by BS
What Are We Strawberrying?
Is anyone else obscenely excited about strawberry season?! I’m in southern California for the week and eager to verify the veggie gf’s repeated claims that fresh West Coast strawberries put their East Coast brethren to shame. True? I’ll report back with my findings.
In the meantime, it leads me to wonder…whichever coast you’re on, what do you cook with in-season strawberries?I mostly just eat ’em, and haven’t really gotten too experimental, but I’ve been noticing the Internets getting crazy creative with s-berries lately, from strawberry-wonton ceviche to a pretty amazing-looking strawberries and cream pie recipe (above). Time for 100 Ways to Cook a Strawberry, perhaps?
So – what else are we strawberrying?
I bet that it’s a freshness thing, not a West Coast vs. East Coast thing. I live about an hour’s drive away from Plant City, the hub of Florida strawberry production, and when they’re in season the local strawberries are awesome. But our strawberry season is long over, and all the berries in stock now are from California.
I haven’t done any strawberry cooking, unless you count covering berries in melted dark chocolate or putting them into a smoothie.
I’m not the only one who thinks west coast strawberries tend toward the franken-huge variety (giant, juicy, huge pith). So, sure, perfect-looking huge fruits for summer, but never quite as sweet and concentrated as smaller berries that grow under less of a light-and-fertilizer jamboree than they get in California. Oxnard may be the berry capital out here, but you’d probably be happier with the ones that come from further up the coast toward Monterey and San Luis Obispo.
Strawberry milk shake deluxe: Half strawberries, half milk, dash of lemon juice, sugar as needed. Blend, drink, smile like an idiot.
wow. i don’t want to spoil my post for tomorrow but i am about to announce my new favorite way to consume strawberries. (besides eating them right from the cart the second after buying them at the market)
We’re picking up 4 flats between 3 of us tomorrow! I’m getting one of them (8 quarts) and they’ll become strawberry freezer jam, strawberry shortcake, and for Father’s Day a strawberry shortcake torte. Oh, and a strawberry pie. That’s pretty much all you ever need or want to do with strawberries:
• Jam
• Shortcake
• Pie
Nothing more.
May favorite thing to do is to eat them plain whilst occasionally rubbing them across my front teeth…. Why, you ask? strawberries are a natural tooth-whitener.
@tricky – no way! what’s the science behind that?
Let’s see, I’ve made strawberry dressing, strawberry brunch souffle’, and plan to make jam and pie pretty soon. That is if I can keep my husband from eating them all!
I saw this recipe for Strawberry Gazpacho in Elizabeth’s New York Magazine a few weeks ago and I’ve been dying to try it!
wow. strawberry gazpacho. i just dont know if i can wrap my head around that.