National Strawberry Month

For about 5 of the last 10 years, my sister and I have managed a strawberry picking expedition in May -- National Strawberry Month.

Strawberries are low in calories and high in Vitamin C, contain antioxidants and may reduce your risk of heart disease and cancer, but most importantly, they taste really good.

They also remind me of my grandmother - Ellen Eppard Harrison.  She loved strawberries. Her kitchen had a strawberry motif and she had adorable strawberry pattern plates (and a red wall phone too, where we'd listen in on the party line. Believe it or not - not that long ago).  

Today's take.

Today we picked just over 2 gallons, not bad for about 45 minutes of work (plus the time spent driving to a remote strawberry farm  - we live in the big city and there aren’t too many farms close by). 
 
Even as I write this, my sister’s entertaining the notion of making a strawberry cake or strawberry freezer jam or strawberry pretzel squares.   

I love to freeze some whole (for smoothies), slice some for cereal and this year, I made strawberry coulis.  One of my favorite salads is the Strawberry-Romaine Salad from one of my favorites, The Complete Do Ahead Cookbook.  Try it, you're sure to love it.  

Strawberry-Romaine Salad

For dressing (combine these ingredients in a large jar):

1 c. vegetable oil

3/4 c. sugar (I use Splenda instead, about 1/2 c.)

1/2 c. red wine vinegar

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. paprika

1/4 tsp. ground white pepper (I substitute black pepper)

Cover tightly and shake vigorously.  You can store the dressing in the refrigerator for up to a week.  In a pinch, I buy bottled raspberry vinaigrette, but it's definitely not as good.

For salad, you will need:

1 large head romaine lettuce

1 head Boston lettuce

1 pint strawberries sliced (I use my egg slicer to make it so much easier)

1 c. (4 oz.) shredded Monterrey Jack cheese

1/2 c. chopped walnuts, toasted (I like to use more)

Tear lettuces and combine with other ingredients in large bowl.  Pour shaken salad dressing over salad and toss gently. Yields 12 DELICIOUS servings. 

This is a great Valentine's Day or Christmas recipe too, if you can find good quality strawberries in the winter.  But, this time of the year, it's especially terrific.  Enjoy!