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Strawberry Picking


I know I had you thinking about Christmas (in July!) with my last post, but the summer heat keeps reminding me that it's still, well, summer!  Last week we took my nephews to pick strawberries at Gizdich Ranch in Watsonville - one of my favorite summer traditions!  It is nearing the end of the picking season here, and the fields were full of the ripe, red berries, so it wasn't difficult to fill more buckets than we could carry.



Santa Cruz Watsonville Gizdich Ranchstrawberries Watsonville picking Santa Cruz

When my kids were young, I used to dress them in old, red t-shirts so the strawberry juice they dribbled down their chins from snacking didn't leave a lasting impression.  Like the kids, it's impossible for me to resist tasting a few of the freshly picked ones, still a little dusty from the field and warm from the sun.

With so many ripe berries, it's a fun challenge to find ways to eat and preserve them before they spoil.  My dad makes the best jam, but this year my jam attempt ended in a happy accident we are calling "strawberry syrup," which is just as delicious!  We have been so pleasantly surprised by all the ways this syrup can be used that I might just make the same "mistake" next summer!  If you want to try this at home, just boil your washed, diced strawberries in a heavy pot, add just enough sugar to sweeten them to taste, and the juice of one lemon.  I ended up with syrup instead of jam by adding the sugar BEFORE the pectin (not being able to read the recipe because I was not wearing my glasses might've been the problem).  Next time I might just leave the pectin out, since syrup doesn't need to be thick like jam, and maybe add some vanilla...

strawberry recipes Gizdich Ranch

Packaged up in pretty bottles I found at The Container Store, the syrup will make great gifts!  You can pair it with crepes, pancakes, waffles or french toast sticks (perfect for dipping!), drizzle it on ice cream or panna cotta, coat the inside of a glass and add piña colada mix to it for a Hawaiian lava flow, or stir into fresh-squeezed lemonade...

Another one of our creations is strawberry bruschetta...

strawberry recipes Gizdich Ranch
Recipe:

1 cup washed, diced strawberries
1 tsp honey balsamic vinegar  (try this one from Amazon)
brie, camembert or goat cheese
French baguette slices
basil leaves
olive oil
fresh ground pepper
pinch of sea salt

Toss the strawberries, sea salt and honey balsamic together in a bowl.  Brush the baguette slices with olive oil and toast under the broiler.  Spread cheese on baguette slices, spoon strawberries onto cheese, and top with fresh ground pepper and basil leaves. 😋


My daughter's favorite way to eat strawberries is dipped in chocolate!

I hope you find many ways to enjoy the bounty of the season!    xo...k.




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