Did you know strawberries are members of the rose family? No wonder they are so sweet. And we must love them because right now and for the next month or so, strawberries are ripe for the picking. Most of us will eat an average of three-and-a-half pounds of fresh strawberries in a year’s time!
Some of my favorite memories were spent with my Aunt Pearlie when I was a child. I would stay with her for a week or two during the summer and she had an enormous strawberry patch. I would help her pick the strawberries, take them inside and wash them, cut off the tops, and freeze them in a quart container. Her freezer was loaded with those containers of goodness. Often time, we would pull one from the freezer, wait until they got a little thawed and slushy, and eat them right out of the container. What a treat!
There are several opportunities to enjoy these delicacies of spring and summer right here at home. You can grow your own or find a you-pick-em place like Fritchey’s Gardens and Roadside Produce.
Allen and Nancy Fritchey have been in the growing business for more than 30 years. Fresh fruits, vegetables, fresh-cut flowers, and even homemade milkshakes await you at their market at 6033 Hwy 17 in Clarkesville.
When I talked to him this week Mr. Fritchey was pickin’ berries and said the pick’em part of their gardens would open by the first of May. Forewarning, he said they sell out fast.
I’m sharing a recipe with you today that I first had at a church potluck years ago, Strawberry Pretzel Salad. I think that is a misnomer. Ain’t nothing salad about this. To me, it’s more like a dessert. But if you call it a salad maybe that negates the calories. Ha! It’s so delicious with fresh or even frozen strawberries and requested in my house every year, especially from now through summer.
Ingredients:
- 6 oz strawberry Jell-O
- 2 cups boiling water
- 2 1/2 cups salted pretzels (measured before crushing)
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 8 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 8 oz package cream cheese softened
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 8 oz cool whip thawed in the fridge
- 1 lb fresh strawberries hulled and sliced
Directions:
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Pre-heat oven to 350°F. Combine strawberry Jell-O with 2 cups boiling water and stir until completely dissolved. Set aside to cool to room temperature.
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In a medium saucepan, melt 8 Tbsp butter then add 1/4 cup sugar and stir. Mix in crushed pretzels. Transfer to a 13×9 glass casserole dish, pressing the pretzel mix evenly over the bottom of the dish, and bake for 10 min at 350°F, then cool to room temp.
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When pretzels have cooled, use an electric hand mixer to beat 8 oz cream cheese and 1/2 cup sugar on med/high speed until fluffy and white. Fold in 8 oz Cool Whip until no streaks of cream cheese remain. Spread mixture over cooled pretzels, spreading to the edges of the dish to create a tight seal. Refrigerate 30 min.
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Hull and slice 1 lb strawberries then stir into your room-temperature jello. Pour and spread strawberry jello mixture evenly over your cooled cream cheese layer and refrigerate until jello is set (2-4 hours).
(Photo courtesy of Southern Bite) If it makes you feel any better about offsetting the calories in this recipe, strawberries are packed with vitamins, fiber, and particularly high levels of antioxidants known as polyphenols, strawberries are sodium-free, fat-free, cholesterol-free, low-calorie food. They are among the top 20 fruits in antioxidant capacity and are a good source of manganese and potassium.
Enjoy the recipe and please share some of your favorite strawberries recipes with all of us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/nowhabersham
