Recipe: 6 Ways to Use Strawberries

Plus, my favorite places to get peaches & other fruits.

Summer is here and the time is right for a whole new world of fresh fruit.

Here is my issue: very little of the fruit we get in markets is tree or bush ripened. It is simply rotting. That doesn’t make it bad, it just means that it is an 8 out of 10 at best.

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Right now the most amazing peaches are coming out of Georgia. They are called Fire Prince or Flame Prince and are a true freestone peach. Tree ripening brings out all the sweetness and for plums, peaches, nectarines I try to order direct from farm sources because I live in MN. Most markets where I live buy ‘green fruit’, let them rot to sweeten them and sell them off. Remember, ripening is what happens when the fruit is on the tree/vine/bush. Once picked it starts to rot. And yes, many fruits will get sweeter and better with time on your counter, but it’s not the same.

Ever eaten a fully tree ripened banana? It will change your life. We all eat tree ripened apples all the time BTW, but other fruits bruise and don’t store well so our commodified food system penalizes us or if you care to flip the script, feeds our addiction for instant gratification.

BUT in Minnesota all our berries are exploding out of the ground and I gorge on them at this time of year. Strawberries, mulberries, blueberries, raspberries, blackberries and all the rest are either at peak or soon will be.

So without further ado… scroll down for the berry recipes that I love. And don’t forget, for farm picked ripe berries, nothing beats eating them plain. Nothing.

Where I buy fruit online:

• For Georgia peaches, check out Brown Farms. 

• Brandt Farms for other fruit.

• Frog Hollow for just about everything. 

• Ferry Market in San Francisco ships as well.

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Strawberry-Vinegar Jam

Servings: Makes 5 cups

Total: 1 hour