Hood Strawberry Balsamic Pizza
Yesterday I drove 45 minutes north on the 101 to Warrenton to buy Hood strawberries from “the strawberry guy” at a roadside stand. Hood strawberries are the best. The creme de la crème. If you know you know. And if you don’t, I’m here to tell you. Hood strawberries or “hoodies” (yes, named after Mt. Hood) are the sweetest, reddest and most juicy flavorful Oregon strawberries you’ll ever taste. Once you’ve tried hoodies you may well become obsessed. The exceptional flavor of Hood strawberries no doubt comes from its high sugar content and the Hood’s beauty comes from its deep red color throughout. The obsession is heightened because Hoods are only available for two to three weeks at the beginning of berry season. They are also very perishable, meaning you’re forced to eat everything strawberry as quickly as possible. The race is on!
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!
Tillamook cheese bread and White Zinfandel
I had never watched tennis until I met my husband. He was the cutest player on the University of Oregon men’s tennis team. Well, okay he was the only player I watched (or knew). Five years later we started our married life in Arizona, where of course, tennis was very popular. My husband’s parents also played tennis and his mom loved to celebrate Wimbledon. She’s been gone for 28 years this August, but I think about her every year when Wimbledon occurs. In the days before streaming, she’d plan her day — and sleep — around the time of a key match (her favorite was Chrissy Evert). For the finals, she would make chocolate-dipped strawberries and a toasty, gooey Tillamook Cheese bread meant to be enjoyed with a glass of White Zinfandel. After all, this was the late 80s. A few times a year I dig out the recipe card that’s in my mother-in-law’s handwriting and reminisce about watching tennis with my husband’s family. With the grand slam tournament being cancelled last year, this year’s Wimbledon (semifinals July 8/9 and finals July 10/11) calls for lots of cheesy bread and juicy chocolatey strawberries, and wine. But make mine rosé.
Yummy Strawberry Recipes
I was so excited for strawberry season this year, anxiously watching the Remlinger Farms Facebook page for opening day. When the day came, we drove out to the (very crowded) farm and told ourselves to not go overboard; we’d come back later in the month. And then it rained and rained, life happened, and we never made it back. So unfortunately, although I had intended on writing about strawberries and showing my pics weeks ago, that didn’t materialize. I did manage to make strawberry scones, and one batch of strawberry jam. Oh and maybe some ice cream bars and milkshakes and mocktails. Hopefully some of you still have access to strawberries either from a local farmer’s market or your own yard. The grocery store works too. Confession. I went to my freezer and dug out a bag of vacuum-sealed strawberries from last year and made what I call Strawberry Cookies & Cream Ice Cream. You know. Because we are having an unprecedented heatwave in the Pacific Northwest. And yes, I know that other parts of the US regularly have triple digit heat (I lived in Arizona for 17 years). But my and my husband’s stubborn streak said we don’t need no stinkin’ air conditioning when we moved to Washington. Ha! And if you must know, I had ice cream at 8am this morning. And again at 2pm. Read on for strawberry recipes and ideas.