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Strawberries, Strawberries!

Source of Recipe

by Grandpoohbah, from allrecipes.com

The Strawberry Story
As springtime gently settles across the land, we are getting ready to kick off one of the most anxiously anticipated events of the year: strawberry season! We find it impossible to resist these plump, glistening, ruby-red gems winking at us from the grocery store displays, farmers' markets, and roadside stands everywhere. The tart sweetness of these berries is the height of perfection whether they are drizzled with cream, dipped in chocolate, sliced over ice cream, or simply scarfed out of the basket on the way home from the market. Packed with vitamins A, C, and B6, and boasting a meager 48 calories per cup, strawberries are an indulgence that you won't regret in the morning!

Your Nose Knows
When you are buying strawberries, you should let your nose be your guide. The aroma of your strawberries should make your mouth water. If it doesn't, either you don't like strawberries (highly unlikely!) or the strawberries are not really ripe (entirely possible!). When strawberries are farmed on a large, commercial scale, they are often picked while they are still green, in order to help them stand up to shipping. Unfortunately, even though strawberries will continue to get redder and softer once they have been picked, they will not get any sweeter. So, a basket of strawberries may look tantalizingly red, but if you cannot catch a whiff of their ripe, sweet fragrance, you'll probably be disappointed with their flavor.

If you do manage to get your strawberries home without eating them all, make room for them in the refrigerator. If they did not come in a ventilated container with a plastic lid, place them in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and poke several holes in the plastic. This storage method is intended to allow the berries to breathe, but also prevent them from losing too much moisture. Strawberries will decay much more quickly after they've been washed, so hold off until you are ready to use them.

Check the DESSERTS folder for these splendid strawberry recipes:

Joy's Prizewinning Trifle:
http://www.recipecircus.com/recipes/Magnolias/DESSERTS/Joy39s_Prizewinning_Strawberry_Trifle.html

Strawberry Angel Food Dessert:
http://www.recipecircus.com/recipes/Magnolias/DESSERTS/Strawberry_Angel_Food_Dessert.html

Melt-away Strawberry Shortcakes:
http://www.recipecircus.com/recipes/Magnolias/DESSERTS/Melt-away_Strawberry_Shortcakes.html