Strawberry Season

It's finally Spring, and you know what that means, it's Strawberry Season!!! Down here in South Louisiana we are truly blessed with incredible local Ponchatoula strawberries. They are just the right balance of tart and sweet, and almost never too hard or sour. These ruby red berries are sold everywhere this time of year, and for super cheap! Even Walmart sells our local crop, and for only $1.25! With that price it's hard to resist eating them in almost everything.

While they're great on their own (or dipped in Nutella), one of my favorite ways to eat these delicious berries is in a fresh summer salad. Toss it with some fresh greens, yellow corn, and whatever other vegetables you have in the fridge and you have a gourmet (and healthy) lunch. I like to add some soba noodles or goat cheese for a little extra flavor and top it off with some olive oil and balsamic. Sprinkle it with a little black pepper and sea salt and viola- delicious!

But there are only so many strawberries you can eat before they go bad, so if you're like me and Mackenzie and your eyes are larger than your stomach you can always make some home-made strawberry jam (which is exactly what Mackenzie is doing now. Simply boil down the berries, add some sugar, lemon juice and zest and you have yourself some good old fashioned home made jam.

If this just got you in the mood for some scrumptious strawberries get excited because Strawberry Fest is in two and a half weeks!