With temperatures soaring lately, it feels as though summer’s finally come. We can shake off the shackles of limiting our seasonal menus to forced greens, potatoes, and jams from last year, and start thinking about what’s ready now. When I think of summer, I know that one fruit in particular leaps to the forefront of my culinary imagination: the strawberry.
Nearly any farmer’s market stand worth its salt has got bare root starts or plants that you can grow in your own garden. Growing strawberries is relatively easy, too – just plant them in rows and give them plenty of straw manure or cow dung for nourishment. Strawberries like full sun best, and if you plant an ever-bearing variety (ask your grower), you can be rewarded with fresh, sweet berries all summer long.
Strawberries are known for being versatile: they’re commonly used in jams, eaten fresh, and (my personal favorite) as the sweet fruity topping on a tasty strawberry shortcake.
Strawberries have a history rife with folklore. Though one 12th century abbess warns against eating strawberries, as they grow on the ground where snakes and toads crawled, many others have since then described their merits in glowing terms. Recently, the Cosmopolitan magazine I picked up (even we green types tend to stray towards mainstream media at times) named the strawberry the “sexiest” fruit. Indeed, the strawberry seems to be nearly synonymous with sex. They were sacrificed to Venus, the goddess of love, and the Virgin Mary. Legend says that if you break a double strawberry and share it with someone, the two of you will fall madly in love.
The strawberry’s powers pervade outside the bedroom, as well. The French have cultivated them for numerous digestive discomforts, and the ancient Romans believed the strawberry relieved melancholy and bad breath. Strawberries are also believed to cure inflammations, fevers, throat infections, kidney stones, gout, fainting spells, and blood, liver, and spleen diseases.
Whether you’re looking to fall in love, have sweeter breath, or simply stand more steadily on your feet, celebrate one of our best-loved native fruits this month by fixing up a tasty strawberry shortcake. In the spirit of keeping the oven off, I suggest using purchased angel food cake in this recipe, although you can certainly whip up some homemade biscuits if that’s more your taste.
Strawberry Shortcake
1 purchased angel food cake, cut into 2” thick square slices
3 cups strawberries, de-stemmed and sliced
½ cup heavy cream
1 cup whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla
3 tbsp sugar
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
In bowl, mix whipping cream, vanilla, 1 tbsp sugar, ginger, and cinnamon. Beat with electric mixer until stiff peaks form. Set aside.
Mix strawberries and remaining sugar. Layer strawberries onto angel food cake, and top with the whipped cream you made earlier. Enjoy!