We love our customers. We love to see their shining faces and happy smiles when they walk through the big doors of our old-fashioned open-air market; when they find that perfect bunch of asparagus or that hanging basket of flowers that “will be just perfect on the porch.”
We have so many nice comments about the fruits, veggies, homemade pies, whoopies and homecanned goods. But there’s one item, at one time of year, that really shines…
STRAWBERRIES
When you come in for strawberries, we know it. You make a beeline for them with a determined look in your eye. You pick up one quart; half of them are gone before you pull out of our drive. You come back and get two more. “Those darn kids; they just eat them all!”
You come back and get two more…the next day. “I barely had time to wash them!” “I had really hoped to make some jam, but they were all gone by the time I got to it.”
So you decide that you should get more. But how many more? A panic sets in… “Geez, maybe I should grow my own.” Maybe you should! We love to hear about all the people who grow their own gardens. We think that’s fantastic! It’s hard work and anyone who does it should be proud of themselves. And if you still need more? Come on in, we’ll have them for you-for a while anyway, because they only last for just so long.
But that’s what makes strawberries and other coveted produce so sensational and why I labeled this blog as “strawberry stardom.”
Eat what’s in. Eat what’s local. Grow it yourself or support someone who does. When Strawberries are in season, eat lots of them and enjoy. Make jams, jellies, syrups and save them for later. Frozen strawberries are fantastic for smoothies all winter long, but enjoy those fresh ones NOW.
Strawberry Stardom is now. Asparagus stardom is now. Spinach stardom is now as is lettuce. Soon peas will come into the spotlight so just as you’re getting rather tired of the others, you’ll have something new to enjoy.
And don’t worry, they’ll all come again next year. Everything in its time.
For now, here are a couple of recipes to make the most out of those sweet sweet strawberries -if they make it home 🙂
Creamy Strawberry smoothie: 1 1/2 cups homegrown strawberries, 1 qt. milk, 1 pt. strawberry or vanilla ice cream or yogurt. Combine all ingredients in a blender at high speed about 1 minute. I like to add a bit of honey to this too!
Strawberry sauce: 2 C. fresh homegrown strawberries, 1/2 C. sugar or honey, 1/4 C. water. Crush 1/2 C. of berries. Dissolve sugar in water and bring to a boil; stir in crushed berries. Reduce heat and simmer, uncovered 5 minutes. Remove from heat and pour over the sliced strawberries. Chill thoroughly. Super yummy over pancakes, waffles, cheesecake, pound cake, shortcake (we have homemade shortcake at the market) or ice cream. I think I’ll try it over a waffle, ice cream sundae!