Sweet Southern Strawberries

Back in Pennsylvania, I’d have to wait until June for tasty local strawberries. Anything off-season or imported was bland and not worth the trouble or expense. Here in South Carolina, strawberry season starts in February. That’s when I bought my first carton from Boone Hall Plantation. Visitors can pick them in the fields or purchase from the market. I just couldn’t wrap my head around strawberries in February and had low expectations. What I got was so juicy, flavor-packed and sweet that I’d put those unadorned strawberries up against any piece of candy. For real. My son powered through the rest of that carton in minutes. No need for whipped cream, ice cream or anything.

Boone Hall Plantation holds it’s annual Strawberry Festival this weekend. It includes amusement rides, the Miss Berry Princess Contest (of course), a strawberry recipe contest and two pie eating contests.

Here’s a couple tips I just learned about strawberry care. Rinse and thoroughly pat dry before you remove the caps. Strawberries are sponges and will absorb water. You don’t want to dilute the juices and get them mushy. They can be kept at room temp for a couple of days or store them flat on a plate in your fruit crisper drawer. Evict any moldy ones immediately.

My two favorite ways to eat them, other than just plain, are simple. Just slice and sprinkle with dark choc morsels and top with whipped cream. When I’m being a tad more health conscious, I’ll add them to Greek yogurt and sprinkle with granola. I also want to get one those nifty infuser pitchers so I can flavor my water.

Now that I’ve got you craving some, try some of these sweet and juicy strawberry recipes from Southern Living. As soon as I return from the festival, I’ll be making their strawberry salad with warm goat cheese croutons. Yum.