Oregon Strawberries in the Summer

Every year, in the state of Oregon, there is the anticipation and then the lines in the morning (including people lining up even before the Portland Farmers Market opens) for the famous Hood Strawberries. They only have a season of a few weeks in June, but are so sweet, red, and juicy and clearly, people think so worth it. But of course Hoods are not the only strawberries Oregon has to offer. Let’s look at some more Oregon Strawberries in the Summer. Overall, I truly do believe after eating strawberries in many a state that Oregon strawberries truly are the best. Unlike other states, they spend a long time on the plant that distinguishes Oregon strawberries overall from other strawberries, and they are more sweet thanks to our season of warm days and cool nights and plenty of rain.

 

About Oregon Strawberries

Last month at the Portland Farmers Market at PSU, the Oregon Strawberry Commission had a stand at the market. Visitors were invited to taste four kinds of strawberries, and then with a sticker vote for their favorites. In the running that day included the varieties of (with some photos to show the comparison when they cut up):

• Sweet Ann: this relatively new varietal of has a firm shape that is a little more elongated (for instance, versus the more heart shaped photogenic Seascape, or the rounder Hoods) and a berry flavor that is not too sweet or tart and a medium firm texture. You may find these around all summer.
• Shuksan: these strawberries are among the first to appear in the market in mid to late May. With its more firm texture they are better for heat and freezing then Hoods which make them great for preserves and jams, baking, or let them soak with a little balsamic vinegar and sugar (a tablespoon per cup or two of strawberries) and pour them over desserts, or you can use them to make strawberry bruschetta. These I think had the best aroma of the four I tried here.
• Seascape: these have a longer season from late May to September – which means you can still get them now! – and have the best looking shape I think because it is a bit more firm then the others varietals (except for Albions, and many California strawberries you may find at the chain grocery stores, California has bred its strawberries to be a lot of firmer to stand up to shipping). The Seascapes has good body but not too hard. This is the type that I used in the two recipes I share below, and have a bit of tartness along with the sweetness.
• Hood: very sweet thanks to high sugar content, but are best uncooked since they are more fragile and can get mushy easily. I like them with cream, , and in ice cream, and even when they aren’t looking as pretty I just muddle them in a cocktail. They have a brief 2-3 week period when they are available may be among the most famous variety of the Oregon strawberries. Hood Strawberries are delicate so can’t withstand shipping long distances, and are always on sale to you within a day of being picked because they ripen so quickly. Hood Strawberry season is over now (though you may find it frozen or in jams and such)
  

Voting results!

Well, at least during my visit – the market was still open for a few more hours after that so more stickers went up but the ratios were still pretty much the same as you see below!

I mentioned I was going to share two strawberry recipes – both of these are very easy to make and it’s up to you whether you choose to marinate the strawberries as mentioned in the recipe with the vinegars or keep them sweet and original flavors. Seascapes can be variable in flavor, so taste and decide, while Albions, which is the other varietal with a long season (mid-May to September) I almost always tend to marinate with something to bring out more flavors. Here’s a helpful calendar of Oregon Strawberries Seasonal Availability.

And of course, don’t forget that the rest of the year check your freezer section where you will often find local strawberries available frozen – you can still support your local farmers and utilize local produce, albeit frozen! I admit sometimes I just buy frozen packages of fruit even when fresh are in season as it’s just convenient to throw into smoothies (and use less ice since already at the right temp) or eat them cold on sweltering hot days.

Recipes using Strawberries

These two recipes in particular are great because they are not desserts, they let strawberries be featured as a main dish, and they can also be made in large quantities for a group like for a picnic or potluck party. For more color, you can throw in more berries like blueberry – or add in some goat cheese.

Strawberry Farro Salad

Ingredients:

• Farro Salad
  • 2 cups Organic Farro
  • 4 cup Water
  • 2 pints of Fresh Strawberries sliced
  • 1 cup Toasted Sliced Almonds – just place sliced almonds in a heated pan and watch carefully, stirring until you smell that toasty aroma
  • 2 oz Torn Basil – or in this case, I used the pan that I toasted the sliced almonds to then fry all my sage leaves and added those to the salad instead.
• Dressing
  • 2 tablespoons Minced Shallot
  • 2 tablespoons fresh Lemon Juice
  • 1 tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon Honey
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon Mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon Salt
  • 1 teaspoon Poppy Seeds
  • 1/2 cup Light Olive Oil

Instructions:

1. Cook the Farro. Place farro and water in a pot with the four cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until tender, about 30 minutes. Drain and rinse with cool water, then drain thoroughly of all the water. Let cool completely until ready to use.
2. To make the dressing, place all ingredients listed in the dressing section except the oil in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Slowly stream in oil and let mix until smooth, creamy, and emulsified. You can also just do this by hand by whisking all the ingredients except the oil and poppy seeds until it is smooth, and then stir in the poppy seeds and while whisking, stream in the oil until smooth, creamy, and emulsified.
3. Now, it’s time to assemble the salad. In a large serving container, add the farro, 2 pints of sliced strawberries, 1 cup of toasted almonds. Toss all together, and in spoonfuls, add the dressing and mix and taste until it reaches the flavor you would like – you may not want to use all of it depending on how delicious your strawberries already are!
4. Once the dressing is all incorporated in the amount you want, add in the basil (or in my case I used crispy sage leaves) and gently toss to combine. Serve chilled or at room temperature. You can prepare this the night before and pack it with you to your picnic or party easily!

Strawberry Ricotta Sandwich

These are great as regular sandwiches to enjoy on your deck in the summer, or show off particularly red strawberries against the green and white by making them open faced and cutting them into small squares or triangles for a party.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of sliced strawberries
• 1 cup of fresh ricotta (I share how to make fresh ricotta here – just need milk and lemon juice!)
• 4 pieces of bread
• Handful of spicy greens such as watercress, spicy baby arugula, or you can use baby spinach
• Salt
• Pepper
• Optional: Strawberry marinade
  • 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • pinch of salt

Instructions:

1. Depending on how the strawberries taste, you can choose to marinate the sliced strawberries with the 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, tablespoon of honey, and pinch of salt for 30 minutes.
2. Spread ricotta on your slices of bread. Season the slices with salt and pepper. Top with a layer of the strawberries and your greens.
3. You can make half sandwiches and wrap them in parchment paper to take to a picnic – or just put on a plate and enjoy on your patio. Or, you can make quarter sandwiches which would be perfect for tea parties for a bridal and baby shower, with optional step of trimming the crusts.
   
4. Alternatively, make them open faced and cut into little squares so they can be appetizer sized.
   

What are you favorite kind of strawberries, and/or your favorite way to have strawberries that is savory or sweet?