One of the first fruits of the season to come ripe is a favorite berry of children far and wide: the strawberry. It won’t be long till we can go to local farms around Smith Mountain Lake, or our backyard strawberry patch, and pick some mouth-watering sweetness for ourselves. Devorah Stone shares some recipes both unusual and common, for using the strawberry to delicious ends.
Depending on where you live, this is a strawberry season or close to it. Where I live, we are getting strawberries from California and are eagerly awaiting local ones, usually in mid-May with a second bloom in August. The ones from California are good, big enough (really big ones lack flavor), with a dark red color, and most importantly red all the way through. Despite advances in shipping strawberries, local is still better.
Strawberries are a nutritional powerhouse, containing calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, and vitamins C and A. It’s one of nature’s gifts that tastes great, equally great for you.
Gently wash strawberries with just enough water to make sure they are clean and always discard the green tuft.
Strawberries for Breakfast
What better way to start a day than with strawberries? Anyone looking at all that juicy red goodness will smile.
Mix sliced strawberries with vanilla yogurt and perhaps a drop of honey, fast, easy, and delicious.
See my pancake article for tips on strawberries and other fruits as pancake toppings with whipped cream.
Or here’s my blog on fruit drinks with strawberries.
Strawberries for Lunch
For something a bit different try cold strawberry pizza.
You’ll need:
-
- Pita bread, English muffin, or rice cake
- About 1 tablespoon of easy-to-spread cream cheese
- 2 sliced strawberries
Spread the cream cheese over the pita, English muffin, or rice cake, and arrange strawberries on top.
Strawberry Salads for Lunch or Dinner
Nothing livens up a salad faster than strawberries.
The perfect pairing is strawberries with baby spinach. All you have to do is slice the strawberries and wash the spinach, chop off the ends. Perfect.
If you want a dressing, just put strawberries in the blender and then mix the strawberry juice with your favorite Italian dressing.
Summer salads
See Salad Index
For a meal in itself, why not a chicken salad with strawberries? Simply take cubed white chicken, add lettuce- romaine or head, croutons, sliced strawberries, and aged cheddar.
For something just a bit different serve strawberries on top of steamed asparagus with goat cheese and black olives.
There are also strawberries dipped in reduced balsamic vinegar or in melted chocolate or just whipped cream.
Strawberries for Dessert
For strawberry shortcake, just buy the white cake, cut it width-wise put strawberries and whipping cream inside and on top.
Here’s a strawberry pudding recipe
Strawberry Combinations
Try strawberries with kiwis, rhubarb, applesauce, mint, chocolate sprinkles, custard, feta cheese, goat cheese, or aged cheddar. Go ahead, experiment.