All about Strawberries

Nothing tastes better than a freshly picked strawberry, sweet and bursting with juice, still warm from the sun. Strawberries are easy to love--they are gorgeous to look at, delicious to eat and very healthy. But growing strawberries is no piece of cake. Their roots can be susceptible to rot and fungus, pests attack them and unpredictable weather patterns can make growing them a risky proposition. The California Strawberry Commission invited me to visit some farms and meet with growers. Here is some of what I learned about strawberries on my trip to the Central Coast.

California is the leader in growing strawberries, over 80% of all fresh and frozen strawberries in the US come from California and the majority come from the Central Coast. Why the Central Coast? The weather conditions with fairly warm sunny days and cool foggy nights are very good for growing strawberries, and the breezes coming off the ocean help keep the pests away. Strawberries are harvested for 9 months of the year on the Central Coast, that's more than just about anywhere else in the world! The peak season is April through June. 

Conventional crops are sprayed up to twice a month to manage pests, but significant research is being done by the California Strawberry Commission and the California Department of Pesticide Regulation to reduce fumigants. Growers use bug vacuums and integrated pest management to remove pests safely from plants without chemicals on both organic and conventional crops. 

Plastic strips are embedded in the ground to allow for irrigation and any chemical applications which is easier on the fruit, the environment and the farm workers. Conditions are improving for workers, especially since harmful pesticides like methyl bromide and methyl iodide are no longer being used. The workers who pick strawberries are paid by the hour and by the amount they pick. At one farm, I was told workers make up to $17 per hour. 

After strawberries are picked they are transferred within an hour to a chilling facility where they are labeled indicating where, when and who picked them.  Strawberries are chilled down to 34 degrees, every hour they remain at ambient temperatures translates to a day less of shelf life. 

Nutritionist Mitzi Dulan recommends eating strawberries because they are low in calories, high in Vitamin C and also contain many other antioxidants and phytonutrients such as manganese, folate, iodine and magnesium. A one cup serving has only 45 calories but 3 grams of fiber (perhaps because each berry has 275 seeds?) and 220 grams of potassium.

To best preserve freshness, don't wash strawberries until you are ready to eat them. One other tip? Despite what you may have heard, a redder strawberry is NOT necessarily a sweeter strawberry. Strawberries come in a myriad range of pink, orange red and even white. 

Strawberries are a perfect topping for shortcake or cereal, in spinach salads or whipped up in smoothies. I also like them served with a bowl of Greek yogurt sprinkled with brown sugar. 

Here are some more unusual ways to use strawberries:

* Make salsa with strawberries, onions, cilantro and chiles

* Cut strawberries in half and top with a dollop of ricotta or goat cheese

* Puree strawberries and add them to marinara sauce and serve over spaghetti

* Use strawberries in a savory risotto 

* Toss strawberries with balsamic vinegar, sugar and a pinch or black pepper, gently roast or serve them raw

* Make a shrub by combining strawberries, vinegar and sugar

* Wrap strawberries in prosciutto or serrano ham, secure with a toothpick and serve them as is, or grill and serve

* Layer mozzarella and strawberry slices with basil leaves to make a strawberry Caprese salad

* Top toasted baguette slices with chopped strawberries and chives mixed with olive oil and lemon juice

* Use strawberries with cheese and greens as a topping for flatbread

More...

Additional strawberry recipes and a free strawberry recipe phone app (for iPhone & Android)

Meet the other food bloggers on this trip:

Jodi of Garlic Girl, Mitzi of Nutrition Expert, Jill of The Veggie Queen, Kristianne of My San Francisco Kitchen, Jennifer of Playful Pantry, Laura of Superglue Mom, Jess of Sodium Girl, Ivette of Muy Bueno Cooking, Kankana of Playful Cooking, Jennifer of Savory Simple, Nicole of Pinch My Salt, Claudya of Unknown Mami

Disclaimer: I was a guest of the California Strawberry Commission, I was not paid to write this or any other posts. 

Fried Egg with Kale Pesto

Now that I spend more time reading books with pictures than without, it can perhaps be said that I relate waaaay too many things to toddler stories.  For example, in A Sick Day for Amos McGee, we meet a kindly old man named Amos.

The book states that "Amos McGee was an early riser. Every morning when the alarm clock clanged, he swung his legs out of bed and swapped his pajamas for a fresh-pressed uniform. He would wind his watch and set a pot of water to boil - saying to the sugar bowl, "a spoonful for my oatmeal, please, and two for my teacup."

While Amos McGee (or just McGee, as Max likes to say, as though he is on familiar terms with him) sounds like a very lovely gentleman, he does seem like a man stuck in his ways. I'm not sure how one eats oatmeal every day. Or at all, quite frankly. And how does he swing his legs out of bed as soon as that alarm goes off?  How does that happen?

Anyway, I am not Amos McGee. I do not eat oatmeal every day. I do not eat oatmeal.  I am a woman who needs variety. So when the food gods beatifically smile on us and give us both pesto and eggs in the fridge, I take it as a sign that pesto eggs need to be made. It is such a ridiculously simple dish, but the richness of the eggs are just such a perfect fit for pesto.  I won't eat this every day.  But knowing I can make it for breakfast makes swinging my legs out of bed just a little easier.

Ingredients
1 egg
crushed red pepper
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
1-2 tablespoons kale pesto (or whatever you have on hand!)
Parmesan cheese, for serving

For the pesto:
3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup toasted walnuts
4 cups chopped kale
1/2 cup olive oil
zest and juice from 1 lemon
smoked sea salt, to taste
freshly ground black pepper

Instructions
To make the pesto: Place garlic, walnuts, lemon zest, and kale in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse. Slowly pour in the olive oil and lemon juice while the food processor is still running. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.

To make the egg: Melt butter in skillet on medium heat. Crack egg into pan, and use fork or spatula to break apart the whites immediately around the yolk as it cooks. Continue to fry just until egg white is cooked, or sunny-side up style, roughly 1 minute. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper. Sprinkle the egg with Parmesan cheese and a scoop of the pesto.  Serve with toast.