Strawberry Fields
by Laura Frerichs, Tastemaker in Residence
One of the perks of our job as farmers is that we always get the first tastes of everything. That first sungold cherry tomato of the season that ripens on the vine? If you are the lucky person on the farm to spot it first, it is all yours. The first tastes are always anticipated and exciting. We ate the first juicy, crisp sugar snap peas off the vine tonight, Eli found a pencil-sized carrot, and then we headed to the most heavenly spot on the farm right now: The strawberry patch! We grow seasonal June-bearing strawberries that have just started to ripen in all their glory, and the best way to enjoy them is on a hot day with warm, fragrant strawberry juice dripping from your mouth, chin, down your arms and onto your shirt. It's when it truly feels like summertime to us. The season for good strawberries is short--3 weeks or so. We gorge ourselves while we can, making shortcakes, pie, freezer jam, and trying to squirrel away a couple gallon bags in the freezer for our winter's pleasure. Fresh strawberries are so unlike the strawberries from the grocery store, their pale, hard comparison can hardly compare with these ruby orbs. Find your nearest farmers market or u-pick farm, and get yourself some of nature's most delectable fruit!
David Lebovitz, the author and pastry chef, always has amazing recipes on his entertaining blog: www.davidlebovitz.com