Carol Cogliano
Hollabaugh Bros., Inc.

(5/2017) Strawberries will be coming into season in a few short weeks and personally, I can’t wait. Whether I get the chance to go to our local pick-your-own strawberry field or benefit from the local crop at my favorite farmer’s market, there is nothing like having fresh strawberries to add to your menu during late spring.

One of my favorite childhood memories is of the fresh strawberry pies that we would purchase from an annual spring festival held at a local private high school in Lansdale, Pennsylvania. Each year we would flock to the festival, boarding shuttle busses to make our way onto the campus where beautiful crafts, quilts and delicious foods would await. The highlight of this annual pilgrimage was standing in line for a fresh strawberry pie. We would stand and watch the ladies as they hulled fresh strawberries by hand, while others would be slicing and mixing them with glaze and placing them into freshly-baked pie shells. The topper, of course, was a thick layer of fresh whipped cream. The pies were pricey, but SO worth it. We’d buy a few to take home, but they never lasted long! As the years went by, we all realized that we wanted our OWN pie to take home…and one of my fondest memories was sitting with my dad in our family room after we arrived home, and attacking my own, personal fresh strawberry pie with a fork. (I don’t think I actually finished it in one sitting…but I tried!)

There are so many ways that we can incorporate fresh strawberries into our menu choices: smoothies and milkshakes, pies, shortcakes, as a topping for waffles or pancakes, syrups and sauces, dipped in chocolate, fruit salad…or simply by themselves! Be sure to enjoy the bounty of the season and try a new recipe…or dust off an old family favorite.

Strawberry Glacé Pie

What better way to enjoy fresh strawberries than in a sweet, colorful, fresh strawberry pie? The following recipe belongs to Kay Hollabaugh, wife of 2nd generation Hollabaugh brother, Brad Hollabaugh. From their family, to yours! Recipe courtesy of: The Hollabaugh Family Cookbook

Ingredients:

• 1 baked 9 inch pie shell
• 1 ½ qt. strawberries
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 T. cornstarch
• ½ cup water
• 1 T. Butter
• 1 cup whipping cream, whipped

Instructions:

1. Hull strawberries, wash in cold water and drain. Crush enough berries to make 1 cup.
2. Combine sugar and cornstarch.
3. Add crushed berries and water.
4. Cook over medium heat stirring constantly until mixture comes to a boil. Continue cooking and stirring over low heat for 2 minutes. The mixture will be thickened and translucent.
5. Remove from heat and stir in butter. Cool.
6. Place whole berries in pie shell, reserving a few for garnishing.
7. Pour cooked mixture over berries and chill for 2 hours.
8. Serve topped with whipped cream.

Strawberry Salsa

Fresh and healthy strawberry salsa is the perfect addition to your meal or party. Serve with tortilla chips for a fun spin on traditional salsa. Recipe courtesy of: www.runninginaskirt.com

Ingredients:

• 1 pint fresh strawberries, diced
• ¾ cup cilantro, chopped
• 1 jalapeno, seeded and diced
• 1 lime, juiced
• ½ red onion, diced
• ¼ teaspoon salt, or to taste
• ¼ teaspoon pepper, or to taste

Instructions:

Put all ingredients in a bowl and carefully mix together.

Strawberry Sauce

Lush, thick, bright, jewel-like ruby-red in color, and bursting with fresh strawberry flavor, our Strawberry Sauce falls between a fresh cooked berry coulis and homemade jam yielding an incredibly gorgeous yet highly versatile dessert sauce—perfect for every day, holiday and special occasion desserts. After prep, this recipe is ready in just 15 minutes! Recipe courtesy of: www.wickedgoodkitchen.com

Yield: Makes ¾ cup or about 225 grams.

Ingredients:

• 1 pound (16 ounces/454 grams) hulled fresh strawberries, about 3 cups quartered
• 6 tablespoons (75 grams) organic granulated cane sugar
• 1 tablespoon (15 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice

Instructions:

1. Sort, rinse and dry strawberries before measuring and using in recipe.
2. Using a food processor, purée the strawberries. Press strawberries through a fine mesh sieve into medium saucepan; discard the seeds. Stir in sugar and lemon juice.
3. Bring fruit pulp and juices to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes while skimming foam from sides of saucepan using a slotted spoon.
4. Once the foam has been skimmed, reduce heat to medium-low and continue to cook stirring frequently until bright in color, thickened and reduced by half, about 8 to 10 additional minutes. When done, there should be ¾ cup of sauce or about 225 grams.
5. Set sauce aside to cool completely before using in recipes or serve warm as an ice cream sundae topping.

Strawberry Crumb Bars

These easy Strawberry Crumb Bars, with a buttery crust, sweet fresh strawberry filling, and crunchy butter crumb topping make wonderful dessert bars to take to a summer party, picnic, or potluck. Recipe courtesy of: www.flavormosaic.com

Ingredients:

• ½ cup white sugar
• ½ teaspoon baking powder
• 1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup (8 Tablespoons) very cold butter (1 stick butter)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups fresh strawberries
• a cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Either grease with butter and flour, or spray with baking spray, an 8x8 inch pan, or place parchment paper on the bottom of the pan.
2. Chop the strawberries and set aside.
3. In a medium bowl, stir together ½ cup white sugar, flour, baking powder and salt.
4. In a measuring cup or small bowl, beat an egg with a fork. Add the egg and vanilla to the flour mixture. Using a fork or a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the flour mixture. (Make sure the butter is very cold.) Work with the dough until the pieces are very small. Dough will be crumbly. Pat half of the dough evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan.
5. In another bowl, stir together a cup sugar and cornstarch. Stir in the strawberries. Spoon the strawberry mixture evenly over the bottom crust.
6. Crumble the remaining dough over the strawberry filling layer.
7. Bake in a preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until top is slightly golden brown.
8. Cool completely before cutting into squares. I recommend refrigerating until ready to serve.

Carol Cogliano is the Director of Events at Hollabaugh Bros., Inc. which is located at 545 Carlisle Road, Biglerville, PA 17307. Visit www.hollabaughbros.com for a full listing of their upcoming events and classes or call 717-677-8412 for more information.