It’s strawberry season here. Can you feel the deliciousness through the screen?
These beautiful berries come from a farm that’s about a 25-minute drive from the house. But the family maintains a little shed-style shop in town during the season, so I don’t actually have to go far to get my sweet seasonal fix.
However, I do have to watch the clock. The berries are picked fresh every morning and arrive at the shop between 10:00 a.m. and noon. Delivery times are changeable, depending as they do on a variety of factors, including weather, employee availability, and stops at a couple of other towns along the route.
What’s not changeable is that if you don’t get there by 1:00 p.m., you will not get your strawberries. It’s not as if the shop is ever crowded or swamped with customers. It’s the kind of place where the old guys gather in their overalls and settle into the rocking chairs to “chew the fat,” as we say around here, and tell tale tales with an encouraging chorus of mm-hmms in the background.
But for all its small-town we-take-life-slow feel, there is apparently a fierce ongoing competition, waged six days a week, for the possession of a few quarts of berries.
Last Monday I went there to find them gone by noon. A blonde woman just leaving with the last basketful gave me an utterly wicked, triumphant smile.
But I persevered, and we ended up with a whole lot of strawberries. Four quarts minimum purchase, which is a lot for two people. So I decided to make strawberry pie.
Here’s the recipe. It’s easy, really.
First you cut up a whole bunch of strawberries — making sure to eat plenty while you do so, and if possible while staring out the kitchen window at the wild roses in bloom and the cabbages getting fatter by the second and the finches at the bird feeder, busy being finches (i.e. loud and gregarious, the males now sporting red feathers nearly as bright as the strawberries.)
Take your time slicing. Eat a few more. Take a special selection to your significant other midway through the process, too.
And when you come back, notice what a lovely pattern the knife trails have left in the cutting board, and how the strawberry juice is just as gorgeous a medium as paint, really. Start tentatively drawing with the scarlet juice, using the tip of the knife.
Ah, go on, play with your food. No one’s watching.
Decide you really must get the camera and make some abstracts of this miraculous sight — but only after you get the pie in the oven. In fact, right about now would be a good time to remember to preheat the oven (375º F/190º C), and to go ahead and put a cookie sheet in there, too, to catch any juices the pie spills.
By all means continue to ignore the temptation to lick the cutting board, which smells so delicious and looks so gorgeous the urge is nearly overpowering. Whenever you feel too close to giving in, eat another strawberry.
Finally gather your sliced strawberries in a bowl, about five to five and a half cups total. Yes, that’s a lot of berries, but they bake down, I promise.
Yes, it's a lot of strawberries.
Mix with some sugar (anywhere from 3/4 cup to 1 1/4 cups depending on the ripeness of the berries and personal taste), a little flour (I used 1/3 cup), a tablespoon of cornstarch, and about three minutes’ worth of gently grating a cinnamon stick. Cover the bowl with a dishtowel to discourage any visiting summer insects (they’re back!), and let it sit for at least 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, you could make your pie pastry. Or, if you are like me and busy, you could pull the frozen pie crusts from the freezer. Uh-huh, I did that. Me, the bake-a-holic. (It gave me more time to enjoy the process and, as a bonus, create a little irreverent art, as you’ll see below.)
Once the strawberries are nice and juicy, pour the filling into one of the pie crusts. At this point, you can dot the filling with butter, if you like, although I skipped this step with no adverse effects. Top with the other pie crust and pinch to seal the edges. Cut a slit or two in the top, and pop it into the oven for 50 minutes total.
After about half that time has elapsed, cover the edges of the pie with strips of aluminum foil, so that yummy crust doesn’t burn.
And don’t forget to play with your food some more! Now it’s time to create some abstract art with the mess in the kitchen.
Strawberry Abstract #1.
Strawberry Abstract #2.
Strawberry Abstract #3.
Isn’t life fun?
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Love the strawberry abstracts! Seriously, those strawberries look soo delicious. Mine opened their first flowers this week, so I should have strawberries in about a month — if the d#*! chipmunks don’t get them first.
Jean´s last blog ..Garden Blogs of the Month: May 2010
Thanks, Jean. They were fun to make. We have a zero-tolerance policy on chipmunks in the garden, implemented with ruthless brutality by the cats. Our berries will be much later than the farm-grown ones, as they are wild plants we rescued from a cleared forest area last year, and now continue to grow in partial shade, delaying fruiting somewhat.
I hope your harvest is plentiful!
Mmmmm. I’ll be enjoying that warm strawberry pie in my dreams tonight. If I could only have one thing in my garden, it would have to be the strawberries.
Annie’s Granny´s last blog ..May 4, 2010: Thank You, Mr. Granny
F. is of your same opinion, Granny. The strawberries in the potager are all his responsibility, and he watches over them like a mother hen.
I love strawberries, and I love strawberry pie! You make yours about the same way I do. Sadly, strawberries have never grown well in my garden, but there is a u-pick-em farm not far away, which is wonderful. I think your abstract #3 is worthy of an art gallery!
debsgarden´s last blog ..A Crisis in the Lady Garden
Oh, wow, I’m thrilled you think my fun little art experiment is so good! I’m all about letting the local farmers grow them and grow them well, especially if I live in a place that’s known for good results. I’ve never been to a pick-your-own place — but of course, I’ve picked my own, and it’s fun.
I was wondering as I read your comment, are there lots of ways to make strawberry pie? Have to look it up…
Love the strawberry abstracts, Meredith! But I have a feeling I would love the pie even more
Oh, can’t wait for strawberry season here…just gotta have a little more patience and then I’m gonna whip up a couple of these beauties!
Talon´s last blog ..The Mystical Meadow
Cool, Talon. Yes, if forced to choose, I too would select the pie.
Strawberry season is just around the corner for you, I’m sure. Sometimes I feel like I’m torturing you, dear friend, by being ahead of you by about a month to six weeks… hope not!
I could almost taste those yummy strawberries, and I loved your description and photos (once again!) What, no photo of the finished pie though? Did it get wolfed down too quickly perchance?
Gillian´s last blog ..Starting a writing course.
Um… I’ll let F. answer, in comment #7.
Its just too early here for the homegrown strawberries but in this house we too love baking with them. We go to pick your own farms where one goes in the basket the other goes in the mouth and so forth till we can’t eat any more of them……………… until we get home. I love your abstract………. that sure was fun!
LOL, Rosie, I love your description of one in the basket, and one in the mouth.
Sadly, such is the fate of yummy pies…
fLoreign´s last blog ..Cowtippers Anyone? How About Cow-Gender-Balance-Tipping?
It was good while it lasted; right, honey?
Mmmmm. I love strawberry pie, and it’s about time for me to make one. Our strawberry season is done here in FL, but we’re getting some lovely berries all the way from CA in the grocery store. I know I should be “eating local” but I can’t resist those delicious red jewels. Love the abstract art, too, and from your description it sounds like you spent some quality time in the kitchen. Hope the finished product was as much fun as making it was!
Kathy´s last blog ..Backyard Odyssey
Is it already finished in FL, Kathy? I’m amazed. Ours will last until about July 4th, if it’s like last year (knocking on wood). Although it began a little late this year, because of the cold and cloudy weather we had, so maybe it will go longer? They are irresistible “jewels,” you’re right.
Yep, looks like Red Season #1 in your neck of the woods (#2 being tomato season)! And I’m with Deborah, I think abstract #3 is worth framing, though I like the others also. I’ll bet the pie was a very tasty creation!
villager´s last blog ..Harvest Monday
Villager, I hadn’t thought of it that way before, but it’s so true. (And I struggled with the red in these digital photos, as always, so I’ll just count it good practice for dealing with the tomato shots.)
A second vote for #3, huh? I’m amazed.
Oh, and it was delicious! Even better the second day.
I’ve startled my family by laughing at the idea of the triumphant woman with her last basketful of strawberries
Wicked thing!
Oh dear, now my mouth is really watering at the thought of that lovely strawberry pie!
Heidi (GippyGardener)´s last blog ..Killer Snails and Lying Birds
It’s good I can laugh about it now, Heidi; at that moment I was so disappointed and irritated. But it only made me more determined to beat everybody to the punch next day, even if I had to wait around for an hour at the shop, LOL.
I love the abstract art. And I can totally see the woman with the triumphant smile. Hmpf! I’m glad you got lots the next time. Life in a small town sounds wonderful.
Lynn´s last blog ..Gulf winds, remembered and good sleep
It can be lots of fun, Lynn — and who’d have ever thought I’d say that a year ago? Strange realization.
The abstract art seems to have been a hit. I’m pleasantly surprised.
Mmmm…I never met a strawberry I didn’t like! Those look wonderful, and the abstract art is quite interesting too! We only just started to harvest our strawberries here. Not quite enough yet for a pie…although a dash of sugar, and a splash of Calvados…maybe I should check and see if any more are ripe!
Curbstone Valley Farm´s last blog ..Calochortus albus
I doubt we’ll have enough for a pie from our young strawberry patch, but the ones harvested from your own backyard have to be the best of all. I suspect you are an excellent cook, dear Clare — don’t know where I’m getting that feeling from, but it’s just there.
great recipe but fabulous cutting board images!
Wendy´s last blog ..If I do say so myself
We must be a month or so behind with strawberries, as mine in Scotland are just beginning to literally flower.
I have t admit these do look splendidly lush, gorgeous and succulent. I can’t wait to try a local or homegrown strawberry, packed and bursting with real flavour. Your photographs have quickened my heart pace to want to make sweet delights with them. Roll on British summer!