STRAWBERRIES May 17, 2006 Susan Noble Family and Consumer Science Extension Agent

Some people just seem to get it right. William Butler, a seventeenth century English writer, certainly got it right about strawberries. He observed that "Doubtless God could have made a better berry, but doubtless God never did."

Many Americans agree with Mr. Butler's taste buds. Ninety-four percent of United States households consume strawberries. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, the annual per capita consumption of strawberries is 4.85 pounds.

Now is the time to enjoy your share of fresh ripe strawberries. Peak season for strawberries in southeastern North Carolina is April through June. But first, a little berry history.

It seems that when birds eat wild berries, the seeds pass through them intact and in fairly good condition. Strawberry seeds respond to light rather than moisture; thus, they do not need a covering of soil to germinate and start growing. That is, they hit the ground running.

Through the ages, the strawberry became associated with passion, purity, and productivity. Legend has it that if you break a double strawberry in half and share it with a member of the opposite sex, you will fall in love with each other. I think I need to personally test this theory.

The altars of medieval churches were adorned with carved strawberry designs to symbolize perfection and righteousness.

In parts of Bavaria, country folks would tie baskets of wild strawberries to the horns of their cattle as an offering to elves. It was believed that the elves, who dearly loved strawberries, would help produce healthy cattle and an abundance of milk in return.

I'll not be testing this theory as I refuse to share my strawberries with cows. I don't even share them with my cats. But apparently, the offering worked as this practice continues today.

The Anglo-Saxons of England called the berry "streoberie," probably because the berries seem to be strewn among the leaves of the plant. Strawberry became the accepted spelling in 1538.

When the English colonists arrived in America, the native Indians were already enjoying strawberries. They mixed crushed berries with cornmeal to make strawberry bread. The colonists tinkered with this bread and developed their own version we know today as strawberry shortcake.

There is some disagreement among strawberry experts on where and when the strawberry was first cultivated and hybridized. Whatever its start, the most common variety enjoyed by Americans today is the result of crossing the wild Virginia strawberry with a variety from Chile.

SELECTING AND STORING

Christian Strickland from Pembroke enjoys picking berries and prefers his berries plain.

Avoid moldy berries. If you're purchasing berries that are already packaged, check carefully for mold. If even one berry is molded, select another package. Mold spores can travel through the entire package. Research has linked mold to some forms of cancer.

Whether you pick your berries from the vine or the grocery, some strawberry math can be helpful. To get a quart of strawberries, you will need 1 1/2 pounds of strawberries; this will yield about 4 cups of sliced berries. A pint of berries should yield 2 1/4 cups sliced berries.

Use strawberries as soon after harvesting or purchasing as possible. Store unwashed berries loosely covered with plastic wrap in the coldest part of your refrigerator for 2 to 3 days at most. Warm temperatures will cause strawberries to turn brown.

Do not wash berries or remove the caps till you are ready to use them. When you remove the caps, you tear cells in the berries. This causes the production of an enzyme that destroys the Vitamin C in the berries.

To wash berries, place them in a colander and rinse quickly under cold running water. Do not let berries sit in water as they will lose color and flavor.

After rinsing, remove the green cap by gently twisting or using the point of a sharp knife. Try not to remove any of the great-tasting flesh.

NUTRITIONAL VALUE
Do follow the guidelines for storing and rinsing berries to preserve their great nutritional value.

The ancient Romans believed strawberries helped treat melancholy, fevers, throat infections, gout, kidney stones, and even bad breath. In thirteenth century France, the strawberry was cultivated as a medicinal herb.

Today we recognize the strawberry as a rich source of Vitamin C. Ounce for ounce, strawberries have more Vitamin C than citrus fruit. According to the American Cancer Society, foods rich in Vitamin C may lower the risk of cancers of the gastrointestinal tract.

Unfortunately, Vitamin C is heat sensitive. Thus, it is important to store berries in the refrigerator. Choose recipes that use berries cold instead of cooked to preserve their Vitamin C.

Strawberries are also a good source of Vitamin A and iron. And you get all this good stuff for only 55 calories per cup sliced berries.

Here's some especially good nutritional news for Moms. In a study from the University of Illinois, over 53 percent of children ages seven to nine years picked strawberries as their favorite fruit. So let them eat berries. Just eight strawberries will provide 140 percent of the recommended daily intake of Vitamin C for kids.

RECIPES
Celebrate strawberry season with these recipes I gathered from local folks and Cooperative Extension Service sources. I have not tested these recipes, so I'm going with the test method I found in an old cookbook. Some years ago, the Southeastern General Hospital Guild assembled a cookbook they called What's Cooking in Tobacco Land? (Think a hospital would come up with that title today?) In the dedication, it's stated, "The recipes in this book may not have been laboratory tested, but their merit has been established by church and civic groups and the most critical group of all "husbands!" Thanks to these folks for doing my testing for me.

Many of us Lumberton locals grew up eating Sunday lunch with Hattie and Nellie at Crawford's Restaurant on Fifth Street. The restaurant was famous for country-cooked vegetables and desserts. In my childhood, you could get juice as a starter, 1 meat, 3 vegetables, dessert, and beverage for $1.25. Obviously, that's been a while.

Nellie Higley kindly shared the recipe for her strawberry cake, a Crawford's favorite. I hope my translation of her verbal recipe does it justice.

On a personal note, Crawford's was started by great grandfather, Giles Crawford, and was known for its oysters. Maybe that was my culinary start.

Prepare berries (slice and sugar) and refrigerate allowing juice to form. Prepare and bake cake mix making 3 layers instead of 2; let layers cool.

Chill whipping cream, mixing bowl, and beaters in the freezer for a few minutes to aid whipping the cream; do not let the cream freeze. Mix vanilla into chilled cream and begin whipping the cream. When cream begins to thicken, then add sugar and continue whipping till stiff.

To assemble cake, place one cake layer on serving plate. Top with some of the berries and then some of the whipped cream. Repeat with another cake layer, more berries, and more cream. Add third cake layer; cover top with berries and edge with whipped cream.

My mother found this recipe, and we tried it on her bridge club. They gave it a thumbs-up. Really - what could be better than fresh asparagus and strawberries topped off with nuts? We omitted the chicken and served this as green salad with our entree.

Prepare asparagus by removing tough bottom ends and peeling stalks if desired. Cut asparagus into 1-inch pieces. Cook in boiling water for 3-5 minutes or till tender-crisp. Drain asparagus pieces; rinse with cold water to stop cooking; and drain again. Set aside.

For dressing, mix poppy seed dressing, orange zest, and orange juice; set aside.

Combine prepared asparagus with spinach, strawberries, and chicken. Divide salad among salad plates. Top each salad with pecans and drizzle with dressing.

Yields 4-6 servings.

This recipe was contributed by Rick Gregory from the Lumberton office of the North Carolina Department of Agriculture.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix first 5 ingredients together. Add oil and eggs to dry mixture, mixing well. Add nuts. Gently fold in strawberries. Pour batter into 2 (5- x 9-inch) loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for about 1 to 1 1/2 hours. Let bread sit overnight before slicing.

If you do not have buttermilk on hand, create your own. Remove 1 tablespoon of milk from a cup of milk and replace it with vinegar. Give it a stir, let it sit 5 minutes, and you have usable sour milk.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray muffin tin with nonstick cooking spray or line with paper cupcake liners. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; stir till all ingredients are well blended. In another bowl, whisk together buttermilk, butter, eggs, and vanilla. Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour liquid mixture into the well. Add strawberries. With a large spoon, gently fold all ingredients together just till moistened; do not overmix as this will reduce the crown on the muffins. Spoon batter evenly into muffin cups (12). Sprinkle each muffin with 1/2 teaspoon sugar if desired. Bake 20 to 25 minutes.

Yields 12 muffins.

You didn't think you'd get by without at least 1 semi-healthy recipe did you?

Rinse, hull, and slice berries, reserving a few whole berries for garnishing. Pour honey or sugar over berries and let them sit briefly at room temperature to develop juice.

Bake shortcake following recipe.

To assemble, place bottom shortcake on serving platter. Place half of the sweetened berries with their juice over cake. Cover with yogurt, reserving about 2 tablespoons for garnishing. Place top shortcake over yogurt. Place rest of berries and juice over top cake, letting the juice soak into cake. Garnish with remaining yogurt and the whole berries. Best if served immediately.

Yields 6 servings.

In food processor bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Drop in butter piece by piece and pulse till mixture resembles coarse meal. Transfer mixture into a mixing bowl and set aside.

In small bowl, blend milk, lemon zest, and the whole egg. Pour egg mixture into flour mixture and gently mix to form a soft ball of dough. Place dough on a floured surface and divide in half. Roll each half into a 9-inch circle. Prick each circle with a fork and brush generously with beaten remaining egg white. Sprinkle tops with additional sugar. Bake at 425 degrees for 10-12 minutes or till golden brown. Cakes can be used hot or cold to assemble above recipe.

My friend Thomas Ard makes a WONDERFUL low-fat frozen orange pie. Christy Strickland, my co-worker, has adapted the recipe to strawberries and reports great results.

Using electric mixer, combine cream cheese and sweetening blend. Add mashed strawberries and mix well. By hand, fold in sliced strawberries and whipped topping. Pour mixture into pie crust. Freeze pie. Remove pie from freezer 15-20 minutes before serving to soften. (If pie is too frozen, it's difficult to eat. This is why it is important to slice the berries thinly; large berry pieces will not thaw/soften enough during the sitting period.)

I spied this recipe in a cookbook assembled by the Hyde Park Baptist Church. I called the recipe's "owner," Pam Odom, to ask about including this recipe. She filled me in that Mrs. Lacy's is a popular restaurant in Sanford, N.C.

Using electric mixer, combine butter, cake mix, and 2 eggs to make batter. Spread batter in 9- x 13-inch glass baking dish. Soften cream cheese in microwave. Beat 2 eggs and powdered sugar into softened cream cheese till mixture is fluffy. Pour cream cheese mixture over cake batter, sealing to the edges. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, or till golden brown. To serve, cut cake into squares and top with berries and whipped topping.

Click on the berry for a list of growers for our area.

The use of brand names in this column does not imply endorsement by the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service of the products or services named or criticism of similar ones not mentioned.

E-mail address: Susan_Noble@ncsu.edu

Mailing address:
P. O. Box 2280
Lumberton, NC 28359-2280

Phone: 910-671-3276
Fax: 910-671-6278

Date Created 5/18/06