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In Michigan, where we call home, strawberry season usually lasts from mid-June until around the Fourth of July. Eating fruits and vegetables when they are in season can be a great way to incorporate them into your meals and snacks. Not only are they delicious but strawberries are a great source of vitamin C. Because fresh picked strawberries are best eaten as soon as you have picked them, it can feel like a race to try to eat them all before they have a chance to spoil.
Do you have a favorite way to eat freshly picked strawberries? I feel as though it’s impossible to choose a favorite so I narrowed it down to five. My five favorite ways to eat freshly picked strawberries are:
1. Berry & Granola Parfait
I love to use full-fat Greek yogurt, granola and an assortment of berries to build a parfait that is perfect for breakfast or a snack at any time of the day! My favorite granola recipe comes from a fellow dietitian Rachael Devaux and my family is constantly asking me to make.
2. Strawberry Summer Sheet Cake
Smitten Kitchen wrote this incredible recipe and I have made it every year since discovering it. This year I used Pamela’s All Purpose Gluten Free Flour* and topped it with whipping cream. It was the perfect dessert to share with family on the Fourth of July. Second helpings were served and I am surprised that a tiny sliver of cake still remains in the pan.
3. Strawberry Crunch Salad
How Sweet Eats knocked this salad recipe out of the park! I substituted Brianna’s Blush Wine Vinaigrette dressing* to save on time. This salad includes all of the flavor components. For me, it’s the creaminess of the goat cheese + avocado and the crunch of the pistachios + sliced almonds that has me adding this recipe to our weekly meal plan again and again.
4. Pancake Topping
The morning after we picked these berries, I sliced a bowl full of strawberries and coated them with sugar. We served them on top of warm pancakes topped with whipped cream. We served them with mini chocolate chips, maple syrup and bacon. I cannot think of a better combination for breakfast!
5. Picked Fresh in the Field
Is there anything sweeter than sneaking a taste of a strawberry in the fields while you’re picking with your family or friends? It’s like a treasure hunt for the biggest, reddest, juiciest berries. I tend to hold up the largest berries and say, “Look at this one!” I often spend the drive home from the berry farm dreaming of these recipes that I shared with you above.
Happy strawberry picking! I’d love to hear from you if you try these recipes with your freshly picked strawberries. Tag @restoreeasedietetics on Instagram to tell me which one(s) you tried and what you thought!
*This blog receives a commission for using "company name" products for the food recipes that we shared with you in our posts. Although we receive a commission for using and linking their products, they are extremely good for our food recipes and all our opinion and suggestions are unbiased.