A bowl of cherries may traditionally represent the good life, but a bowl of strawberries is no less satisfying and captivating. When perfectly ripe, strawberries are succulent, juicy, sweet, with just the right counterbalance of tart that keeps you coming back for more. These bright red speckled beauties remind us that winter is over, and warmer weather lies ahead. A basket of strawberries holds a world of possibility: strawberry pies, shortcakes, ice cream, smoothies, jams, jellies, coulis, and almost any other sweet treat you can think of. But beyond that, they can also be roasted as a side dish component, tossed into salads or wraps, puréed in the salad dressing, or used in other savory applications. It’s a pretty mighty fruit, that one. Even the Beatles wanted to go down to their fields and take us with them.
Strawberries are in season right now, and a recent stop at the local stand of a nearby strawberry farm was quite the revelation. I had no idea there were so many different varieties of strawberries! They stock the stand every morning after picking—flats upon flats of lovely red strawberries. By early afternoon, you see the “All sold out” sign on the side of the road. That’s a lot of strawberries, and we want to know what you all do with them! Tell us:
What’s your favorite strawberry tip, trick, or recipe?
Any special tips for buying them or storing them? Do any of you grow strawberries in your garden? Any favorite recipes or dishes? I love strawberries but I’m pretty simple and haven’t gotten creative with them yet. Ree’s Strawberry Shortcake Cake is one of my favorites, but mostly, I just snack on them, sometimes with a bit of cream or honey yogurt, but always plain and unadorned if they’re particularly sweet. And I always keep some in the freezer for smoothies. My mom keeps them frozen too, but she uses them to keep champagne chilled. (I’m not as cool as she is, obviously.)
We want to hear all your strawberry tips and recipes, so come share below and include some links if you have ‘em!
17 Comments
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Darcy on 5.19.2015
I love to eat strawberries whole, but when I’m looking for a little something extra, I mix up a dip containing 1/2 nutella, 1/2 vanilla greek yogurt and dip the strawberries into that…..or sometimes I just eat the dip with a spoon, lol.
Aaryne McEvoy on 5.17.2015
Me again…(I am known for that!) but how could I not share one of my other favorite strawberry recipes? Chilled Strawberry Soup is a fabulously fresh way to serve your strawberries, letting their fresh flavor shine through while adding a little elegance to your mealtime. It is light, refreshing, versatile and always delicious. It can also be made ahead…now that is one fabulous recipe! http://www.justlikeperfect.com/recipe/chilled-strawberry-soup/
Aaryne @ Just Like Perfect! on 5.16.2015
Strawberries are one of my favorite fruits and this is one of my favorite ways to eat them – Nutella Coconut Dipped Strawberries! So easy, so delicious and such a beautiful looking treat to take to your gatherings. Here’s my post with a few other “dipping” ideas (do I dare hint at Fluff?) and lots of pics to get your mouth watering! http://www.justlikeperfect.com/now-thats-a-chocolate-covered-strawberry-treat-package/
NancyE on 5.16.2015
Top pancakes and waffles with sour cream (I know it sounds weird but, it is delicious) and fresh sliced strawberries.
mynameissnickerdoodle on 5.15.2015
We recently just went to our local strawberry patch and picked a bunch! So fun. After we had our fill of them, I flash froze the rest. I shared the technique over on my blog here… http://www.mynameissnickerdoodle.com/2015/05/how-to-flash-freeze-strawberries.html
I love making fresh strawberry lemonade and even add in some basil for a twist!
Sandi W. on 5.14.2015
I love strawberry cheese pie! It has a crust like shortbread and after its baked you spread it with sweetened cream cheese then top it off with sliced strawberries; chill well & serve with whip cream. So Delicious!
Lynne R on 5.14.2015
We had surprise strawberries come up in the back yard, so we’re mowing around them. Have NO IDEA how they got there. Birds? Tossed? Anyway–we’re gonna enjoy the surprise this season.
mikell on 5.14.2015
Our favorite strawberry shortcake is so simple to make but always a huge hit. Just take store bought Pillsberry biscuits in the tube, drop each biscuit in melted butter then roll in sugar or cinnamon sugar and bake as usual. People rave over these. I think they taste better than homemade…..and I NEVER say that about anything!
AlysonRR on 5.13.2015
My family’s favorite way to eat strawberries is with a little granulated sugar and some sprinkled balsamic vinegar. Though my daughter thinks they’re equally as good dipped in chocolate fondue
Beth M. on 5.13.2015
I love homemade Strawberry preserves. I also like strawberry short cake, slice up strawberries add some sugar and water and let them sit for 30 minutes. Then take a slice of your favorite pound cake and put a couple heaping spoon full of strawberries and juice mixture over the cake and top with whipped cream. Or top vanilla ice cream with the strawberries.
Patty Paulsen on 5.13.2015
I have been making/loving this strawberry salad: Take some romaine, wash it, dry it, chop it up. Next add a handful of dried cranberries, some lovely shredded cheese (I have been using colby), some mixed nuts (use whatever you have on hand). Toss all of this together with a simple strawberry viniagrette (I make my own–strawberries, small amount of olive oil, dash of cider vinegar, bit of sugar, and poppy seeds). After it is all tossed and lovely, I add my sliced strawberries–I always wait till the end because I don’t want them to get all mashed in the tossing process. If you want, throw some diced chicken on it and it becomes a main dish. OH MY! This is a party in your mouth.
kay43026 on 5.13.2015
My favorite way to EAT strawberries is to slice them, put dollops of sour cream on them and top that with brown sugar…repeat layers as needed/wanted.
My ALL TIME FAVORITE form of strawberry is making my mother’s (cooked) strawberry jam that only has 2 ingredients…strawberries and sugar.
Lynette Aderson on 5.13.2015
I love strawberry nut bread with fresh strawberry bread for breakfast. Lunch of strawberry spinach salad. Dinner served with a strawberry daiquiri.
Patricia @ ButterYum on 5.13.2015
We love strawberries so much that we eat them all year long, but nothing beats fresh local berries when they’re in season. Fresh strawberries need to breathe so it’s best NOT to store them in an airtight container and they should be kept in the refrigerator. If you buy them in perforated clamshell packaging, keep them in that, otherwise just keep them in a shallow bowl. If you should ever happen to find yourself with strawberries that are about to go bad (soft spots are the first sign), you can save them if you cut them up and toss them with some granulated sugar before putting them in an airtight container in the fridge. Doing this will make them all juicy and delicious, plus it will prolong their life for several more days. My best tip: there’s a product on the market called Bluapple that I’ve been using for a number of years to prolong the life of all my produce. It absorbs the ethylene gas given off by fruits and veggies, making them last much longer. It works so well.
C. L. ( Cheryl ) "Cheffie Cooks" Wiser on 5.13.2015
In Florida strawberries are available year round. Just recently I purchased a flat and hulled them, rinsed and dried them on paper towels. To freeze them (not all just about 1/3 of them) I place them hulled side down on a waxed paper lined platter and put them into the freezer (not touching one another) for 4-6 hours. Then I place the individual frozen strawberries in freezer safe bags and store for jams, baked goods. Why you may asked not just hull, rinsed, dry and freeze? The key is to allow them to freeze individually then group frozen. Try it and see for yourself. Less mushy when defrosted to serve. Have a great day everyone!
Sue on 5.13.2015
My favorite is making the standard strawberry pie with the jello base mixture on it. Graham cracker crust, fresh whipped cream. YUM. I am not sure this year I will ever think strawberries are good anymore however, since my trip to San Diego this past winter. I saw all the stands as I was bopping around and said, hmmmm, must be something with all these strawberry patches around! I stopped and had a nice chat with the gal there, she said that I will never taste a better strawberry and she was right! They were incredible….I bought 3 quarts and ate them in my 2 1/2 days remaining and couldn’t stop saying how good they were with each bite I took. Big (I mean big), juicy and so flavorful. They sure lose their flavor when they get to NY! Our season doesn’t start til the end of June here.
KrissyC EsMommy on 5.13.2015
Wait, where do you live? Here in MN strawberries won’t be in season until mid June at the earliest. I must say I am jealous of those who have them in season now. I *love* strawberries…even tho I am allergic to them. My favorite way to eat them is just to cut em up a little, sprinkle on a tad of sugar and leave them to “merry” for about 10 minutes. My daughter loves them chopped up on ice cream or in shakes best. My husband loves my jam best. We pick ours (like literally hand pick them) for like $1 a pound at a local strawberry farm. Then we know how fresh they are, and they are so juicy and sweet from the sunlight that its redic. What we don’t eat fresh gets put into strawberry jam, strawberry rhubarb jam and chopped and frozen. Frozen berries are great as long as they last mixed with a little sugar to bring out the juices and spooned over angel food cake.