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Take Your Pick: North Carolina's strawberries are finally ready to be enjoyed
Journal Photo by David Rolfe
Workers at Hedgecock’s Strawberry Farm on Abbotts Creek Church Road are seen harvesting the strawberry crop.
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Published: May 7, 2008
The strawberry season is starting a little late this year, but the berries are finally ripe for picking.
"The crop looks good even though it has been slow to ripen due to the cooler spells we experienced back a few weeks ago," said Rhonda Ingram of Ingram Farm in High Point.
"I guess you should never rush anything as tasty as a strawberry."
Most area growers have opened for business in the past week or so.
Tim Hambrick, an agent in the Forsyth County office of the N.C. Cooperative Extension Service, said that the berries need more of the sunshine we've had in the last week. "We've just had too much cloudy weather (in April)," he said.
Last year, an April freeze did some damage to crops, he said, but growers seem to have survived a few cold nights in mid-April this year without damage.
"We've got a good crop in the field. We've not had any overly hot days, and we haven't had any really cold days," Hambrick said.
Strawberries like relatively dry, mild weather once they start ripening. When it's excessively wet, they are prone to disease. Disease has not been a problem so far, but it can cause big problems as more berries mature.
"If you got 50 percent out there ripe and it's been hot and here comes a lot of rain, watch out," said Lewis Peacock, who grows strawberries in Kernersville.
Farmers will be carefully watching the plants if May turns out to be as rainy as April. "That's the concern now. Growers will worry more about diseases with wet, cloudy weather," Hambrick said.
The dry weather last year helped produce a good strawberry crop.
Excessive heat also can adversely affect the crop, causing plants to stop producing. If we get mostly dry and warm but not hot days this month, the strawberries should keep coming all through May and maybe into the first part of June.
Many berry lovers spend the first couple of weeks eating them out of their hands. But after a while, people typically are looking for ways to incorporate them into baked goods.
Several readers wrote in with some of their favorite ways to use strawberries.
Denise Clemson of Kernersville said that she and her husband like to eat strawberries plain. But she does make Strawberry Delight when she has lots of berries. "That's the first thing I make because it's easy and tastes so good," she said.
Pansy B. Moore of Kernersville has an interesting recipe for a no-bake pie that sweetens strawberries with melted marshmallows.
Moore, 81, has been collecting recipes for more than 50 years, and this pie is a favorite.
"The marshmallows melt so you wouldn't even know they're there," she said. "That's what sweetens it. You don't add sugar."
Ola May Bovender also has an old favorite, strawberry pecan bread. Bovender is a retired postmaster in Boonville. She recalls getting this recipe years ago off a calendar from a postal credit union.
A nice thing about the bread, she said, is that the flavor improves the next day.
Strawberry Delight
Recipe submitted by Denise Clemson of Kernersville.
1 pint strawberries
1 12-ounce container nondairy frozen whipped topping, thawed
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
¼ cup lemon juice
1 10-ounce package Lorna Doone cookies
1. Wash the strawberries, pat them dry and trim off the tops. Cut a handful in half and set aside for garnish. Slice or chop the remaining berries.
2. In a large bowl, mix nondairy topping, milk and lemon juice until smooth. Add strawberry slices or pieces.
3. Line the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch pan with the cookies. Try to keep the cookies whole, but break a few if necessary to form a full, even layer. Spread berry mixture over the cookies. Garnish with reserved berry halves. Cover and chill at least 1 hour. Serve cold.
Elegant Strawberry Pie
Recipe submitted by Pansy B. Moore of Kernersville.
32 large marshmallows
1½ cups sliced strawberries
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup whipped cream or whipped topping
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 prepared 9-inch graham-cracker crust
1. Heat marshmallows and strawberries in a heavy saucepan, stirring frequently, until marshmallows are melted.
2. Transfer berry mixture to a bowl or other container and refrigerate until very thick, two to four hours.
3. Fold lemon juice, vanilla, whipped cream and salt into thickened berry mixture. Pour into graham-cracker crust. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
Strawberry Pecan Bread
Recipe submitted by Ola May Bovender of Boonville. Bovender said that the flavor of this bread improves if stored overnight before slicing. Store lightly wrapped at room temperature. These loaves also freeze well.
3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1½ cups fresh strawberries, mashed
1¼ cups pecans, chopped
1 small can crushed pineapple, drained (if desired)
1. Heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour three loaf pans.
2. Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, baking soda and salt in a large mixing bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, combine oil, eggs and vanilla. Add egg mixture to flour mixture and mix thoroughly. Stir in strawberries, pecans and pineapple, if using.
4. Bake 50 minutes, or just until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
5. Let loaves cool in pans for 15 minutes, then turn out on a wire rack until completely cooled.
Strawberry Cobbler
Submitted by Gloria Anderson of Mocksville.
½ cup sugar plus 1 tablespoon sugar, divided use
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 cup water
3 cups strawberries, sliced in big chunks
5 tablespoons butter, divided use
1 cup all-purpose flour
1½ teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup whipping cream
1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Butter a 2-quart baking dish.
2. Combine the ½ cup sugar, cornstarch and water in saucepan, mixing until smooth. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thick. Stir in strawberries and remove from heat. Pour mixture in the baking dish. Dot with 2 tablespoons of the butter, cut into pieces, and set aside.
3. Combine the flour, remaining 1 tablespoon sugar, baking powder and salt. Blend in the remaining 3 tablespoons butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in cream. Mixture should be fairly soft. Spoon dough over the berries.
4. Bake for 25 minutes.
Where the strawberries are
Fresh, locally grown strawberries are sold at the Dixie Classic Farmers Market and the Downtown City Farmers Market in Winston-Salem, the Piedmont Triad Farmers Market in Colfax and at several area farms.
The Journal has a list of known growers in our area in the Lifestyles/Food section of www.journalnow.com.
For more area farms, contact the N.C. Cooperative Extension Service or check the classified ads in the Journal.
A directory of farms across the state is available online at www.ncstrawberry.com, the Web site of the North Carolina Strawberry Association. Another online source for markets and farms is www.ncfarmfresh.com.
In general, it's best to call a farm first to make sure it has ripe berries for picking. Many farms will take advance orders to make sure that the berries are ready to go when customers arrive. Some farms allow you to pick your own berries for a lower price; others sell only pre-picked berries.
Most farms are charging about $7 a gallon for pick-your-own and $9 for pre-picked this year.
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