With Labor Day 2011 now come and (almost) gone, it’s time to put away the white shoes … and the strawberries.  I have to admit, the thought of summer’s fruits and veggies fading back into the circle of life brings about a mildly depressive state in my kitchen.  Yes, sure, I’ll get over it.  I do love fall produce.  Food Network tried to help me leapfrog into fall by airing a tailgating bonanza this weekend.  Coupled with a wild idea by me to try to slow cook some pulled pork in this 85 degree weather, and my next blog is sure to be an ode to autumn.  However, let’s cherish one of summer’s finest, the strawberry, for just one more blog this year!

The Strawberry.  

The 2011 strawberry saga started a few months ago.  My pops and my man can’t seem to resist a produce vendor standing on a street corner.   For a while, they were bringing home strawberries by the 1/2 flat almost twice a week.  Couple that with my CSA sending a pound of strawberries on a weekly basis, and I had strawberries up to my paring knife.  While the strawberry frenzy has cooled down considerably, up here in NorCal I can still get good strawberries for a bit longer.  If you can too, here are some ideas on how to enjoy them:

• Small Batch Fresh Strawberry Jam.  When I saw this recipe earlier in the summer, I thought it would be a great way to use up strawberries that I just didn’t think I could get to before they ‘went to the bad’.  I made about a 2/3 portion of the recipe with just under a pound of strawberries.  Mine did not gel as much as a jam normally would, but it tasted delicious and filled in every nook and cranny of my toast this weekend.
• Strawberries and Feta Salad.  This salad is a summertime rock star.  It’s light-inspired so that means, I usually use more dressing than recommended for the amount of lettuce, but still, it’s very low in oil!  I also amp up the amount of strawberries and feta versus what is prescribed in the recipe.  The salad is equally good in the winter months substituting supremed oranges for the berries.
• Strawberry Romanoff Sundaes.  This strawberry sauce is delicious over ice cream.  I stored some of the puree in the freezer to enjoy later this year.
• Strawberry Agua Fresca.   Meaning ‘fresh water’ in Spanish, if you are looking for a way to leverage a surplus of almost any fruit, this is a great way to do it.  You basically make a concentrate of the fruit, sugar, possibly citrus, add water and enjoy.

Before the best strawberries go into full hibernation, grab a pint (or two or three) and give one of these recipes a try!

PS.  For a little more ‘no white after labor day’ lore, click here.