Fresh Primer: Strawberries

Honeoye Early Season Oregon Strawberries

If you ask ten people at random to name their favorite berry, eight of them will say, “strawberries of course.” And who’s to argue? In the height of Northwest strawberry season, it’s hard to imagine anything tasting better than these juicy, incredibly sweet, powerfully flavorful berries. They are simply perfection.

Seascape Early Season Oregon Strawberries

Strawberries seem to benefit most from the climate of the Northwest. Our local varieties are chosen not so much for their ability to ship well but for their flavor. They are usually not as large or as glamorous looking as California strawberries, but their intense red color is a near guarantee that they were picked fully ripe and will taste as nature intended.

Sign for Hood Early Season Oregon Strawberries

Season

Commercial strawberry growers have timed their selections to ripen at about the same time that kids are released from school, thus insuring themselves an adequate supply of pickers. So the commercial season begins around June 1st, depending on the weather, and ends around July 15th. Gardeners can extend the season considerably by planting continual and late bearing varieties.

Selection

Northwest strawberry varieties are more perishable that those shipped in from out of state. They are fully juicy and will turn to mush if handled roughly. Look for bright red berries with no signs of oozing. Conversely, avoid shriveled berries or any with dry, browning stems. The fragrance of ripe berries should be discernible. Pick them yourself if at all possible or buy them from a local grower. Above all, make sure that you are purchasing Northwest berries. Grocery stores sometimes carry non-local berries even after local berries are available.

Varieties encountered at Portland Farmers Market in early June of 2009 were Hood (sweetest, highly perishable, very short season), Seascape, and Honeoye. Additional varieties will arrive as the season progresses.

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Storage

Refrigerate strawberries, covered with plastic wrap, as soon as you get them home. Do not wash or hull them until shortly before you intend to eat them. If they are very fresh, they will keep from two to five days.

Preparation

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Rinse strawberries under cold running water, and then remove the stem and hull in one operation. The easiest way I have found to do this is to use a curved grapefruit knife; insert the knife along the edge of the stem, then change the angle somewhat and lift it out along with the stem and hull.

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Cooking

There’s strawberry jam and strawberry sauce and even strawberry soup, but if you really want to eat strawberries at their best, eat them raw.

Hood Early Season Oregon Strawberries

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Great Partners

Almonds, anise, apricots, balsamic vinegar, bananas, basil, Beaujolais, black currant, black pepper, Brie, brown sugar, caramel, celery, Champagne, cinnamon, Cointreau, cream, coconut, cognac, cream cheese, crème fraîche, Curacao, camembert, cherry, chocolate (dark and white), coffee, cranberry, egg, fig, Grand Marnier, grapefruit, guava, Kirsch, honey, kiwi, lemon, lettuce, licorice, lime, mango, maple syrup, mascarpone, mint, orange, parmesan, passion fruit, peach, pineapple, port, raspberry, rhubarb, sambuca, sherry, sour cream, star fruit, tequila, toast, vanilla, and yogurt.

Additional Pairings

LunaCafe Recipes

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Strawberry and Shrimp Salad with Honey Mint Vinaigrette (PNP)
Crimson Rhubarb Mouse with Strawberry Gin Sauce (PNP)

Strawberries: French Method (PNP)

Strawberries: American Method (PNP)

Rhubarb Strawberry Parfait (PNP)

Strawberry Crème Brulée (PNP)

Strawberries in Wine (PNP)

Strawberries with Orange (PNP)

Strawberries & Honey (PNP)

Chocolate Strawberries (PNP)

Strawberries with Liqueur (PNP)

Strawberry Fool (PNP)

NOTE PNP = Pacific Northwest Palate: Four Seasons of Great Cooking

Resources

Oregon Strawberries on Twitter: OR_Strawberry

Strawberry Varieties

Oregon Strawberry Varieties

Sweeter Redder, Simply Better

Strawberry Varieties Comparison Chart

Oregon Strawberry Commission

Honeoye Strawberry

Seascape Strawberry

Hood Strawberry

Heart of Washington Strawberries

Washington Farms Strawberry Picking Tips
Washington State Horticultural Association

Oregon Raspberry & Blackberry Commission

Washington Red Raspberry Commission

2009 Berry Health Benefits Symposium

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Tags: lunacafe, Northwest, Oregon, SMS Bradley, Strawberries, strawberry primer, Washington

This entry was posted on Sunday, June 7th, 2009 at 3:27 pm and is filed under Fresh Primers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

Sunday, June 7, 2009

By Susan S. Bradley

Alta

April 5, 2010 at 7:09 am

While Texas is not known for our strawberries, those grown locally do taste REALLY great! I can’t wait until they’re in the farmer’s markets!
Alta´s last blog ..Kids in the Kitchen: Fried Ice Cream

#2419

Fresh Primer: Strawberries | kuchnia.wpblog.pl

July 28, 2009 at 2:47 am

[...] Original post by sms bradley [...]

#811

Dana Zia

June 11, 2009 at 3:56 pm

Aloha! Yum, I can almost eat the strawberries off the screen! We have an organic grower down there that specializes in strawberries that are beyond compare. I can’t wait for our market to begin on the 19 because I have a whole host of recipes lined up for those nuggets. I think I will try your Crimson Rhubarb Mouse with Strawberry Gin Sauce first. Take care!
Dana Zia
[rq=3943,0,blog][/rq]The Most Devilish Cookies

sms bradley Reply:
June 12th, 2009 at 6:15 pm

Hi Dana! I’m having difficulty leaving rhubarb behind and moving into strawberry land. But the strawberries are so luscious, I must make the leap this weekend. Thanks for stopping by!

#608

Jeff

June 9, 2009 at 6:39 am

Great tips! Strawberries are my favorite too. I thankfully have about 30 plants in my backyard so this time of year it is an endless stream of grabbing them and munching away.

Jeff´s last blog post..The Little Brioche that almost rose

#599

pigpigscorner

June 8, 2009 at 11:57 am

What a great post! The strawberries look beautiful!

pigpigscorner´s last blog post..Simple Spicy Anchovies

sms bradley Reply:
June 8th, 2009 at 10:24 pm

Thanks so much!

#592

Maria

June 8, 2009 at 11:01 am

I love strawberries, great info!

Maria´s last blog post..Stuffed Shells with Ricotta, Spinach, and Portobello Mushrooms

#591

Dana

June 8, 2009 at 9:16 am

Strawberries have always been my husband’s favorite but the first time he tasted a “real” one (not from Chile in January), his eyes rolled back. I am so excited for their season!

Dana´s last blog post..Not How It’s Supposed to Be

#590

Louise

June 8, 2009 at 4:20 am

What a GREAT post, Susan. I’m just going to have to borrow this link for the Strawberry Thanksgiving post I did. Thanks for sharing…

Louise´s last blog post..Have a Strawberry Thanksgiving

#588

Amy I.

June 7, 2009 at 5:42 pm

Your photos are delicious! I just made my first strawberry concoction of the season today, strawberry lemonade bars. I’m so excited that it’s strawberry season!

Amy I.´s last blog post..Strawberry Lemonade Bars

sms bradley Reply:
June 7th, 2009 at 10:56 pm

Thank you!

#579