Strawberries for Summer Solstice

Written By Angie Hatfield

Hood strawberries affectionately called “hoodies.” IYKYK.

Strawberries are the cheerful, joyful fruit. What better way to celebrate summer solstice, the first official day of summer, than with the happiness of strawberries. I love that they kick off the berry season … strawberries, raspberries, blueberries, blackberries. Technically speaking, salmonberries are first since they ripen as early as May and I would remiss not to include them now that I live on the Oregon Coast and one of my favorite restaurants here is indeed The Salmonberry in Wheeler. I’m here to tell you that one of the best things about moving back to Oregon is the availability of Hood strawberries or what those in the know call “hoodies” – the strawberriest of strawberries to be found!

Hoods are small super sweet and juicy berries that are only available for picking for a few weeks. Early last week, when my husband made his pilgrimage north to Home Depot (a 45-minute drive for us now), I texted him when I saw that Pacific Roots (a mini-donut food truck along the Nehalem River) said they had secured said berries across from the DQ, also in Warrenton. My husband delivered. He came back with a flat of berries that were picked at a farm in Hillsboro and trucked over to the beach. Worth every penny. He said that as he pulled into the parking lot around 9 am, a truck pulled in with the goods. By the time he left there was a line. Yep, they are that good.

Strawberry Freezer Jam from the Sure-Jell package. Simply the best.

Besides eating bowls of strawberries and making freezer jam, I had to make my annual Strawberry Balsamic Pizza. I will shamelessly describe the ingredients and flavors in this sweet and spicy pizza to anyone who will listen. One of my first ever blogs was about this pizza. For now, I’ll keep it short. Suffice it to say it starts with a base of balsamic vinegar mixed with strawberry jam and Sriracha as the sauce, and is topped with chicken, applewood smoked bacon, sweet onion and fresh mozzarella cheese. Once it’s baked, it gets a blanket of chopped strawberries and cilantro. Don’t knock it until you try it.

One of the best things you may ever taste. This Strawberry Balsamic Pizza.

There are a few additional must dos with fresh strawberries. There’s no happier morning than one that starts with waffles topped with strawberries and whip cream – whipped by hand cause Alison Roman says so (seriously it only takes 2-3 minutes). And to end your day, strawberry milkshakes are my vote. We made ours with Tillamook Old Fashioned Vanilla (because Häagen-Dazs is scarce on my sliver of the Oregon Coast and because the Tillamook Factory is down the street, and we must always eat ice cream to support local). Happy happy.

I did try a couple new recipes. This one I made twice. Strawberry Dutch Baby from The Kitchn. Okay, I know I said the waffles were the way to go, but this baby is a big step up from the waffles. You roast the strawberries with sugar, butter and lemon for 10 minutes to a juicy, syrupy state and then pour the pancake batter - which includes cardamom and vanilla - over the berry mixture and bake for another 20 minutes till it stands up loud and proud. I added some cinnamon to mine and topped with powdered sugar, and yes, a mound of hand-whipped cream. More happiness.

Oh baby baby. Strawberry Dutch Baby.

I also made an appetizer from Half Baked Harvest. She named it Strawberry Jam with Honey Whipped Goat Cheese. It’s basically goat cheese mixed with a little cream cheese, honey and black pepper lavishly spread on toasted baguette slices. Then a jammy mixture of strawberries, balsamic vinegar, lemon juice and honey go on top of the goat cheese and is finished with a chiffonade of basil. Pure joy.

I almost forgot to mention these Mixed Berry Muffins (#3 for those who need to know) from Sarah Kieffer’s 100 Morning Treats cookbook! She calls for the trifecta - strawberries, raspberries and blueberries. I used strawberries and frozen blueberries. Don’t forgo the pecan crumbly topping.

Muffins with strawberries and blueberries. Perfect start to the day.

Each year it’s a race to make all the strawberry recipes before the strawberries are gone. Sure, I can (and did) freeze some, but it’s not quite the same. What I wish I had more berries for:

I’m not sure exactly what it is about strawberries that conjure up happiness. It’s more than the taste. It’s the nostalgia of past summer days, of the summers to come, the anticipation that comes around same time each year and you don’t want to miss out! Maybe it’s also just how berry cute they are, which leads me to one more thing.

A month or so ago we were in Seattle staying at my son’s AirBNB condo in Wallingford. His condo sits on the 4th floor above a Grand Central Bakery and a cute little retail space shared by PETI Boutique and Cedarhouse Flowers that overflows onto the sidewalk and pulls you into the shop. Bonus, across the street is Molly Moon’s Ice Cream. You don’t have to go far to be happy on 45th Street in Wallingford, folks. Anyhow, my timing was impeccable. The owner of PETI Boutique had just put out a glorious textile hand stamped with large strawberries in pinks, reds and yellows. (The icing on the cake – and what said I HAD to buy it -- was the touch of aqua paint mixed into the design!) She described it as a throw, but I decided it was a tablecloth or maybe it will turn into a beach blanket! I’ve used it as a table throw, and now it’s folded over the back of a dining chair where it makes me smile. One day I’ll take into my courtyard or down to the beach for a picnic. Although my hoodies are gone, strawberry joy will live (at least) throughout the summer in my house.

My strawberry table throw/beach blanket. Makes me smile every time I walk by! (Maybe I should iron it 😂)

 

 

 

Angie Hatfield
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