What To Know Before You Try Eating Strawberry Leaves

When you're just the foliage crown above a fruit that's as gorgeous and bright as the strawberry, it's understandable you'd get overlooked. But those leafy tops on strawberries are not only edible, they're loaded with vitamins A and C, as well as calcium, iron, and magnesium, so they are definitely worth saving. From experience, they taste like how you'd expect a leaf to taste. Unlike the fruit they are attached to, strawberry leaves are much more herby and even quite bitter, but those grassy notes work well if you know where to put them.

The texture is where people balk. Strawberry leaves are a little hairy, coarse, fuzzy, and can be quite tough, so you probably don't want to just pluck them from the fruit and eat them as is. It's much more appealing to treat them as part of a bigger dish. Blending or chopping them very finely is key to make them more palatable. Heat can also do a good job of softening both that texture and bitter flavor. Once you understand how to use them, this will become one of those strawberry hacks you'll wish you knew sooner, because what was destined for the compost yesterday suddenly has a place in your meals — and it's good for you to boot.

The thing with strawberry leaves is that prep actually matters just as much as getting creative does. Give the leaves a good rinse with water, rubbing them to remove any and all residue, especially if you're working with store-bought strawberries. These can carry germs from being on the plant and then from the handling that it takes get them to the store, so you want to make sure they are thoroughly clean. If you notice that they look bruised or rotten then it's better not to eat them.

From there, adding the leaves to smoothies is the most simple and inoffensive approach, but you can also pound them into a pesto, steep them in tea, or use them in a simple three-ingredient strawberry jam. If you do wish to eat them raw but they are too bitter for your taste, tossing them in lemon juice will give them some brightness to take the edge off. The leaves can then be used to make your own compound butter or even thinly chopped into a fresh salad. Finally, store your strawberries properly for longer lasting freshness so that the leaves stay edible for longer too and can be used for days.