Strawberries – Hooray!

Strawberries here at the orchard usually start ripening about the 10th of June with good picking beginning about the 15th. I’ve mentioned here before my “strawberry rule”; no strawberries that aren’t local or in season. That means that I eagerly await mid-June.
Last Sunday Hunton arrived with a basket of berries that he had just picked, it was May 23rd! Nearly three weeks early. They were fabulous, still warm from the sun, with the sweet, intense strawberry flavor that only the first of the season seem to have.
We will soon have an abundance of berries and I’ll be trying out new recipes and enjoying the old favorites. I just started to use the remaining jar of last summer’s strawberry jam from the freezer. It is so good on toast or mixed with some plain yogurt.
The weather this spring has been unusual. For the first time in the thirty years we’ve had the orchard, the trees blossomed three weeks early. It’s a bit disconcerting and worrisome, a late frost can do major damage to a crop. We can only keep our fingers crossed.
Here’s one of our favorite recipes, especially for these early berries. I like it covered with lightly sweetened whipped cream.

STRAWBERRY GLACE PIE

1 quart fresh strawberries
1 12 ounce package frozen, sliced strawberries
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 9 inch baked pie shell
Make glaze by placing thawed, frozen strawberries in a saucepan with sugar and water which has been mixed with the cornstarch. Cook over low heat until thickened and clear. Cool for 20 minutes.

Arrange whole fresh berries in the pie shell, pointed end up. Pour glaze over fresh berries and chill for at least 3 hours before serving. Makes 6 servings.