The Artist Forages: Strawberries
Strawberries are one of my favorite fruits, but the store-bought ones are always so bitter and flavorless that I never really want to eat them. My mom has this awesome strawberry shortcake recipe that's been passed down the line of moms for generations, but it's more sugar than strawberry. It tastes great, but it's kind of a lie because it doesn't matter if the strawberries are fresh, or in season. I think this is really what strawberries have become for most people. We've lost sight of the fact that fresh strawberries function perfectly as a fruit and don't inherently need sugar to be enjoyed.
In our ongoing quest to eat food that actually tastes good, Arianna and I took the morning off yesterday and went strawberry picking. She found this awesome fruit farm online that's near Raleigh called Whitted Bowers Farm. Rob and Cheri Bowers follow organic and biodynamic practices and have created a unique place in the state of North Carolina. I really got a kick out of talking to them about their approach to farming - it's refreshing to find people who have a true philosophy behind their work. Check out their site, and if you can, pay their farm a visit. It is well worth the effort.
I'd never picked strawberries before, only blueberries and apples, but it turned out to be really easy. They had the plants set up in raised rows, and it sort of felt like strawberry picking for dummies. We were picky about getting the perfect berries that were a deep, rich red on all sides. The kind that likes to hide behind big green leaves. In an hour and a half we picked close to 8 pounds of strawberries.
Driving home along the country roads I almost squashed a huge turtle that was slowly crossing the road. It must have been 4 inches from the car as I sped by. I guess sometimes it's good to not be able to dart - if it were a squirrel it would have probably jumped under my wheels at the last minute. I pulled the car into the grass along the side of the road and hopped out to move the turtle out of the way. It definitely hissed at me when I picked it up. I feel like we shared a moment.
I have a bunch of ideas for strawberry recipes, but I haven't gotten around to making them all yet. Arianna and I are making a pinwheel strawberry tart right now and if it works out I'll post pictures and the recipe next week. For now here's a go-to strawberry salad.
Strawberry Walnut Salad with Orange Hazelnut dressing
I've been eating tons of salad lately. I can't seem to get enough greens in me after the long season of hearty winter vegetables. This is a simple salad without a lot of ingredients - that's the point.
The toasted walnuts can be turned into caramelized walnuts without any extra work. The trick to toasting walnuts in a skillet is to not ever leave the stove! Seriously, they're toasting along, you go to open a beer and suddenly you have a skillet full of burnt nuts...
What you'll need:
8 cups field greens
10-15 strawberries, sliced
2 cups walnuts
2 tbsp butter (optional)
2 heaping tbsp brown sugar (optional)
1 cup hazelnut oil
¾ cup orange juice
1 lime
Preheat dry cast iron skillet over medium heat while you slice up the strawberries.
Toss the walnuts into the skillet (with the butter and sugar if you are going that route) and toast for about 5 minutes, stirring regularly. They're done when the smell is so awesome that you can't resist popping one in your mouth and burning your tongue. Remove to a plate and let cool.
Make the dressing by whisking together the hazelnut oil and o.j. with the zest and juice of 1 lime. Taste it and see what you think. O.J. really varies in sweetness and acidity so you might need to futz with proportions a bit.
Mix the greens, berries and nuts, and toss with the dressing until well coated. Serve immediately.
