Strawberries: 50 Tried & True Recipes

By Corrine Kozlak and Kevin Scott Ramos

• Popular, proven format: Nature’s Favorite Foods Cookbooks have sold more than 20,000 copies
• 50 home-tested, strawberry-themed recipes
• Modern options for a wide variety of diets
• Full-color design with color photographs of every recipe
• Fascinating information about the history of strawberries and strawberry nutrition
• Expert tips on growing, picking, and storing strawberries
• Recipes for salads, drinks, sauces, and a variety of desserts—from ice cream to pie
• A wonderful gift for anyone who loves to garden or cook
• On trend, as seasonal ingredients are used more and more in restaurants
• Author is a professional writer, recipe developer, recipe tester, food stylist, and television/media demonstrator
• Reader experience: “With my cookbook, I make savory, nostalgic meals that keep good food on the table”

• Language: English
• Publisher: Adventure Publications
• Release date: Apr 11, 2023
• ISBN: 9781647552817

Book preview

Preface

Like the famous Beatles song, you can see Strawberry Fields Forever. And everywhere around the world, strawberries are one of the most popular—and consumed—fruits. Strawberry production is a multibillion-dollar industry that ranges from small pick-your-own farms to huge industrial farms, not to mention countless home gardens.

Strawberries are grown worldwide, with China and the United States as the top producers.

Better yet, strawberries are good for you! One serving contains more than half of the daily recommendation of vitamin C, as well as important trace minerals. In this cookbook you will find 50 delicious, tried-and-true strawberry recipes with current cooking and baking trends considered and included.

Enjoy!

History

For such a familiar fruit, strawberries have something of a convoluted history. First off, strawberries aren’t technically berries—they are what’s known as a receptacle and the seeds are actually their fruit. Botanical definitions aside, strawberries are found in Europe, Asia, and North America, among other places. Our modern strawberries (Fragaria x ananassa) are a cultivar of two different varieties, the Virginia Strawberry (Fragaria virginiana) and the Chilean Strawberry (Fragaria chiloensis), both of which are native to the United States. Compared to their wild relatives, cultivated strawberries are much larger and firmer.

The English word "strawberry" has something of a confusing history. There are several different theories about how the fruit got its odd name. Some argue that the name pertains to cultivation somehow involving straw, but the name is much older than cultivation. Another suggestion is that strawberries are strewn around the ground and often found amid grasses, which eventually combined to produce strawberries.

Strawberries are more than just a simple food—there are myriad cultural and symbolic associations with the fruit, whether it’s references in Shakespeare (Othello, Richard III), the Beatles, or kiddos carrying around their Strawberry Shortcake dolls. Generally speaking, strawberries are largely viewed as a good—even pure—food, and their popular reputation reflects that.

Strawberry Cultivation and Consumption in the US

Strawberries are cultivated in many states, with California and Florida as the top producers. The average production per acre in California is a whopping 68,000 pounds (34 tons).The US produces an estimated 1.1 million tons of strawberries each year, with a per capita consumption of about 4.8 pounds; about 94% of all households in the United States consume strawberries.

Strawberry Nutrition

Strawberries are nutritional superstars, famous for their vitamin C. Strawberries have more vitamin C per cup than an orange. Vitamin C may lower cancer risk and prevent age-related vision loss, among other benefits. Strawberries contain potassium; manganese; iron; and folate, a B vitamin that’s important for cell function. Strawberries also have soluble and insoluble fiber that helps regulate blood sugar and support good digestion. The rich red color of the strawberry comes from anthocyanins, which have an antioxidant effect. You will find my delicious, super-healthy Strawberry, Mint, and Lemon Water Detox Drink. One more thing: there are only 36 calories per 1 cup of unsweetened strawberries, and they are gluten-free and almost fat-free.

Nutrition Facts

100 grams (1 cup sliced): 36 calories

Protein: 0.64 gram

Carbohydrates: 8 grams

Dietary Fiber: 3 grams

Sugar: 5 grams

Potassium: 161 mg

Vitamin C: 60 mg

Calcium: 17 mg

Magnesium: 12.5 mg

Phosphorus: 23 mg

Lipid (fat): 0.22 g

Courtesy of the USDA and FoodData Central: https://fdc.nal.usda.gov/fdc-app.html#/food-details/2263887/nutrients

How to Grow Strawberries

Strawberries are one of the most popular fruit plants. Strawberry plants are fairly easy to grow and are prolific under the right conditions.

There are three general kinds of strawberry plants: June-bearing, everbearing, and day-neutral. June-bearing plants produce a lot of berries in June, as their name suggests. Everbearing crops produce two crops (one in early summer, one toward the end of summer). Day-neutral plants are a bit different, as they produce