Diet and good health are closely linked with numerous studies showing that eating patterns that include lots of fruits and vegetables lead to better health. If you can’t get them from your own garden, it is recommended to buy fruits and vegetables that are in season to get the most nutritional benefits. You can also use them frozen or canned, as they retain many of the nutrients and beneficial plant compounds. Research at the University of Alaska Fairbanks has shown that berries, fresh or frozen or prepared as jam or fruit skin, are all sources of nutrition.
Whether fresh, frozen, or canned, whatever suits your budget and cooking style, adults should aim to consume about 1 ½ cups of fruit and 2-3 cups of vegetables per day. Currently in the US, only 10 to 12 percent of adults meet the guidelines, and even fewer children receive the recommended amounts.
Berries are the nutrition stars in the produce section. In both clinical trials and population studies, many types of berries, including strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries, reduce the risks of heart disease, diabetes, cancer, being overweight, and dementia. Eating strawberries twice a week has been linked to lower blood sugar levels, as well as many other health benefits.
If you hit the grocery store at just the right time, you’re likely to be greeted with displays of fragrant, health-promoting, deep red strawberries. With our food coming from all over the world, we see it on the market almost anytime. But mid-spring is the time when you’re likely to find the best buys for the freshest non-local strawberries. These can be quite satisfying and delicious, but because they are shipped, usually from a great distance, they are rarely as tasty as a freshly picked, locally grown berry.
Alaska is famous for berries (at least Alaskans believe so), perhaps more for the many wild blueberries, blackberries, and blackberries than for strawberries. Wild strawberries, the mountain strawberry (Fragaria virginiana) and beach strawberry (Fragaria chiloensis) in Alaska, produce wonderful small, sweet berries, but are generally not abundant in interior Alaska.
Strawberry aficionados who want the fresh-from-the-vine taste will have to wait until early to mid-July and pick some up at a farmer’s market or homegrown farm. Alternatively, you can try growing strawberries. This can be done in a sunny spot in containers or raised beds or in a well-prepared garden plot.
Choosing a variety known to grow well in interior Alaska is the most important step: Cooperative Extension Service horticulturists recommend Quinault, Albion, Seascape, Tribute, or Tristar. Most people buy new plants each year, as even “winter hardy” varieties will only survive in beds that have some moderating aspects of temperature. Check with your local greenhouses for this year’s plants and check with the Cooperative Extension for additional growing instructions.
Strawberries are perishable and will keep best in a moderately cool refrigerator in a ventilated container. Do not wash them until you are ready to use them. But remove moldy or bruised berries from the container before storing.
Combining strawberries with the Alaskan cake plant (rhubarb), which produces edible stalks from mid-June through July, is a great way to use fresh or frozen strawberries (my mouth is watering just thinking about that cake). Since nutrition is what we’re after, there are plenty of other ways to use strawberries with less sugar: add them to smoothies, slice them into a salad or on top of pancakes, or add them to your scones or cookies.
To really up the culinary ante, try roasting strawberries, making a nutritious and beautiful strawberry salad dressing, or strawberry toast for breakfast, lunch, or a snack.
Move on to avocado toast…a serving of strawberry toast can be made with a slice of whole wheat toast, ¼ cup cottage cheese mixed with 1 teaspoon honey, birch or maple syrup, and 1 teaspoon orange zest or lemon, 2-3 sliced strawberries, 1 tablespoon pickle seasoning, 2 teaspoons chopped fresh basil or mint (½ teaspoon dry), and 1 tablespoon chopped walnuts. Spread toast with cottage cheese mixture and top with strawberries, sauce, herbs, and chopped nuts.
I love a sweet and sour fruit based dressing. It can be used in green or cereal salads, seafood or chicken. Use a blender or whisk and combine ½ cup roasted strawberries, ¼ cup white balsamic vinegar, 1/8 teaspoon salt, a pinch of black pepper, 1 tablespoon honey, 1 teaspoon crushed garlic, ½ teaspoon prepared mustard, ¼ cup of cottage cheese and 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Adjust as seasonings to your own tastes.
If you don’t eat all of these right away, roasted strawberries can be used for dessert toppings on salads or in sauces and dressings. To roast strawberries, slice and halve 1 pound of berries and place in a baking dish, and toss with 1/8 teaspoon salt, 3 teaspoons sugar, and ½ teaspoon vanilla. Roast in a 375°F oven for 20-30 minutes. Store them in the refrigerator after they cool down.
Summer is a good time to think about reaching the recommended number of servings of fruits and vegetables each day. For more ideas on using strawberries or any of our delicious and nutritious Alaskan products, contact UAF Cooperative Extension at 907-474-5200 or visit our website, www.uaf.edu/ces.
