The unofficial start of the grilling season is just around the corner, and I for one cannot wait. Yes, I know in some places, the cold hasn’t quite relaxed its grip just yet, and in other places, it’s been grilling season since 1983. But still. There’s just something exciting about being able to grill with everyone else. Perhaps cooking over fire outdoors is both primal and communal.

Every year, after going through a winter that makes grilling outside impossible, I look forward to the day I can finally lift that heavy grill over off. But I always do it with a bit of trepidation, wondering what I might discover underneath. Did my husband remember to clean the grates properly before throwing the cover on? Did we perhaps get surprised by the first snowstorm and inadvertently cover the grill with food still inside? Will I find my long lost pair of tongs in there? Will I be greeted by that orange monster, rust?

Of course, I’m being melodramatic. We never leave food in the grill, so I don’t know why images of moldy cobs of corn and hockey-puck burgers on black crusted grates dance in my mind. I’ve also never found utensils left inside accidentally. (I should have been a surgeon.) But the cleaning-before-storing part? That’s real. I watch too many food shows and have grate envy. Their grills look so nice and smooth, and when they rub that piece of paper towel dipped in oil all over, the paper towel still looks clean! How do they do it?

So to prepare ourselves for what I hope to be a long season of outdoor cooking and al fresco dining, let’s make sure our equipment is in good shape and looking its best.

What are your favorite grill cleaning tips?

My husband does most of the grilling around here, and my pet peeve is those grates. I look at them and all I want to do is take a brush and Baker’s Joy and make them all shiny and new again. But as I researched grill cleaning tips online, I read that you actually want that black crud on your grates after cooking. Minus any large pieces of food, of course. Apparently, that coating around the grates protects their seasoning in between grilling sessions, and it also adds an extra barrier against rust. The time to clean it up is before grilling, not after. Who knew! (Anytime someone gives me permission to NOT clean, I obey.)

I’ve also seen people clean their grates with a thick disc (about 1-inch thick) of fresh onion pierced with the pointy end of a grilling fork. Once the grill has been preheated, the onion is rubbed all over the grates. Supposedly, acid from the onion helps clean and even disinfect the grates (especially if using a public grill), and it has the added bonus of adding a bit of flavor and making it smell like you already have something amazing cooking in there. I’ve never tried it, but it can’t hurt, right?

I have yet to tackle the outside of our grill, so I’m looking forward to all your cleaning tips. Share your (or your husband’s) favorite tips below!

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!

To kick off our celebration of the Three Many Cooks book, we'd like to ask you to share your "really good stuff" with us.

Tell us your favorite story about food and family, or friendship.

Spinach is such a versatile vegetable, enjoyed cooked or raw, and is packed with so many things that are good for you. It's usually available all year, but its peak season is right about now, when beautiful bundles of these green leaves adorn tables at many local farmers markets.