Strawberries for Summer Solstice

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!