This is how you can still use strawberry stems instead of throwing them away

You've just baked a wonderful cake with lovely fresh strawberries. You hulled them at the very beginning of the recipe, as you should have done, and threw the stems in the bin. But what a waste this is!

The advantage of fruit and vegetables is that you can use nearly all of their parts in the kitchen, from the actual berry to the outer leaves. It is possible to use the green parts of leeks, as well as the stems of strawberries. Here's a simple recipe for these little fruits so that you can enjoy them fully.

The anti-waste trick for strawberry stems

If you are cutting up strawberries to use in a dessert, it is quite common that you also cut out the stems with a good piece of the flesh when you chop them up. But the essence and flavour of the strawberry is also found in this discarded piece. So before you throw it away, you can use it to flavour your drinking water or to add punch up a good sangria. You can also put the stalks in the freezer to make a delicious jam later. The easiest and quickest way to use them, however, is to brew a strawberry syrup using the strawberry stems you cut off. Here are the instructions.

A recipe for some delicious strawberry syrup

You will need very few things, and you probably already have them in your kitchen cupboard. The main advantage of this recipe is that it will give you a strawberry syrup that you won't have to spend an extra cent on. You can then use this syrup to spice up your yoghurt, drinks and sundry other things.

You will need the following things for 125 ml of syrup:

• The stems of your strawberries (about 50 g)
• 80 g sugar
• 125 ml water

Now for the actual preparation:

1. Put the water, strawberry stems and sugar in a saucepan..

2. Let it cook for about 20 minutes, stirring every now and then with a wooden spoon.

3. Gradually the liquid will thicken and take on more and more of a red colour.

4. When the syrup has thickened nicely, remove the pan from the heat.

5. Filter the syrup with a sieve to remove the stems and other hard parts that have come up during cooking.

6. Let the syrup cool and put it in a well-sealed bottle in the fridge to use later on.

Additional tip for people with a sweet tooth

If you want more of this syrup, you can also make it with the whole strawberry . You can then add the syrup to your desserts (yoghurt, fruit salad, etc.) or flavour your smoothies.