On a recent morning ramble, Clara and I found the first wild strawberries, a handful of tiny sweet gems that signaled the start of our glorious berry season. And on a day-trip to the country last Saturday, we saw no less than seven farm stands boasting ‘Fraises du Québec’, and I spent the next hour balancing several quarts of berries on my lap. After all, it’s not a legitimate weekend road trip until you hit up a roadside fruit stand, am I right?
Yes, mid-June is typically when local strawberries hit the markets here in Quebec, and we throw ourselves headlong into making the most of them. Soon the neighborhood U-pick will open its doors and we’ll ride the wagon along the dusty track to fill our baskets and pails with berries.
It’s a sweet season, and we savour the local strawberries in a multitude of ways from salads to ice cream. Even the hulls from the organic berries are rinsed and used to flavour water. Today’s post is a round-up of my favourite strawberry recipes and really showcases the true versatility of this June berry.
is the second cookbook from Alana, and a long awaited companion to The Homemade Pantry. It’s a personal and passionate ode to home cooking without an ounce of pressure. Alana encourages aspiring cooks with memorable lessons such as Do Your Best and Then Let Go, Be a Beginner, and Do the Work. In fact, these guiding principles form the outline of her book, and she explains and expands on them in thoughtful essays that undoubtedly come from a place of learning.
