Strawberries
How to store:
If you plan on eating or cooking with the berries within a day and it's not too terribly hot in your kitchen, you can leave the strawberries out at room temperature. Put them in a pretty bowl within easy eyesight so people remember to grab a few, give them a rinse, and eat them up.
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For overnight storage, however, you're better off refrigerating them, in which case you'll need to store them properly.
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When storing strawberries in the fridge, the goal is to prevent the strawberries from retaining any excess moisture, and using paper towels is a good way to do this. Line a shallow bowl or rimmed plate with several layers of paper towels or a clean kitchen towel. Place the unwashed strawberries in a single layer on the towels, cover, and chill the berries until you're ready to use them. Stored this way, very fresh strawberries will keep for several days.
A favorite farm recipe:
Ingredients
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Crepe batter
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4 tablespoons butter
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1/4 cup packed light-brown sugar
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1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
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Pinch of kosher salt
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1 1/2 cups halved strawberries
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2 tablespoons silver rum
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3 tablespoons chilled heavy cream, whisked until slightly thickened, for serving
Directions
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Step 1 - Fold crepes in quarters. Heat in 1 tablespoon unsalted butter in a nonstick skillet over medium-high, flipping once, until warm and crisp, 5 minutes; divide between 2 plates.
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Step 2 - Return skillet to heat; melt 3 tablespoons butter. Stir in packed light-brown sugar, ground cinnamon, and a pinch of kosher salt; cook, swirling pan, until darkened slightly, 1 to 2 minutes. Add halved strawberries; cook until tender, 2 minutes. Remove from heat; add silver rum.
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Step 3 - To flambe, return skillet to medium-high heat. If using a gas burner, carefully tilt pan away from you to ignite; if using an electric burner, use a lit long match held just above the sauce. When flame subsides (5 to 10 seconds), spoon strawberries over crepes. Return skillet to medium-high heat and reduce sauce until thickened, 1 to 2 minutes; pour over crepes. Whisk heavy cream until thickened slightly. Drizzle over crepes; serve.
Strawberries are a permanent crop. Strawberry season is the end of May through the end of September.