Guide

Fruit and Vegetable Guide

Strawberries

Spring, Summer

Description: The first berry of the season, strawberries are plump, sweet red fruits with tiny seeds dotting their exterior. There are two types: the traditional June bearing and the day neutral, which bear all summer long.

Selection: Choose plump, bright red berries with fresh green caps attached. Avoid limp, wilted, moldy or bruised berries as well as those that have white or green parts. They will not ripen after picking.

Storage and handling: Ripe strawberries don’t keep well, but they can be refrigerated for 1-2 days. Handle gently as they bruise easily. Immediately before serving, swish in a bowl of cold water. Do not soak.

Preparation: Remove caps and slice as desired. While strawberries are usually eaten raw, they can be cooked in desserts or jams. To obtain the most flavor, mash or crush the berries.

Serving suggestions: Halve, quarter or slice fresh berries and sprinkle with a little sugar (not necessary if berries are very sweet), let stand 5-10 minutes to allow juices to form and serve as is or over shortcake. Add sliced fresh strawberries to salads of fresh greens. Try them in a chilled fruit soup (SIS, p. 42).

Nutrients: Vitamin C; anthocyanin antioxidants; fiber.

1 lb raw = 2 2⁄3 cups
1 lb cooked = n/a

The Fruit and Vegetable Guide is reproduced here with permission of Herald Press, publisher of Simply in Season.


	Guide General Tips Apples Asparagus Beets Blueberries Broccoli Brussels sprouts Cabbage Carrots Cauliflower Celeriac Celery Collards Corn Cranberries Cucumbers Edamame Edible flowers Eggplant Fennel Grapes Green beans Kale Kohlrabi Leeks Lettuce Melon Mesclun Mushrooms Okra Onions Parsnips Peaches Pears Peas Peppers Persimmons Potatoes Pumpkins Raspberries Rhubarb Rutabagas Spinach Summer squash Strawberries Swiss chard Sweet potatoes Tomatillos Tomatoes Turnips Wild greens Winter squash Fruit and Vegetable Guide Strawberries Spring, Summer Description: The first berry of the season, strawberries are plump, sweet red fruits with tiny seeds dotting their exterior. There are two types: the traditional June bearing and the day neutral, which bear all summer long. Selection: Choose plump, bright red berries with fresh green caps attached. Avoid limp, wilted, moldy or bruised berries as well as those that have white or green parts. They will not ripen after picking. Storage and handling: Ripe strawberries don’t keep well, but they can be refrigerated for 1-2 days. Handle gently as they bruise easily. Immediately before serving, swish in a bowl of cold water. Do not soak. Preparation: Remove caps and slice as desired. While strawberries are usually eaten raw, they can be cooked in desserts or jams. To obtain the most flavor, mash or crush the berries. Serving suggestions: Halve, quarter or slice fresh berries and sprinkle with a little sugar (not necessary if berries are very sweet), let stand 5-10 minutes to allow juices to form and serve as is or over shortcake. Add sliced fresh strawberries to salads of fresh greens. Try them in a chilled fruit soup (SIS, p. 42). Nutrients: Vitamin C; anthocyanin antioxidants; fiber. 1 lb raw = 2 2⁄3 cups 1 lb cooked = n/a The Fruit and Vegetable Guide is reproduced here with permission of Herald Press, publisher of Simply in Season.
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