A few suggestions for serving fresh strawberries

We’re all enjoying strawberry season in Niagara, and there are still lots of the delicious fresh berries available at roadside stands, farmers’ markets and at local farms.

They are best enjoyed soon after picking, and once you get them home, there are so many delicious ways to serve them.

The Local’s Joy Sanguedolce chooses the simplest preparation — slice them in half and serve with a bit of shortcake and fresh whipped cream.

Strawberry Peach White Sangria

Rick Jorgensen and Colleen Cone of OLiV have a special treat to enjoy during strawberry season: a strawberry peach white wine sangria with fresh fruit and strawberry peach white balsamic vinegar to create a delicious, refreshing drink that would be perfect out on the patio on a warm summer day.

1 ¼ cups white wine

¾ cup orange juice

½ cup pineapple juice

3 Tbsp OLiV Strawberry Peach White Balsamic Vinegar

Strawberries - halved

Peaches (fresh or frozen) sliced

¼ cup Sprite or 7UP

Mix juices, wine & balsamic. Add fruit and mix again, making sure the balsamic is emulsified.

Add ice to two large wine glasses. Add Fruit to each glass. Divide Sangria into the 2 glasses.

Top with the Spite or 7UP and garnish with a slice of orange or strawberry on the rim of the

glass. Serves two.

Another of Colleen’s favourite recipes she loves to share is a strawberry spinach salad, another easy, colourful and delicious way to serve local fruit when its fresh.

Strawberry Spinach Salad

16 ounces Spring Mix with spinach

16 ounces fresh strawberries, hulled & sliced

½ cup feta or blue cheese

½ cup chopped pecans

1/3 cup OLiV Basil Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1/3 cup OLiV Strawberry Dark Balsamic Vinegar

2 tsp maple syrup

1 tsp Dijon mustard

Salt and pepper (to taste)

Whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, maple syrup, mustard; salt and pepper until well combined. Set aside.

Combine spinach, strawberries, cheese and pecans in a salad bowl. Toss with dressing and serve

Strawberry Crisp

Kathy Hunter has been a volunteer at the St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church Strawberry Festival for many years, and is accustomed to contributing delicious strawberry treats for sale to the bake table. When it’s strawberry season, she has a favourite recipe for apple crisp, passed down by her mother, that she turns into a strawberry crisp. She agreed to share the recipe with the Local.

Makes about 6 servings

Crisp topping:

1/2 cup organic flour

3/4 cup oats

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1tsp. cinnamon

1/3 cup butter

Fruit:

6 cups of strawberries cut up

3/4 cp sugar

2 tbsp water

1 tbsp lemon juice

For the topping: Combine flour, oats, brown sugar and cinnamon. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly. Set aside.

For the fruit: Arrange strawberries in a greased 9-inch casserole dish. Sprinkle with sugar, water, and lemon juice. Sprinkle topping evenly over fruit. Bake at 375 degrees for about 40 minutes.