They say that spring is for lovers. If you happen to love strawberries, your time is at hand.
The little white flowers will soon bloom into fruit and, as the days get long and fall toward summer, the strawberry’s flame will ignite. Strawberries are the symbol of Venus, the goddess of love; their heart-shaped appearance alone inspires a certain passion, but it’s the flavor that seals the deal.
At its best, a strawberry’s perfume is irresistible: candylike and as bright as its color. Its flesh is sweet and voluptuously juicy, in that deep, alluring red. (You seldom see a movie scene with someone feeding a lover, say, broccoli.)
But at its worst, which is something we see more and more, the commercially grown berry at the grocery store is likely to be more of a heart breaker. An impostor.
It wears the big red costume well enough, but with hardly a scent. It can be dull and flavorless, not very sweet, tart and acidic. It can be hard and dry with a texture more like balsa wood.
Take advantage of the season
So how do you find the really good berries?
As early as the first week of June, you have to drive past the supermarket altogether. Drive, in fact, all the way out of town, until you find a farm that grows them, such as the McCann Berry Farm in Woodstock.
Then you’ll have to get out of the car, roll up your sleeves and get to work picking. Or, at the very least, buy some already picked, like those at Tom’s Farm Market and Greenhouse in Huntley.
If that sounds too ambitious, the city farmers markets starting in June are a good bet for finding some locally grown strawberries. And once you’ve found them, you take them home and eat them. Eat them for breakfast, for snacks, for dessert. Cook them, freeze them. When every last berry is gone from your kitchen, repeat the process until they’re gone from the fields. The season is short for strawberries that taste like strawberries. Celebrate them and share them with everyone you can.
A delicate business
It’s a simple fact that to get the sweetest berries you have to pick them as ripe as possible. Strawberries ripen on the plant. And the strawberry is a delicate thing. While an under-ripe berry is firm and easy to handle, a ripe berry is soft and vulnerable.
Commercial berries that have to travel a great distance have been bred for their appearance and shelf life and their ability to withstand shipping and handling, often at the expense of flavor. “It’s the sunshine” that makes a berry sweet, says Larry Ruettiger, a longtime grower from Elwood. Those big, hard berries just haven’t seen enough of that commodity.
“They have to pick them too green,” Ruettiger says. “If you can get them three-quarters red, they’ll get the rest of the color themselves, but they don’t produce any more sugar off the vine.
“They just won’t be as sweet.”
A family affair
“You have to pick the fully ripe berries,” agrees Mary McCann, at the McCann Berry Farm in Woodstock. “The sun ripening does make a difference.” The McCanns have had several acres of U-pick berries for 17 years.
Not only do you get the best-tasting strawberries possible, but picking your own is also fun. Take a ride. Enjoy the country. Kids make excellent harvesters for the simple reason that they are closer to the action. (“A lot of people don’t realize they grow so close to the ground,” McCann says.)
The size of the local crop of strawberries isn’t what it used to be. As smaller farmers sell off to urban sprawl and others weigh the costs of a tricky, labor-intensive crop, the diminishing availability becomes noticeable.
There are fewer growers than ever in the neighborhood of Tom’s Farm Market, says owner Tom Halat. Even he is down to 4 acres of berries from 35 acres; he sells his fruit through his seasonal store without the U-pick option.
“People’s lifestyles have changed,” he says. “Not as many people have been coming out to pick their own.”
Mary McCann sees the difference too. “Picking berries has become a form of entertainment. Whereas, years ago, people would pick large quantities and freeze them for future use, that is less true of customers today.”
Follow your nose
Wherever you’re buying or whenever you’re picking, to find the sweetest berries, think like all the other animals who love them and follow your nose.
Of course you’ll want to use your eyes, too, finding firm, plump, completely red berries with the green, fresh-looking tops still attached. But the sugar and the fragrance are an inseparable link in the flavor of a strawberry, and where there is one you are almost certain to find the other.
Strawberries are grown in every state of the union. So wherever you find yourself, keep your eyes peeled and then simply reach out and pluck them from the vine. Or at least pull over and buy them by the basket.
Spring berries store well in the freezer
Here are some freezing tips from the North American Strawberry Growers Association. Frozen berries are best for use in cooked recipes.
Dry pack, sweetened:
Toss 3/4 cup sugar with 4 cups prepared berries. Let stand until juice forms and sugar is almost dissolved. Pack in freezer containers, leaving 1/2 inch space at top.
Individual quick freezing:
This can minimize the mushiness that afflicts frozen berries: Choose firm, ripe berries; wash in ice water before cutting away green cap. Dry well on paper towels. Place berries on flat trays in a single layer, well spaced out, and put in the coldest part of freezer. When frozen, store in containers or heavy plastic bags, tightly sealed. If using bags, suck out as much air as possible to minimize freezer burn.
For more information
To find out where to pick strawberries visit the University of Illinois Extension Urban Programs’ Web site: www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/ Then click on “Hort Corner.” Or call the extension office at 773-233-0476 for a list of Midwestern U-pick farms.
Strawberry, kiwi and cucumber salsa with halibut
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 9 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
Adapted from The Dining Room, Kendall College, Evanston.
1 pint strawberries, hulled, chopped
4 kiwi, peeled, chopped
1 small cucumber, peeled, seeded, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh mint, chopped
1/4 teaspoon each: salt, toasted cumin seed, ground, or ground cumin, see note
Juice of 2 limes
1 tablespoon each: unsalted butter, vegetable oil
6 halibut steaks or other white fish, about 6 ounces each
1 cup basmati or jasmine rice, cooked according to package directions
1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Place strawberries, kiwi, cucumber, mint, salt, cumin and lime juice in non-aluminum bowl. Stir; set aside to allow flavors to blend.
2. Meanwhile, heat butter and oil in oven-proof skillet. Sprinkle fish with salt. Add to skillet. Cook until fish turns opaque halfway up sides, about 2 minutes. Transfer to oven. Cook until cooked through, about 7 minutes. To serve, mound rice on plates. Place fish on top. Divide salsa around fish.
Note: Toast cumin seeds in small skillet over medium heat until fragrant, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.
Nutrition information per serving:
375 calories, 24% calories from fat, 10 g fat, 2.7 g saturated fat, 100 mg cholesterol, 100 mg sodium, 41 g carbohydrate, 30 g protein, 3.8 g fiber
Strawberry muffins
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 25 minutes
Yield: 12 muffins
These fragrant muffins were developed in the Tribune test kitchen.
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar, plus 6 teaspoons
1 1/2 cups chopped strawberries
2 eggs
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Combine flour, baking powder, salt and 1 cup of the sugar in medium bowl. Toss in strawberries; set aside. Beat together eggs, butter, milk and vanilla in small bowl. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients; stir until just combined.
2. Spoon batter into muffin tins lined with paper liners. Sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of sugar on top of each muffin. Bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 25 minutes.
Nutrition information per muffin:
240 calories, 33% calories from fat, 9 g fat, 5 g saturated fat, 55 mg cholesterol, 195 mg sodium, 37 g carbohydrate, 3.7 g protein, 1 g fiber
Strawberry risotto
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
This creamy version of rice pudding is adapted from “Taste,” by David Rosengarten.
2 cups milk
1 can (14 ounces) unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise
2 strips lemon peel
2 tablespoons butter
2/3 cup arborio rice
2 tablespoons strawberry eau de vie or Kirschwasser (cherry brandy) or white wine
1 1/4 cup sliced strawberries
1/2 cup lightly toasted sweetened, flaked coconut, optional, see note
1/4 cup lightly toasted sliced almonds, optional
1. Combine milk, coconut milk, sugar, vanilla bean and lemon peel in medium saucepan. Heat to simmer. Reduce heat; keep warm.
2. Melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat. Add rice; stir to coat. Reduce heat to a simmer. Remove vanilla bean and lemon peel. Add 1/2 cup of the hot milk mixture; cook, stirring until milk is absorbed. Repeat, using all of the milk mixture, until rice is tender but firm to the bite, about 35 minutes total. Remove from heat. Stir in eau-de-vie and 1 cup of the strawberries. Spoon into shallow bowls. Garnish with remaining 1/4 cup strawberries, coconut and almonds.
Note: To toast coconut, heat oven to 400 degrees. Place coconut on baking sheet. Cook until lightly browned, about 4 minutes.
Nutrition information per serving:
370 calories, 47% calories from fat, 20 g fat, 16 g saturated fat, 16 mg cholesterol, 90 mg sodium, 45 g carbohydrate, 6 g protein, 2 g fiber
Sauteed strawberries in cabernet sauvignon and black pepper sauce with vanilla ice cream
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
This unusual recipe is adapted from “Terra, Cooking from the Heart of Napa Valley,” by Hiro Sone and Lissa Doumani.
1 1/4 cups cabernet sauvignon
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
6 tablespoons sugar
1/4 vanilla bean, halved lengthwise
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2 pints fresh strawberries, hulled, cut lengthwise into halves
Freshly ground pepper
1 pint vanilla ice cream or gelato
6 fresh mint sprigs
1. Whisk 1/4 cup of the wine and cornstarch in small bowl; set aside. Combine remaining 1 cup wine, sugar and vanilla bean in medium saucepan. Heat to boil. Whisk in cornstarch mixture. Return to boil; cook until thickened. Set aside.
2. Melt butter in medium skillet over medium heat. Add strawberries; cook 1 minute. Remove vanilla bean. Add sauce and one turn of pepper mill. Heat to boil; remove from heat. Divide strawberries and sauce among serving bowls. Place scoop of ice cream in center of each bowl. Garnish with mint.
Nutrition information per serving:
200 calories, 32% calories from fat, 7 g fat, 4.2 g saturated fat, 25 mg cholesterol, 35 mg sodium, 31 g carbohydrate, 2.2 g protein, 2.6 g fiber
