You are here:About>Food & Drink>Busy Cooks> Seasonal Recipes> Spring Recipes and Menus> In Love With Strawberries - Strawberry Recipes - How to Cook and Bake Using Fresh or Frozen Strawberries
About.comBusy Cooks
click for more images
Strawberry Shortcakes
Strawberry Shortcakes
Linda Larsen
Newsletters & RSSEmail to a friendSubmit to Digg

In Love with Strawberries

From Linda Larsen,
Your Guide to Busy Cooks.
FREE Newsletter. Sign Up Now!
I remember the first time one of my nieces ate a strawberry. She was 8 months old and I gave her a bite. She made such a face, then she immediately reached for more!

Now for some strawberry facts.

  • Strawberries are not a true berry! Botanically, they are called a pseudocarp, or 'false fruit' because the seeds (about 200 per berry) are on the outside of the fruit instead of being imbedded in the flesh.
  • More than half of eight-year-old children picked the strawberry as their favorite fruit.
  • Strawberries are very fragile, best handled gently and used quickly. Do not rinse or hull berries until right before you're going to eat them or use them in a recipe. And use them within 2-3 days of purchase.
  • Strawberries used to be considered an aphrodisiac. They were cultivated by the Romans around 200 B.C. Legend has it that if you find a 'double' strawberry and share it with a member of the opposite sex, you'll fall in love.
  • Strawberries are so good for you! A cup of the sweet fruit has about 50 calories, and provides a good amount of vitamin C, potassium, folic acid, and fiber.

If you've never picked your own strawberries, you need to put that task on your life list. The berries don't travel well because they are so fragile, so most commercial berries are a hardier strain. You won't believe the flavor, tenderness, and juiciness of berries that you pick yourself. And think about growing your own strawberries. All you need is a strawberry pot and sunshine.

You can freeze strawberries to preserve them for winter use, although the fruit is available year round. Slice them, sprinkle them with sugar, let stand for about an hour, then pack into freezer containers and freeze for up to six months. You can also preserve the fruit by making Freezer Jam or Strawberry Conserve.

Enjoy these recipes for strawberries this week!

Strawberry Recipes

Strawberries are one of the most perfect foods on earth. They are sweet, tart, succulent, tender, and juicy. You can use them to make drinks, sweet or spicy sauces, desserts, cakes, pies, salads, and main dishes. Because strawberries are the first fruit to ripen in the spring, they are a harbinger of the new season.

In one of my first blogs I told you about one of my favorite cook's treats: eating strawberries with a glass of milk. This phenomenon, which makes milk taste sweeter when eaten with a berry, is probably the basis for serving strawberries in cream!

 All Topics | Email Article | | |
Advertising Info | News & Events | Work at About | SiteMap | Reprints | HelpOur Story | Be a Guide
User Agreement | Ethics Policy | Patent Info. | Privacy Policy©2008 About, Inc., A part of The New York Times Company. All rights reserved.