Let me quickly apologize for not posting last week’s tip of the week. I should be sent to my room after dinner with no dessert! No excuses, just bad time management on my part. I’m getting back on track since I have most of my outdoor chores done (we’ve planted two vegetables gardens that are each 18′x18′, one is just potatoes and onions + a 1/2 dozen tomato plants, the other has everything from garlic and heirloom tomatoes to fennel and italian green beans). One of the things I planted was strawberries, which I haven’t planted before. I was SO excited to see a few berries start to ripen. I go out to my garden every day to see the progress, then the other day I noticed they were gone. Upon closer inspection I noticed someone had taken big bites out of the ripe ones! Birds, ground hogs, bunnies…. they’re ALL on my list!!! Looks like I’ll be investing in some netting.
Berry season is just beginning and there are so many delicious ways to eat them including warmed by the sun, ripe and juicy right off the plant. Did you know that the surface of a strawberry is coated with an average of 200 tiny seeds whereas a raspberry is composed of many connecting drupelets (individual fruit sections), each one containing a single seed? Here are some tips:
1) To freeze: wash first then hull, dry them upside down on paper towels for a few minutes. Transfer to a baking sheet, in a single layer, pop in the freezer until hard then transfer to freezer baggies. Freeze for up to 9 months.
2) Frozen strawberries have a lot more juice than fresh, always reduce liquid and increase thickener when using them in pies or cobblers.
3) When purchasing or picking strawberries, look for the ripest, fruitiest (is that a word?!) smelling berries. Once picked strawberries DO NOT ripen. If they aren’t sweet, add 1 tablespoon of sugar per 1 cup of strawberries, let stand at room temperature for 30 to 60 minutes, stirring once or twice. Sugar will soften berries so don’t add it too far in advance before serving.
4) To remove berry stains from your hands, rub them well with lemon wedges.
EQUIVALENTS:
Fresh: 1 pint = 1-1/2 – 2 cups sliced
Frozen: 10 ounce package = 1-1/2 cups
Give this a try: tastes great on pancakes, waffles… even ice cream. Any type of berry could be used or even a combination of your favorites!
STRAWBERRY SYRUP
Combine 1-1/2 cups water, 3 cups sugar and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a medium saucepan. Cook without stirring, over high heat, until it reaches 200 degrees on a candy thermometer. Stir in 2 cups of crushed strawberries (washed, hulled, dried and mashed with a potato masher). Cook for 2 minutes more. Cool, then refrigerate in an airtight container for up to 2 months.
As always, feel free to share your tips. I look forward to hearing from you. CHEERS!
