Strawberry Goodness

My niece and I made it to Frobergs. It is part of our master plan to stretch expensive ingredients, increase nutrition, and amp up flavor. Oh yeah, we want to increase the "easy" factor in our daily lives. Sounds like science fiction, doesn't it? Here's a pic of our haul.

Veggies from the Farmers Market

 Notice that the mushrooms and strawberries are still in packaging. Our farmer's market sells produce from neighboring farms. A sign above the produce tells you where it was grown. I, also, like the home made jams, fresh herbs, and smoke house. It is worth the effort to explore your local farmer's market.

My niece, daughter, and I lugged the fresh produce onto the kitchen table. We immediately prepared it for cooking or eating raw. If you are short on time, let the onions, potatoes, and carrots wait for a day.

It is my family's tradition to take pride in the freshness and quality of the foods that we serve. We cook, together during celebrations. I didn't marry my husband, until I knew he could cook AND dance! A lot of our dishes are very quick and simple. A good rule of thumb is that recipes who use five or less ingredients need great quality ingredients at their freshest (spices count in that analogy.) I have great childhood memories of sitting with the "grown ups" as we shucked corn, hulled peas, shelled pecans, and sliced vegetables. My family grew a large garden. Friends and relatives were fed for their "veggie prepping" and corn picking efforts. As Texans, you could count on BBQ fresh from the big "oil drum" shaped pit. I never figured out that I was learning at the elbow of amazing cooks. The stories and laughter made the work fly by.

 Week day cooking is much easier, if you can grab a fresh  item out of the fridge or freezer and use it.  Local produce, in season, will be more nutritious and less expensive than "prepared in deli" items or eating out. Plus, you get all those great memories when you drag the children into it.

Back to our farmer's market table of goodness. Find the "delicate items" in the group. Delicate items are the things that are easily bruised or spoil in a few days. I think of those items as "smushable". For example, peaches and strawberries are easily bruised. The sweeter the fruit, the faster it spoils. You want to process the smushables first. Wash and set peaches in a fruit bowl for fast consumption. If you won't eat the fruit, quickly, prepare it for freezing or protect it in the refrigerator. (My refrigerator starts each week organized. The end of the week leaves it looking like a war zone. When I say protected,  I mean protected from rolling to the back of the fridge or sandwiching between heavier objects.) Some of you are smiling. You know that rolling to the back of your fridge is the produce version of being lost.

Here's my geek moment: Strawberries are part of the rose family. Depending on the variety, they can be sweet or tart. Make sure you trust your source of strawberries. You do not want pesticides on your berries! Growing season for strawberries is early summer season. In my hot, Texas climate that means the end of April.

Here's what to do with those strawberries:
Strawberries can last a week in the refrigerator with their hulls on.
Wait to follow the prep steps until you are ready to use them. Our goal is to do a lot of the prep-work for several recipes, in a single afternoon. Tonight's salad or dessert will have strawberries in it.    
Sort and wash
Whether picking in the field or picking through the colander, look for red, firm strawberries. They shouldn't be shriveled, moldy, or have soft spots from rot / bugs. Don't soak strawberries in water to clean. Wash strawberries under running water. Use your fingers to remove dirt. A colander is helpful because it will hold the strawberries, but not collect the dirt or excess water.

If you are working with enough strawberries for several recipes sort the strawberries into three categories: beautiful, good, and needs work. The quality and quantity of "home grown" strawberries will steer your recipes.

Did that sound too easy? The beautiful berries ARE that easy. Clean and let drain in a colander. Serve with small bowls of sweetened, freshly whipped cream.Melted chocolate and fresh strawberries are a fantastic way to serve an elegant dessert after a rich dinner.

Working with berries that fell into the categories "good" and "needs work" 
Remove the green cap and stem from the strawberries. This is called hulling. I sell fancy gadgets to hull and slice strawberries. However, I use a paring knife. I'll place a link at the bottom of this page to show you the gadgets. One extra step for the "needs work" strawberries: Slight bruising can be cut away. Use "needs work" strawberries for jam, syrup, or serve to folks who aren't persnickety about size or an odd shape. Some cooks choose smaller strawberries for baked or canning recipes. They believe the sugar is more concentrated.

To freeze
Rinse and hull. Place on a parchment paper lined, rimmed pan with room between each strawberry. Freeze until frozen. Remove from pan and place into a freezer safe container or freezer bags. To put this delicately, if your family is like mine, they grab things out and stuff items back in when it fall out. Fruit is placed in freezer safe containers that stack well in my freezer.

Recipes

Strawberry Sauce: Slice clean, hulled strawberries with a sharp knife on a cutting board. Slices should be length-wise about thin width of a nickel. Place within a mixing bowl that has a couple of inches from the top after it is filled with sliced berries. Add half a cup of  sugar per pint. Stir gently. Cover tightly. Refrigerate several hours or overnight. Serve over angel food cake or ice cream. If you want to get really fancy you can steep your whipping cream with flavorings before you beat it. I add a split vanilla bean to the heated cream - Never boil. Cool, strain, then whisk cream.
  
 Here are a few of my favorite recipes. I can't take credit for:
Mixed Berry Romanov
Fresh Picked Strawberry Ice Cream  We love our 2 qt  table top electric ice cream maker by Cuisinart. It makes soft ice cream in 30 minutes

Gadgets
Hulls Strawberries
Strawberry Slicer
Colander