The First Taste of Summer

By contributing writer Laurie Neverman
June 23, 2008

Does anything taste more like summer than a perfectly ripe strawberry? Fresh off the vine and warmed by the sun, the first local strawberries are to out-of-state berries what fresh-baked bread is to week old “wonderbread.” An Iowa study found that produce in the US traveled an average of over 1300 miles to reach our tables. If you want to reduce your carbon footprint, minimizing your food miles – the distance food travels from production to table – is a great way to start.

When I was growing up as the youngest of six kids, we always raised a good sized bed of strawberries. After my siblings moved out, the strawberry bed was converted into flowers, but mom and I went out every year to a local grower to spend a morning (or two) gathering this beautiful fruit. The running joke was that the growers should weigh people as they entered and left, as it’s very tempting to put more into your tummy than into your basket. (Just for the record, every pick-your-own place I’ve been to has encouraged me to sample; after all, you want to make sure the fruit is good, right?) On our way home we’d take the time to stop in at an ice cream parlor and cool off with a cone or sundae – often topped with a few more strawberries.

Now my mom lives on the other side of the state, but come late June my two boys and I carry on the family tradition. A few minutes down the road to Kraynik’s Berry Farm, an hour or two in the patch and a loop around to Kewaunee Custard for a hand-dipped cone. Mom and I still share the memories, and now we swap recipes, too. My husband August’s fresh berry favorite is Taste of Summer Strawberry-Raspberry Pie. I dry some strawberries and make strawberry-applesauce fruit leather – these are great healthy snacks for the kids. I enjoy strawberry rhubarb jam (a great seasonal combo) and strawberry banana jam (this is a great use for overripe bananas). For the beginner food saver, drying and making jams are some of the easiest ways to preserve the harvest and eat local all year round.

Please contact me at laurieneverman@hotmail.com with your green questions and comments.

Taste of Summer Strawberry-Raspberry Pie

Crust:
6 tablespoons butter, cold
2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup flour

Filling:
1 quart fresh strawberries
1 cup water
½ cup raspberries fresh or frozen*
1 cup sugar
4 tablespoons cornstarch

Topping:
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup powdered sugar
Several fresh strawberries and raspberries for garnish (optional)

To make the crust, cut together butter sugar and flour with a fork or pastry blender until it forms pea-sized lumps. Do not over mix or this will make your crust tougher. Press evenly into 9 inch pie plate, starting with the sides and finishing with the bottom. Place a sheet of parchment or foil in the pie tin and fill with pie weights, dried beans or rice. Bake at 325 degrees F for 15-18 minutes, removing parchment after first ten minutes, until very lightly browned. Cool. If you are in a hurry, you may buy a prepackaged crust and use accord to manufacturer’s directions.

For the filling, mash ½ cup of the strawberries together with the raspberries using a fork or pastry blender. Place berries in small pot on stove along with 2/3 cup water (reserve 1/3 cup water) and simmer for 3 minutes. Blend sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl, mix in remaining 1/3 cup water. Add to berry mixture and boil one minute. As is cooks, the color will deeper and it will take on a glossy appearance. Cool. Cut remaining berries into halves or slices and fold gently into cooled berry mixture. Pour into prepared crust.

Whip the cream almost to soft peak stage; add in powdered sugar and vanilla and beat until stiff peaks have formed. Spread sweetened whip cream on top of pie and garnish with reserved strawberries and raspberries if desired. Makes 6-8 servings.

* You can use fresh or frozen raspberries. If you’re lucky, you might catch the last of the June bearing strawberries and the first raspberries, or grow your own ever-bearing varieties of each fruit.. I usually end up using frozen raspberries, which is actually how this recipe came to be – I was short on strawberries one time I was making a standard pie.

Strawberry Banana Jam

4 ¾ cups prepared fruit (about 2 quarts fully ripe strawberries and 3 fully ripe medium bananas)
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
6 ¾ cups sugar
1 box fruit pectin
½ teaspoon butter

Stem and thoroughly crush strawberries, 1 cup at a time. Measure 3 ¼ cups into 6- or 8- quart saucepot. Mash bananas thoroughly. Measure 1 ½ cups; add to saucepot. Stir in lemon juice.

Prepare jars. Keep lids hot until ready to fill jars.

Measure sugar into separate bowl. Stir fruit pectin into fruit in saucepot. Add butter. Bring mixture to full rolling boil on high heat, stirring constantly. Quickly stir in all sugar. Return to full rolling roil and boil exactly one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; slim off any foam with a metal spoon.

Ladle quickly into prepared jars, filling to within 1/8 inch of tope. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with two piece lids. Screw bands tightly. Invert jars 5 minutes, then turn upright, or follow water bath method recommended by the USDA. After jars are cool, check seals.

Makes about 8 (1 cup) jars.

Strawberry Rhubarb Jam

4 cups prepared fruit (about 1 quart fully ripe strawberries, 1 ½ pounds rhubarb and ½ cup water)
6 cups sugar
1 box fruit pectin
½ teaspoon butter

Stem and thoroughly crush strawberries, 1 cup at a time. Measure 2 1/4 cups into 6- or 8- quart saucepot. Finely chop rhubarb; do not peel. Place in 2 quart saucepan. Add ½ cup water. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer 2 minutes or until rhubarb is soft. Measure 1 ¾ cups into saucepot.

Prepare jars. Keep lids hot until ready to fill jars.

Measure sugar into separate bowl. Stir fruit pectin into fruit in saucepot. Add butter. Bring mixture to full rolling boil on high heat, stirring constantly. Quickly stir in all sugar. Return to full rolling roil and boil exactly one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat; slim off any foam with a metal spoon.

Ladle quickly into prepared jars, filling to within 1/8 inch of tope. Wipe jar rims and threads. Cover with two piece lids. Screw bands tightly. Invert jars 5 minutes, then turn upright, or follow water bath method recommended by the USDA. After jars are cool, check seals.

Makes about 7 (1 cup) jars.

These jam recipes were originally listed in Gifts from the Harvest: Homemade Jams and Jellies published by Kraft General Foods in 1993.

Related Links

Strawberry Season is Here
FOX 11's Cara Artman stops by Kraynik Farms in Kewaunee

Strawberries – Safe Methods to Store, Preserve and Enjoy

Food, Fuel, and Freeways: An Iowa perspective on how far food travels, fuel usage, and greenhouse gas emissions