Five Essential Strategies for Strawberry Season
For us, the first sign of summer isn’t when the weather gets warm. It’s when we spot the first bright red, ripe strawberries at the market. Thus begins our season-long hoarding of one of summer’s most delicious fruit. We add strawberries to salads, smoothies, and desserts, sprinkle them over bowls of yogurt for breakfast, or eat them straight from the basket on our way home from the market. But their flavor isn’t the only reason why we love strawberries. Here are our essential strategies for living your best life during strawberry season.
Always, always buy organic.
Strawberries are soft and porous, which means they can easily absorb harmful things in the environment. In fact, they top the Environmental Working Group’s Dirty Dozen list of produce with the highest level of pesticide residue.
Keep them longer.
Store unwashed strawberries in a glass jar (a mason jar is perfect for this), seal with a lid and refrigerate until ready to use. The berries will stay fresh for up to 10 days or longer. No lie. Washing berries before storing them will cause them to mold.
What the hull?
To cut berries with a minimum of waste, insert the blade of a paring knife into the berry at a 45° angle underneath the green cap. Turn the knife one direction, while rotating the berry in the opposite direction continuing until the core releases.
Room temperature for the best flavor.
Though berries should be refrigerated to keep them fresh, the cold temperatures mute their flavor. Always serve them at room temperature for the biggest blast of berry flavor.
A berry powerful fruit.
Strawberries may look sweet and innocent, but in terms of nutrient value, these little fruits are a true force of nature. When compared with its fellow members of the fruit world, the strawberry ranks among the highest in sugar content making it great for both weight and diabetes management. Strawberries are also a powerhouse of antioxidants and a good sources of potassium and manganese.
Orange you glad it’s berry season?
A serving of about eight strawberries has more vitamin C than an orange. That big dose of ascorbic acid not only boosts immunity but also supports collagen production for healthy, glowing skin.
