It’s strawberry season, and people can’t seem to get enough of the sweet, red fruit.
Across the Maritimes, strawberry lovers are rushing out to pick and purchase this year’s bountiful crop.
On Prince Edward Island, a late spring has delayed their sweet arrival. In fact, some strawberry operations have only opened their gates this past week, adding to the picking frenzy.
However, the good news is, the berries are plentiful because growers were spared the late spring frost that caused so much damage in 2018.
At Balderston’s Farm in Stratford, the fields are filled with harvesters who are making up for lost time.
“It’s a nice day for picking. There’s a nice, little breeze and it’s not too hot. The pickers love that,” says Dianne Balderston, who records how many boxes people have picked and oversees u-pick and retail sales.
Mary Hughes has just arrived. She has made her annual pilgrimage to Balderston’s to pick up a large crate of berries. And Balderston greets her like an old friend.
After gathering berries for many years, Hughes appreciates when someone else picks them for her.
“I’m making jam for my daughter. Then I’ll come back on Friday and get some for myself. I can only do so much at a time,” says Hughes, with a laugh.
While strawberry jam and strawberry shortcake are popular ways to use berries, because of their delicious flavour and heart-shaped appearance there are many other ways to enjoy them.
Strawberries are widely used in smoothies, cakes, ice creams and other desserts, says home economist Shari MacDonald, as she pores over recipes for the WI’s Strawberry Social on Monday, July 22, 6-7:30 p.m., at the Milton Community Hall.
“Strawberries are a versatile ingredient. Over the years we’ve made chocolate-dipped berries, strawberry biscuits with chocolate chips for the social. We’ve also made strawberry cheese cakes, cobblers and strawberry/rhubarb macaroons. We even add strawberries to the lemonade.”
One of her favourite ways of serving the fruit is fresh strawberry pie.
“It’s delicious and easy-peasy, especially if you start with a frozen crust,” says MacDonald.
Here’s that recipe and a few more:
Fresh Strawberry Pie
Mash one cup of strawberries. Add one cup of water. Cook 2 minutes. Strain. Mix ¾ cup sugar and 3 tbsp cornstarch together and add to the strained strawberry juice. Boil until thickened.
Arrange about 2 cups of fresh strawberries in baked pie crust. Spoon half the sauce over. Top with about two more cups strawberries and top with remaining sauce. Serve with ice cream or whipped topping.
Source: Shari MacDonald
Rhubarb Strawberry Macaroon Cobbler
8 cups chopped rhubarb
3 cups frozen strawberries
2/3 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
Topping:
5 egg whites
3/4 cups granulated sugar
2 tablespoons liquid honey
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups unsweetened desiccated coconut
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 pinch salt
In 13- x 9-inch (3 L) baking dish, combine rhubarb, strawberries, sugar and flour; level top.
Topping: In bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form; beat in sugar, 2 tbsp (25 mL) at a time, until stiff peaks form. Beat in honey and vanilla. Sprinkle with coconut, flour and salt ; fold in.
Drop into 16 mounds on fruit mixture; do not smooth top.
Bake in centre of 350 F (180 C) oven for 40 minutes or until golden and filling is bubbly. Serve warm.
Source: Canadian Living
Strawberry Pavlova
4 egg whites, at room temperature
1/4 tsp cream of tartar
pinch salt
1 cup sugar
1 tbs cornstarch
1 tbs white vinegar
1 tsp vanilla
2 cups whipping cream
2 tbs orange liqueur (optional)
4 cups strawberries
Beat egg whites, cream of tartar and salt in a large bowl with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. Beat in sugar, 1 tbsp at a time, until stiff, and glossy peaks form. Beat in cornstarch, vinegar and vanilla just until blended.
On a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or foil, spread meringue into a 10-inch (25 cm) circle with a raised edge and a slight indentation in the centre.
Bake in a preheated 250 F (120 C) oven until firm to the touch, about 1-1/4 hours. Meringue should be cream-coloured. If it appears to be browning, reduce oven temperature to 225 F (105 C). Remove from oven and let cool.
When ready to serve, peel parchment paper off back of meringue. Place meringue on a serving plate. Cut strawberries into halves or slices, if large. Whip cream until stiff peaks form. Gently stir in liqueur, if using. Spread whipped cream over meringue leaving edge of meringue visible. Top with strawberries. Cut into wedges to serve.
Source: https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe
Strawberry Passion Dessert
First Layer: Mix 1 cup flour, ½ cup butter and ½ cup chopped pecans. Press into 9 x 13 pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Cool.
Second Layer: Cream together one, 8 oz. container of cream cheese and 1 cup powdered sugar. Fold in 1 cup frozen, whipped topping, thawed. Spread on cooled crust.
Third layer: Spread 3 cups thawed whipped topping on top of dessert and decorate with 10-15 strawberries, halved. Refrigerate overnight.
