The Weblog
May is National Strawberry Month; the Market is Open!
Good evening to everyone. The Wednesday Market is open for orders. Please place your order by Monday at 10 p.m. Orders are ready for pick up on Wednesday between 3:30 and 6 p.m. See the website for a complete listing of this week’s product offerings. Here is the link: http://wednesdaymarket.locallygrown.net/market
It’s May, and that means it is National Strawberry Month! Have you ever gone to a “pick-your-own” strawberry farm? My mother and I have taken my boys strawberry picking a couple of times and it was lots of fun. The children marveled at the discovery of fat, shiny red berries peeking out beneath the broad leaves of the strawberry plants. They wanted to eat the berries as soon as they plucked them off the stems.
I have fond memories of helping my grandmother pick strawberries from the patch in her backyard. As family stories go, one day I got hold of a very stubborn strawberry that refused to be picked. Turns out it wasn’t a berry at all – it was Grandma’s big toe, with a red-painted toe nail!
We at The Wednesday Market are fortunate to have several strawberry farmers in our midst. Strawberry season doesn’t last forever, so be sure to enjoy them as much as possible in the next few weeks.
Ask my son Charlie what his favorite flavor of ice cream is, and he will answer “strawberry” every time, and last year for his birthday, he requested a strawberry cake. Here is a recipe for Strawberry Lemonade that I’ll bet you’ll enjoy as much as my boys do!
Strawberry Lemonade
Ingredients:
2 cups water
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
1 cup fresh lemon juice
1 pint fresh strawberries, hulled and halved
2 cups cold sparkling water or club soda
Ice
Mint sprigs, garnish
Whole strawberries, garnish
Directions:
In a medium saucepan, bring the water and sugar to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves. Add the lemon peel and lemon juice, stir, and remove from the heat. Let cool completely, then strain into a clean pitcher.
In a blender, puree the pint of strawberries and add to the pitcher with the lemon juice. Stir well to combine and refrigerate until well chilled.
Add the sparkling water and stir well. Pour over glasses filled with ice and serve, garnished with mint and strawberries.
Source: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/strawberry-lemonade-recipe.html
Have a great Sunday, and we’ll see you on Wednesday at the Market!
Thanks,
Beverly