(5/2020) At the very end of May for the 4 years, Hollabaugh’s has held an Annual Strawberry Festival. The festival features local strawberries in all their glory! Although there is no strawberry picking available, there is plenty of delicious ways to eat strawberries and lots of fun activities for children. This year, our 5th Annual Strawberry Festival is planned for May 30 and 31. I cannot wait!

Strawberries hold a very delicious and sentimental place in my life. Having grown up in New York, strawberry season did not come until the end of June. I vividly remember as a child being forced into a hot, not air-conditioned vehicle with my grandmother, mother and sister to drive a short way to a local, pick-your-own strawberry field. I also vividly remember hating every sweaty moment of it.

At the time I simply detested strawberries. The strange little visible seeds made me think of someone with bad skin. And in my child’s mind there was absolutely nothing tasty enough to warrant an entire day of baking under the summer sun when a pool trip would have been much more to my liking. I also remember my grandmother always sneaking a few strawberries here and there and giving me the "don’t tell your mother" look. My grandmother was quite the rebel.

Fast forward some 30 years and I cannot get enough of fresh local strawberries. I only eat fresh strawberries once a year – when they are fresh and local. I still find picking them to not be my favorite activity, but freshly picked strawberries is a flavor that cannot be rivaled. The smaller the strawberries the better! The hot sun, that I am still not always in favor of, works a beautiful and delicious magic on these little red fruits. Some of my all-time favorite ways to eat them are as a great sweet topping for a fresh salad or with some coconut whipped cream. But my all-time favorite is to slice some up as a topping for vanilla ice cream or take both and blend it in a milkshake form - both of which Hollabaugh’s provides in an extremely delicious way during Strawberry Festival.

Regardless of how I eat my fresh local strawberries, what means even more to me is remembering my grandmother during this time each and every year. She passed away from cancer when I was 12. Leading up to her passing there were some bad days where the person I knew seemed to slip away. But there are many memories that remain untainted, even if they were not my favorite moments at the time. I always find it strange how something so simple and subtle, so ordinary, like the smell of fresh strawberries, can trigger a huge wealth of memories. If I were a behaviorist or a scientist, I would be able to explain all about nerve synapses or how certain areas of the brain store certain memories. But I am not either of those and cannot scientifically explain it.

I am someone, though, who takes great comfort that we are wired this way. For all of us who have had a loved one pass, or loved ones who live far away, we can appreciate the way that who we love is tied to the everyday ordinary. These everyday ordinary ties keep my family and my friends with me always. No activity or experience is too small to become a memory, a memory that lasts eternally in your friend or family member’s heart and mind. So regardless of what is happening right now in your life, take the time to make an everyday ordinary moment with someone you love.

Frozen Strawberry Pie

Ingredients:

• 20 ounces strawberries
• 4 ounces sugar (approximately 1/2 cup)
• 1/8 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 1/4 ounces tapioca flour (approximately 5 tablespoons)
• 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• 2 9-inch homemade or store-bought pie doughs
• 1 egg yolk whisked with 1 teaspoon water

Cooking directions: Wash the berries and pat dry. Mash up half of the strawberries in a small bowl. In a medium bowl, whisk together the sugar, salt and tapioca flour. Add the mashed strawberries, orange juice and orange zest and stir to combine. Let the mixture sit for 15 minutes. Fold in the whole berries. Line a 9-inch pie plate with aluminum foil. Place the strawberry mixture into the foil and place in the freezer until solid, approximately 6 to 8 hours. Once the filling is frozen, remove from the aluminum foil and wrap in plastic wrap and store in a freezer bag for up to 3 months.

Strawberry Panna Cotta

Ingredients:

• 1 pound fresh strawberries
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin powder, (1 envelope)
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream

Cooking directions: Puree the strawberries until very smooth. Push the puree through a fine mesh sieve to remove the seeds and set aside. Place 6 4-ounce ramekins on a baking sheet and set aside. (I also use ice cube trays to make "bite-size" desserts.) Add the milk to a medium saucepan. Sprinkle the gelatin evenly over the surface and let stand for 10 minutes.

Add the salt, sugar, and pureed strawberries to the gelatin mixture. Heat over high heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture reaches 135EF. This should take about 2 minutes. While stirring constantly, add in the vanilla and heavy cream. Transfer the mixture to a medium bowl set over ice. Stir frequently until the mixture cools to 50EF, about 10 minutes. Strain the mixture into a large measuring cup or pitcher and distribute evenly among the ramekins. Cover the baking sheet with plastic wrap, making sure not to disturb the surface of the cream. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Unmold from ramekins and serve immediately.

Make ahead tip: Panna cotta will keep for up to 3 days covered with plastic wrap and stored in the refrigerator.

Coconut Whipped Cream

Ingredients:

• 1 (14 ounce) can full-fat coconut milk, refrigerated for 24 hours
• 1–3 tablespoons powdered sugar (add to taste)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cooking directions:

First, place your mixing bowl and beater in the freezer for 5-10 minutes to chill. When you are ready to make the coconut whipped cream, remove the mixing bowl from the freezer. Then carefully remove the can of coconut milk from the refrigerator without shaking or tipping it. Remove the top of the can, then use a spoon to carefully spoon out the thick layer of coconut cream that should have separated to the top of the can and transfer it to your chilled mixing bowl. (You will not use the layer of coconut water that has settled to the bottom of the can.)

Using a whisk attachment, beat the coconut cream on medium speed for 2-4 minutes, or until the cream becomes light and fluffy and small peaks form. Add in your sugar (or other sweetener) and vanilla extract, and beat until incorporated.

Serve the coconut whipped cream immediately or transfer to a sealed container and refrigerate until ready to use. If the whipped cream becomes too firm in the refrigerator, you can re-whip it to reach the desired consistency.

Upcoming Events:

We have so many great things planned for the spring and summer. Please bear with us as we adapt and adjust as is allowed and appropriate during this uncertain climate, however. Visit our website – www.hollabaughbros.com for the current status of our events.

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