, kind of like how people save vegetable scraps in a freezer bag in order to make broth. My favorite lazy meal is peanut butter and strawberry slices on whole wheat bread, so I usually only end up using three or four strawberries at a time. By cutting off the strawberry tops and putting them in a bag in the freezer, they stay good until I’m ready to make strawberry infused water.

If you’re skeptical about using strawberry tops to make infused water, I don’t blame you. After all, it can’t be as good as infusing the full flesh of the strawberry, right? I was skeptical, too, which is why I did a totally super official scientific experiment.

I got out my kitchen scale (yes, I have one, and it is my little darling), measured out the weight of the strawberry tops, and put them in one container. Then, I measured the same amount in weight of quartered strawberries and put them into another container.

Before I continue, I feel the need to point out that my strawberry tops did still have a teensy bit of red on them. Not a lot, just a little. But I digress.

To the strawberry tops and strawberry flesh, I added equal amounts of water, covered both containers, and put them in the fridge to steep overnight.

The next morning, I got two clear glasses from the cupboard and strained the water into them. The water rose up to the same mark on each cup, and they both looked light and rosy and, strangely enough, slightly orange. I’m not sure why that is, so if you find out, please comment and tell me.

Now, for the taste test.

I sipped the water from the strawberry tops first. It was lightly, naturally sweet without much flavor at first, but then an intense strawberry aftertaste hit my tastebuds. It had refreshing, floral notes. I took a few more sips to lock in my opinion and, feeling refreshed, turned to the next glass.

The water from the actual strawberry pieces looked identical to the one made from strawberry tops. It had the exact same pinkish-orangey hue, and it had yielded the exact same amount of water. I couldn’t tell the difference from looking at them and, after a sip… I couldn’t tell the difference from drinking them, either. I went back and forth a few times to make sure I wasn’t imagining it.

Making the strawberry infused water with the actual pulp versus just the stems made no difference in taste, color, or yield. I think it would have been a different story if I’d blended instead of steeping, though, because when I tried the water-logged, squishy strawberries, they still had some flavor left in them. I think blending it would make it graduate from infused water to agua fresca status which, while delicious, wasn’t my goal. I like agua fresca, but I don’t like extra cleaning. Sorry, blender. Maybe another day.

You can make infused water with any fruits, herbs, or even vegetables you want. Cucumber and lemon are probably the most popular infused water flavors, but here are some other flavors to try making with garbage if you’re feeling adventurous:

1. Strawberry tops with a few basil stems

2. Mango skins and seeds with limes that have already been squeezed for juice

3. Raspberry pulp strained from making jelly

4. Carrot tops and peels with a broken cinnamon stick and a little bit of sugar

5. Ends of a cucumber with lemons that have already been squeezed for juice

I just have one warning for citrus: If you’re sensitive to the bitterness of pith, don’t use lemons, limes, oranges, grapefruits, or other citrus fruits that have already been zested. When citrus fruits are zested, their pith is exposed, and more bitter flavors seep into the water. Instead, only use fruits that haven’t been zested, or better yet, scoop out the pulp and plop that in by itself, no pith needed. Maybe pith can be used for making pieces of candied citrus. Maybe I’ll try showing you all how to make candied tangerine peel some time… Hint, hint…

I wondered why I kept needing to use the restroom today, but then I remembered all the delicious strawberry water I drank, and it all made sense. Prepare yourself for hydration!