STRAWBERRY CRISP
If you like to be outside during those beautiful, not too hot yet, spring days, you pick strawberry farms offer a great way to spend time outdoors, and also gives you something fun to do with the kids, while teaching them about farming and showing them where their food comes from. Plus, you will get a much better price on all of those succulent, red berries.
When I was a child, we basically were outside every day in warm weather, from sun up till sun down. Not like kids today, who are always inside playing on some electronic device. And I think we were the better for it.
Even as a kid, I loved Jersey strawberries fresh from the fields. Although my father did not grow strawberries, we had an abundance of fields to choose from to pick them. After we would pick what we wanted, my dad would keep working and filling up quarts to sell on the side of the road. This would give him a little extra cash for himself, and I think to bring back the good memories he had of "huckstering" the harvest with his dad.
So, if you have never picked your own strawberries, you may be wondering how it is done. The first thing to know and remember, is that strawberries DO NOT ripen after being picked. You will want to pick only the ripe ones, mostly red, not green. A little white is okay, but pick them as red as possible. You gently grab the stem just above the strawberry and pinch it off, making sure the hull is still attached to the strawberry. If you pull the strawberry off of the plant, leaving the hull on the plant, the berry becomes damaged and can be subject to bacteria. The damage will greatly reduce the shelf life of the strawberry. Also, if you pull the strawberry off of the plant without pinching the stem, you could damage the plant itself.
Once you get those berries home, you will want to wash them asap before storing them. This will get rid of any dirt and bacteria that may be on the berries. After washing, make sure you dry them. Also, remove any damaged berries right away. Then, use a paper towel to store your berries to absorb any excess moisture. Never slice your berries until you are ready to use them, store them whole. Fresh berries do not last very long. You can store them in the refrigerator, for probably just several days, that's if they all haven't gotten eaten yet. 😁 Freeze any berries you do not plan to use right away. But just know that freezing does change the texture of the berries.
When making any fruit crisp, I like to use fresh, in season fruit. But of course you don't have to. But if you use frozen fruit, make sure you thaw the fruit first, then drain it thoroughly, before mixing it with the other ingredients. Now, what you will need for this Strawberry Crisp:
FOR THE FILLING: 6 cups of fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered - 1/4 cup of white sugar - 1 tsp. of vanilla extract - 3 Tbsps. of cornstarch
FOR THE TOPPING: 1 cup of all purpose flour - 3/4 cup of old fashioned oats - 2/3 cup of white sugar - 2/3 cup of packed light brown sugar - 1/2 tsp. of salt - 3/4 tsp. of cinnamon - 1/2 cup (1 stick) of butter, melted
INSTRUCTIONS: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Grease a baking dish with butter and set aside. Combine the chopped strawberries and sugar in a large bowl, and mix until the strawberries fully absorb the sugar. Add in the cornstarch and vanilla and stir until all of the strawberries are coated. Pour into your prepared baking dish. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, white sugar, salt and cinnamon. Pour in the melted butter and stir well to combine, making the topping crumbly. Sprinkle the crumb mixture evenly over the top of the strawberries. Bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes. This crisp is so good served warm, topped with vanilla ice cream. Enjoy my friends.
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