Addicted to berry picking

… and two to-die-for strawberry pies

Summer has always been my favorite season, but since moving back to the Northwest, I appreciate it even more. When the sun comes out, it’s a local mandate to drop everything and go outside! There’s nothing more glorious than a beautiful sunny day and fresh air in the Pacific Northwest. Driving with the windows down. Losing track of time while you soak up the long days of summer. And berry picking. Real berries. First come the strawberries. I’m not talking about those big California berries. Sure, those are available year round and beautiful on the outside ... but oh, it’s the inside that counts! Take a bite of an Oregon or Washington strawberry with its juicy, sweet redness throughout. It’s pretty much up there on the list of life’s simple pleasures.

My hubby and I recently snuck away from our computers on a sunny weekday morning and picked strawberries at Remlinger Farms. I confess; it wasn’t quite as easy doing the “bend and squat” as it was the summer I picked berries in junior high. The other dangerous thing about picking berries is – who can stop. Just one more ... one more ... this is the LAST one. And then, what to do with all those berries? Strawberry milkshakes (not once, but twice), angel food cake with strawberries and whip cream, this killer Strawberry Balsamic Pizza and two batches of freezer jam later, I flash froze the rest and put in the freezer for smoothies.  

For my freezer jam, I almost had a weak healthy moment and used Ball Real Fruit Instant Pectin. I’m told it has to be INSTANT. You use a lot less sugar and get a jam with a fresh-berry taste to put on your peanut-butter toast year round. Um, but I went with the Sure-Jell Premium Fruit Pectin for over the top strawberry jam. (Yes, it does have an insane amount of sugar—so just don’t eat it all at once!)

So, more about this killer pizza pie! I had saved this recipe a long time ago and was so excited when I remembered I had it. It is a crazy combination of flavors that come together for what the folks at The Café Sucre Farine describe as “haunting”.

And that’s just what it is. I couldn’t stop talking about it, dreaming about it, and telling anyone who would listen about it. I used Pioneer Woman’s basic pizza crust recipe, my own freezer jam courtesy of Sure-Jell, mozzarella cheese and the applewood smoked bacon that I just happened to have in my freezer. Wow. That’s what I said after every bite. Just wow. I can still taste the cilantro, the sweet Washington strawberries mixed with a tinge of spiciness, salty bacon and cilantro all cooked on the Traeger grill for perfection. Did I mention we grilled the chicken on the Traeger using applewood chips? (If you don’t know what a Traeger grill is, look it up, now!)

Strawberry season wouldn’t be complete without me making this Strawberries & Cream Pie. I’ve had this recipe for years and wasn’t sure where I found it, until I Googled it just now. Voila, recipe is from Pillsbury. It’s a delicious combination of light cheesecake taste with chocolate-covered strawberries. It’s super easy and makes an impressive presentation.

Next year, I’m trying a strawberry coconut cake I came across ... but next up, raspberries ... followed by blueberries.