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# It’s strawberry time
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/its-strawberry-time/
- Published: 2008-05-08T15:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-25T00:02:07.000Z
- Author: Guest Author
- Tags: Opinion, Santa Monica, #archive-import

*By Amanda Cushman Real Simple Food*

ON A RECENT ROAD TRIP TO PASO ROBLES to sample wines from the central coast, I noticed that strawberries are in season, big time. All the local farms along the road side had pickers loading up their boxes with beautiful large berries.

I bought a flat on the trip home and realized I may have gone a little overboard.What to do with all these beauties before they go bad?

Well one of the first things to enjoy is a simple washed berry dipped in sugar with a touch of fresh lemon juice, or try the classic Italian dessert of strawberries tossed in sugar and balsamic vinegar. The combination of sweet and acid is perfect as the berries sit and absorb the delicious syrup.

Another wonderful dessert is strawberry sorbet — easy enough to make with an ice cream machine and tastes wonderful served with a cookie.

But even after all these desserts are made, you still end up with a few pints left over. What I recommend is to hull and rinse the berries and store them in the freezer in an airtight container or bag.

That way whenever you want to make a smoothie, delicious frozen drink or sorbet you have fresh seasonal berries for a few recipes.

Amanda Cushman is a culinary educator who has cooked professionally for 25 years. She teaches privately for groups of two to 20 students. She has developed hundreds of recipes for cookbooks as well as food magazines and Web sites. She Balsamic Strawberries Serves 6 Ingredients 3 pints strawberries, hulled, halved, rinsed 1/3 cup sugar 4 Tb. balsamic vinegar Crème fraiche Procedure 1\. Combine the berries, sugar and balsamic in a medium serving bowl and toss gently. Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving. Serve with crème fraiche if desired.

Strawberry Sorbet Makes 2 pints Ingredients 3 pints strawberries washed, hulled 1/4 cup lemon juice 1/2 cup sugar 1/3 cup water 1/4 cup vodka or Framboise Procedure 1\. Puree the berries in a processor and strain out the seeds. Add lemon juice and set aside. 2\. Combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan and cook until sugar dissolves over medium heat. Cool, add liquor. 3\. Freeze in an ice cream machine. 4\. Or pour into an oblong baking pan and freeze for 4 hours. Before serving break up sorbet and transfer to the food processor in batches to create a fluffy texture.

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on May 8, 2008.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/050808.pdf?ref=smdp.com)