The CookingBites recipe challenge: strawberries

My strawberry patch is that mass of dark green... I've not had chance to thin the plants out yet. It really should only have half that number, if that!

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The earliest are just starting to flower. The rhubarb is top right.
 
SatNavSaysStraightOn said:
It might not be creative to you, but it's a totally new concept to me despite me often putting grapes, pomegranate seeds, apricots, apples and a few others in main course dishes.
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We always have a supply of dried cranberries on hand. My wife wants them in every tossed salad. I've used apples and cherries as well and strawberries. I think a moderate amount of fruit in an otherwise savory salad makes a great addition. I sometimes conjure up a vinaigrette that includes cherry jam which works very well. The opportunities to use fruit in savory dishes is nearly endless.
 
blades said:
We always have a supply of dried cranberries on hand. My wife wants them in every tossed salad. I've used apples and cherries as well and strawberries. I think a moderate amount of fruit in an otherwise savory salad makes a great addition. I sometimes conjure up a vinaigrette that includes cherry jam which works very well. The opportunities to use fruit in savory dishes is nearly endless.
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We use fruit a lot, barberries are fantastic and are excellent in rice dishes and more. I've now got my own bush to grow my own but they are an excellent dried berry to have around.

There are always fresh and dried dates, prunes, apricots (we have our own trees), apples (again own trees) and pears (again own dual graft pear trees), raspberries (own canes, 2 varieties), and strawberries (own plants, 2 varieties) around.

I suspect I've got cranberries somewhere if I didn't use them all making pear chutney last year. I can't immediately think of any other dried fruit we keep in, except for the dehydrated pear sliced and dehydrated plum slices we make ourselves from our own fruit.

We've always got pomegranates, kiwi, passion fruit (own vines), figs (again own trees) and our own grape vine. I've not yet managed to get fruit from the damson, quince or nectarine trees but they are looking a lot healthier after 5 years of TLC... I think about the only thing we don't have in the house at all is pineapple.

There's no shortage of fruit here.

I have just never used strawberries in a savoury salad before (or raspberries, blackberries etc).

Which reminds me, we have 2 redcurrant bushes, and logenberry canes as well. And there's a huge & very productive lemon tree as well as 2 olive trees.

Sadly I no longer have any Kentish Sour cherry trees. Perhaps that should be my next tree? Kentish sour cherries are excellent in rice salad.
 
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SatNavSaysStraightOn said:
We use fruit a lot, barberries are fantastic and are excellent in rice dishes and more. There are always fresh and dried dates, prunes, apricots (we have our own trees), apples and pears (again own trees), raspberries (own canes), and strawberries (own plants) around. I suspect I've got cranberries somewhere if I didn't use them all making pear chutney last year. We've always got pomegranates, kiwi, passion fruit (own vines), figs (again own trees) and our own grape vine. I've not yet managed to get fruit from the damson, quince or nectarine trees but they are looking a lot healthier after 5 years of TLC... I think about the only thing we don't have is pineapple.

There's no shortage of fruit here. We consume more than 300% of our recommended levels.
I have just never used strawberries in a savoury salad before (it raspberries, blackberries etc).

Which reminds me, we have 2 redcurrant bushes, and logenberry canes as well. And there's a huge y very productive lemon tree as well as 2 olive trees.

Sadly I no longer have any Kentish Sour cherry trees. Perhaps that should be my next tree?
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Wow. You have a veritable orchard. We have only a couple of apple trees and a plum tree. We have hundreds of sugar maple trees. They grow like weeds around here. I'm constantly clearing them out of the areas around the house. Perhaps one day I can start collecting and cooking down the sap from some of them. I tried to set up some bee hives once and my wife put an end to the idea. So maple syrup and honey come from the supermarket.
 
blades said:
Wow. You have a veritable orchard. We have only a couple of apple trees and a plum tree. We have hundreds of sugar maple trees. They grow like weeds around here. I'm constantly clearing them out of the areas around the house. Perhaps one day I can start collecting and cooking down the sap from some of them. I tried to set up some bee hives once and my wife put an end to the idea. So maple syrup and honey come from the supermarket.
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I'm on a sheep range in rural, but not remote, south east Australia. The father who built the house back in the 60's ran the "local" grocery store and grew everything they stocked. Most of the fruit now goes to waste simply because the supply outstrips demand or the wild birds eat it before it's ripe. We've netted off several trees. The apples are best cooked because of their texture but the 2 pear varieties are excellent. 1 tree alone usually yield around 100kg of fruit each year. And there are 5 or 6 pear trees, and similar with apples. It would be really nice to get something off the nectarine trees but they have been badly neglected and were diseased when we first moved in 5 years ago.

I've also a very large veg plot and many borders growing our herbs and spices. I harvest all my own coriander seeds now, for about a year's supply and we use a lot of coriander. I'd like to try cumin next. I didn't have any luck with curry leaves or ginger, it's not frost hardy enough for our area.

One advantage of being a gardener and vegan is that we do grow a lot and eat a lot of what we grow.

There's a What's going on in your garden (2023)? thread in the The Veg Plot, & Growing to Preserving forum
 
SatNavSaysStraightOn said:
I'm on a sheep range in rural, but not remote, south east Australia. The father who built the house back in the 60's ran the "local" grocery store and grew everything they stocked. Most of the fruit now goes to waste simply because the supply outstrips demand or the wild birds eat it before it's ripe. We've netted off several trees. The apples are best cooked because of their texture but the 2 pear varieties are excellent. 1 tree alone usually yield around 100kg of fruit each year. And there are 5 or 6 pear trees, and similar with apples. It would be really nice to get something off the nectarine trees but they have been badly neglected and were diseased when we first moved in 5 years ago.

I've also a very large veg plot and many borders growing our herbs and spices. I harvest all my own coriander seeds now, for about a year's supply and we use a lot of coriander. I'd like to try cumin next. I didn't have any luck with curry leaves or ginger, it's not frost hardy enough for our area.

One advantage of being a gardener and vegan is that we do grow a lot and eat a lot of what we grow.

There's a What's going on in your garden (2023)? thread in the The Veg Plot, & Growing to Preserving forum
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I'm a rural dweller also with some acreage. Our only crop is hay and I have others handle that. I used to grow veggies and herbs but advancing age makes it problematic for me. My wife used to keep Paso Fino horses, hence the hay field, and she finally gave that up for the same reason. It's a good place to live. Lots of freedom and quiet. I understand the benefits of rural living. The main issue for us the 30 mile round trip to the grocer. Everything else arrives by delivery truck.
 
blades said:
The main issue for us the 30 mile round trip to the grocer. Everything else arrives by delivery truck.
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We struggle to get any deliveries at all. Getting workmen is even harder.

Most courier companies leave things at the rural supplies store or a local garage mechanic. But they don't tell you and you have to guess when, where and which one. I'm not joking.

It's 65km each way for the closest shopping of any form unless the rural supplies store stocks it and is actually open. We can't get any of the usual deliveries... the doctors, chemist and other such services are a touch closer at 55km (each way). So if I don't grow it, we don't have it unless it's in the monthly shop or weekly grocery shop. Luckily our postbox is closer at this property than our previous one which was 5km away, but if it isn't left in the postbox it's a 32km trip to pick it up from the post office which isn't open at weekends...
But this isn't remote or unusual here. And it was similar in the areas of the UK we've lived in. The only difference is the state of the roads. They're better in the UK. Here when it rains, our dirt road is usually washed away leaving us needing a full 4×4 to get out (along with chainsaw and other handy implements). And when it rains heavily, we're left with an 80km (each way) diversion because city folk can't judge flood water depth for ½km of road that a floodplain. Too many have had to be rescued so now they just close the road even to 4×4s that could easily manage it. (There's no current on it, so very little chance of the road actually being washed away because it's a sealed road at that point across the flood plain.) And it's a manned closure, so they'll prosecute for ignoring it. Fines are hefty and come with points on the license as well. We've talked out way out of it once, there was no road closed sign at the top of the hill and we live inside the 32km section they closed off, so didn't know. Now they put many more road closed signs up so we know we won't get away with it again.
We've just had to start storing much more food at home as a result. We're off grid for everything except electricity as it is. Even our internet is satellite just to make life fun. No telephone line to the house.
 
SatNavSaysStraightOn said:
We struggle to get any deliveries at all. Getting workmen is even harder.

Most courier companies leave things at the rural supplies store or a local garage mechanic. But they don't tell you and you have to guess when, where and which one. I'm not joking.

It's 65km each way for the closest shopping of any form unless the rural supplies store stocks it and is actually open. We can't get any of the usual deliveries... the doctors, chemist and other such services are a touch closer at 55km (each way). So if I don't grow it, we don't have it unless it's in the monthly shop or weekly grocery shop. Luckily our postbox is closer at this property than our previous one which was 5km away, but if it isn't left in the postbox it's a 32km trip to pick it up from the post office which isn't open at weekends...
But this isn't remote or unusual here. And it was similar in the areas of the UK we've lived in. The only difference is the state of the roads. They're better in the UK. Here when it rains, our dirt road is usually washed away leaving us needing a full 4×4 to get out (along with chainsaw and other handy implements). And when it rains heavily, we're left with an 80km (each way) diversion because city folk can't judge flood water depth for ½km of road that a floodplain. Too many have had to be rescued so now they just close the road even to 4×4s that could easily manage it. (There's no current on it, so very little chance of the road actually being washed away because it's a sealed road at that point across the flood plain.) And it's a manned closure, so they'll prosecute for ignoring it. Fines are hefty and come with points on the license as well. We've talked out way out of it once, there was no road closed sign at the top of the hill and we live inside the 32km section they closed off, so didn't know. Now they put many more road closed signs up so we know we won't get away with it again.
We've just had to start storing much more food at home as a result. We're off grid for everything except electricity as it is. Even our internet is satellite just to make life fun. No telephone line to the house.
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So you are like a pioneer woman. I am saddled with satellite internet as well. It is a challenge since I make my living on the internet. I have to get up in the middle of the night to backup the web server. You know the drill. I'm not quite as remote as you are. We have a supermarket a mere 24km from home with more shopping in the area. The entire trip to that area is paved. I feel like I live in luxury. :wink:
 
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