Ways to make strawberries even tastier – The Denver Post

By Melissa Clark, The New York Times

Last winter was a terrible time to be a strawberry in California — and maybe an even worse time to be a strawberry farmer.

At Harry’s Berries in Oxnard, California, the rain came down so hard it flattened acres of strawberry beds “like pancakes,” said operations manager Kristopher Gean, whose grandfather Harry Iwamoto started the farm more than 50 years ago. Each bed had to be dug up by hand, costing the farm more than $100,000 in labor.

Even then, the berries that survived to make it to market were bloated, insipid and expensive. “Everyone on Instagram was complaining: ‘These berries don’t taste that good,’” Gean said. “And they were right.”

From January to March, bad weather and bland berries were the rule for farmers across California, who grow about 85% of the commercial strawberries in the United States. And the devastated crops, with their low yields, astronomically drove up prices for any berries you could find.

Things have finally turned around: California berries are back on the market, sweet as ever, and at a more reasonable cost. Strawberries from other regions are also becoming available as the weather warms, making their scarlet way to farmers markets and supermarkets across the country.

And what better way to celebrate their return than with a berry-laden dessert?

While many strawberry-filled baked goods get a little soggy from the raw berries weeping moisture into the crumb or crust, these three new recipes are different. They treat the berries before baking — simmering, roasting or macerating them — to condense their juices and allow them to hold up better in pastries and cakes.

By Melissa Clark, The New York Times

Last winter was a terrible time to be a strawberry in California — and maybe an even worse time to be a strawberry farmer.

At Harry’s Berries in Oxnard, California, the rain came down so hard it flattened acres of strawberry beds “like pancakes,” said operations manager Kristopher Gean, whose grandfather Harry Iwamoto started the farm more than 50 years ago. Each bed had to be dug up by hand, costing the farm more than $100,000 in labor.

Even then, the berries that survived to make it to market were bloated, insipid and expensive. “Everyone on Instagram was complaining: ‘These berries don’t taste that good,’” Gean said. “And they were right.”

From January to March, bad weather and bland berries were the rule for farmers across California, who grow about 85% of the commercial strawberries in the United States. And the devastated crops, with their low yields, astronomically drove up prices for any berries you could find.

Things have finally turned around: California berries are back on the market, sweet as ever, and at a more reasonable cost. Strawberries from other regions are also becoming available as the weather warms, making their scarlet way to farmers markets and supermarkets across the country.

And what better way to celebrate their return than with a berry-laden dessert?

While many strawberry-filled baked goods get a little soggy from the raw berries weeping moisture into the crumb or crust, these three new recipes are different. They treat the berries before baking — simmering, roasting or macerating them — to condense their juices and allow them to hold up better in pastries and cakes.