The Soul and Science of Strawberries
By Sidonie Maroon, Culinary Educator for the Food Co-op
There’s something right about a ripe, in-season strawberry. In Japan, the concept of “shun” celebrates eating foods at their seasonal peak, when they’re freshest and most flavorful. Strawberries embody this idea. Whether you’re standing in a sun-warmed field, tending your own backyard plants, or savoring berries from a local farm, strawberries are a reminder to slow down and enjoy the fleeting perfection of the season.
The Science of Sweetness
Ripe strawberries aren’t as sweet as other fruits, so what makes them taste like dessert? The answer lies in their aroma. Scientists have identified hundreds of volatile compounds in strawberries, which create scents like caramel and orange blossom. These compounds increase our perception of sweetness. When you eat a strawberry, these aroma compounds travel from your throat to your nasal passages, combining with the taste on your tongue. This interplay of senses makes a ripe strawberry irresistible.
Emblem Produce
Have you noticed how certain fruits and vegetables call out the season? Pumpkins and apples in autumn, sweet corn and tomatoes for summer and how ripe strawberries kick off the fruits of summer. These foods symbolize how important the changes in nature are to culture. We taste the sweetness of strawberries in June, and it means something deeper and real than the ordinary run of convenience foods.I heard someone pose the question: convenience or connection? They don’t need to be exclusive but how much of the simple pleasures of life do we lose when we fail to stop and exclaim together, and make a big deal over — Now! It’s almost the season soon and we’ll be picking ripe strawberries.
Strawberry Rituals
I’m currently reading “The Memory Police” by Yoko Ogawa. On a small island, the memory police keep disappearing things, like clouds, birds, hair ribbons and strawberries. When they disappear, no one can remember anything about them anymore. All of their memories of a sun-warmed field with the smell of strawberries are gone. What’s scary is that the islanders become used to losing things they once had and no one can remember the colors, flavors and dishes that made strawberry.
Culinary loss concerns me. I see it all around as simple and easy with our busy lives trumps community, craft, and connection. I introduced my husband nineteen years ago to strawberry picking at Graymarsh. He grew up in a family with little connection to food other than grabbing something out of the freezer and putting it in the microwave. We’ve now picked strawberries together year after year. It’s our ritual to each find the ripest, sweetest berry and feed it to each other sealed with a kiss and then take a selfie of us together with the field in the background. Each year it’s becoming more and more meaningful as our hair silvers and time shortens.
Strawberry Towers
I’m growing both June bearing and everbearing strawberries in towers in my courtyard. I’ve had success before and am hoping. They’re blooming, and I’m noticing a few green berries appearing. I have one Marshall plant, which is known for its outstanding flavor. I’m also growing Chandler June bearing, and Quinault everbearing.
We have such opportunities for strawberries here. Right now the Tonnemaker farm dessert strawberries from Sammamish Valley, just outside of Woodinville, are in at the Food Coop. Soon we’ll have baskets of berries at the Farmer’s market and at local U pick places.
Don’t Gild the Strawberry
Strawberries need nothing but to be eaten! I’ve stopped cooking them and if I need to do anything I’ll macerate — Sprinkle sugar over sliced strawberries and let them sit for an hour. This process draws out their juices, creating a syrupy sweetness that’s perfect for desserts like shortcakes, pancakes, or simply served with whipped cream. I’ve added three scrumptious extra recipes to the Food Coop blog. Check them out! Roasted Vanilla Cardamom Rhubarb Sauce, Buckwheat Crêpes and Easy Fromage Blanc
Oat Scones
A scone deserves to have a delicate flavor, buttery crust, open crumb, moist yet flaky interior. It deserves to hold up to strawberry jam. It deserves envy and admiration, and this scone gets it.
1 and 1/4 cups old-fashioned oatmeal spun in a food processor to a fine meal.
2 cups flour (gluten-free or regular)
1/3 cup whole cane sugar
2 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 and 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter cut into small pieces
Lemon or orange zest from one whole lemon or orange
1 cup buttermilk (make buttermilk by mixing 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar into 1 cup of milk.)
Mixing
1) In a large food processor: Spin oatmeal fine, add dry ingredients, spin, add butter, pulse 8-9 times or until butter is the size of small peas, don’t overwork. (You can also do this by hand as for pie making.)
2) Empty food processor bowl into a mixing bowl and add the buttermilk. If too dry, add 1 tablespoon more buttermilk. Mix and then bring together with hands into two even-sized balls.
Shaping and baking
1) Flatten each ball into a round about 7-inches across, cut round into 8ths.
2) Separate the triangles and chill for at least ½ hour in the freezer for best results before baking.
3) Preheat the oven to 425° F. Use a middle oven rack. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Bake scones for 12-15 minutes, until both the tops and bottoms are golden.
Best served warm wrapped in a checkered cloth in a basket. Serve with fresh macerated strawberries and whipped cream.
Roasted Vanilla Cardamom Rhubarb Sauce
Serves 6
1 lb rhubarb stalks, cut into ½-inch pieces
½ vanilla bean, split
1 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
2 tablespoons sherry
¼ teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon cardamom powder
ground black pepper to taste
½ cup sugar or to taste
Preheat the oven to 425 F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and toss the ingredients together on the baking sheet. Roast for 15 to 20 minutes. Puree and taste. Add sugar if needed.
Easy Fromage Blanc
Fromage Blanc (frow-maazh-blaangk) translates as white cheese. It sounds fancy, but it’s simple to culture. Best of all, it’s delicious and used both like sour cream and cream cheese.
What You’ll Need
● A gallon of whole milk. I use Jersey milk from Dungeness Valley Creamery in Sequim, but any milk will do.
● A starter culture. I bought mine from the “New England Cheesemaking Supply Company”. It’s $7.00 for 5 packets, each making over a pound of cheese.
Directions
● Heat a gallon of milk to 86F, add the starter, cover with a lid, and allow it to culture overnight at 72F. (Room temperature is fine.)
● The next day, ladle the curds into a cheesecloth-lined strainer and drain until thick. Remember to save the whey to use in the crêpe batter instead of milk.
Crêpes
I once considered crêpes for special occasions only until I started teaching classes. During my crêpe phase, we filled the fridge with quarts of batter. I invested in a crêpe spreader and cast iron crêpe pan. I haven’t regretted either purchase.
I make crêpes with all kinds of flour. The batter keeps, so they are a handy, fast food to fill with savory or sweet fillings. “Crêpes” by Martha Holmberg is an inspirational cookbook that now lives on my shelves. I recommend watching YouTube videos of professionals making crêpes, because seeing technique in action is invaluable.
Buckwheat Crêpes
Makes 1 quart batter enough for 12 crêpes
1 ¾ cup whole milk, or whey
4 tablespoons melted butter
¾ teaspoon sea salt
4 large eggs
1 cup buckwheat flour
½ cup all purpose or 1 for 1 gluten-free flour
Add flour and salt to the food processor
Mixing
Using a blender or food processor, add the liquid ingredients and blend. Add the flours and salt. Continue to blend until smooth. Pour into a quart jar.
Cooking
Preheat a cast iron round griddle or crêpe pan for 15 minutes on a medium heat.
Butter the griddle, increase the heat to medium high (350 F) Ladle ⅓ cup of batter into the center of the griddle and spread it out using a crêpe spreader, or the back of a large spoon. Allow it to cook for 1 ½ to 2 minutes. The edges will curl and the top will look dry. Flip it over with a spatula or crêpe turner and cook the other side. It takes a while to get the feel for making these, but be patient and don’t give up.
Yummy!
Spoon the fromage blanc and rhubarb sauce into the crêpes. Fold or roll. Serve with sliced strawberries.
Bon appétit!
