Strawberries!

This past week I stopped by one of my favorite produce markets to see if they had any strawberries ready. This time of year fresh berries are starting to appear in the grocery stores, but the best berries in my opinion are the ones that are grown locally. There is just something special about a fresh local strawberry!

Thankfully, this year’s strawberry crop is a good one in our area. They have been sad the past couple of years, but this year we have been blessed with huge, juicy berries. Perfect for any recipe, jam or just fresh eating. After making several batches of strawberry jam, the rest of the berries I brought home went into the freezer to be enjoyed later in the year. My kids love to pull out a few and add them to smoothies.

Looking for ways to enjoy fresh strawberries? A favorite in our house is compound butter. It’s the perfect topping for pancakes, biscuits or even just a slice of toast. Make it as sweet as you like, with as sweet as the berries are this year I think very little sugar will be needed, if any at all.

The possibilities are endless from fresh eating to a jar of sweet jam. So many amazing recipes for fresh or frozen berries too! Strawberry shortcake is a favorite this time of year and we can’t forget the muffins. One of my favorite recipes for frozen strawberries is a cobbler.

Enjoy this strawberry season, it’s looking to be a wonderfully productive and juicy summer for berries! Strawberries are just the beginning, soon we’ll have raspberries and blueberries to enjoy too.