Strawberry sets can be purchased now at your favorite nursery or garden center. Some varieties produce fruit only in the spring, while others will produce for the rest of the summer. The best way to have a continuous supply of strawberries is to plant a combination of these two kinds. If you have limited space and/or weeding capacity, a strawberry pot would be a great way to furnish yourself (and maybe your family and friends, depending on your appetite for these gems) with berries.

A strawberry pot has pockets that can be used to root the runners that grow from the main plant on top. This works well for places with long growing seasons, but for our area, why bother waiting for these to develop? To get the most strawberries this summer, plant a single strawberry starter in each pocket as well as on top. To do this, just fill the pot with good quality potting soil until you get to the first pocket. Turn the container over to remove the plant, and score the roots with a knife if they are bound, and spread them out a little. Place it into the pocket from the outside and cover with more potting soil. Continue until you've filled it to the top, then plant one or two there as well. Strawberries do best in a sunny spot and need to be kept well watered. If your strawberry pot is very tall, insert a tube pierced with holes down the center to pour water into. Enjoy watching them flower, then fruit!

To cultivate a whole strawberry patch, keep a few things in mind: a sloping spot often works best for perfect drainage, the soil should not be alkaline, and rich organic matter added to the soil gives rise to a plentiful crop. A southern sloping spot gives rise to earlier blooms, which however can be susceptible to early frost. There are a number of different strawberry planting techniques, which can depend on whether your spot will be a permanent patch or a year-to-year planting. The Encyclopedia of Organic Gardening recommends figuring out your family's capacity for strawberries first, and that you will get 50-75 quarts from spring-bearing (75-100 from everbearing) per 100 feet of row. Providing you can eat or make jam of this many strawberries, and you have enough space, a strawberry patch can be easy and fun for the whole family.

Let's face it, though, eating them is the best part. Strawberries are great in shakes, muffins, desserts, pancakes….just about anything. Here are some unusual suggestions:

Strawberry Salad

1 pint fresh strawberries
1 head of your favorite lettuce
1/2 Cup pecans or walnuts, coarsely chopped
1 Cup finely chopped celery
1/4 Cup olive oil
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. honey
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

Layer lettuce, then nuts, chopped celery, then the whole strawberries (minus the stems) on plate(s). Mix rest of ingredients and pour on salad. Chill and serve.

Strawberry Soup

3 3/4 Cup sliced strawberries
3 Tbsp. honey or molasses
2 1/2 tsp. cornstarch
1/2 Cup fresh orange juice
2 more Tbsp. honey
1/2 Cup sour cream, yogurt, or tofu yogurt

Add honey to sliced berries and stir to coat. Set aside for an hour or so. Drain the berries, reserving the juice. (You should have 1 1/2 cups strawberry juice and 2 1/2 cups berries.) Put the juice in a blender, add half the berries, liquefy. Pour this mixture in a saucepan and heat to boiling. Dissolve cornstarch in the orange juice and stir into the boiling puree. Cook a minute or two, until the mixture is thick and translucent. Cool slightly, add second
honey and remaining berries. Chill completely, swirl in sour cream/yogurt or just dollop on top. Makes 4-6 servings.

Strawberry Sandwiches

— a fun presentation

To make four delicious summer sandwiches, first wash and hull 4 cups of fresh strawberries. Slice half of them and mash the other half. Combine the sliced and mashed berries, reserving enough slices to garnish the tops of the sandwiches. Spread the berry mixture on a slice of bread, cover with another slice, add whipped cream or sweetened vanilla yogurt to the top and sides of the sandwich. Garnish with some sliced berries and eat! (hint: use some silverware for this).

Salads
By Pamela Lee, from the May 1998 Newsletter
In the final scene of a Maeterlinck play, the stage is covered with dead and dying characters. The young heroine whimpers, "I am not happy here." Then, the head of the ancient noble house raises his head to ask, with dying breath, "Will there be a salad for supper?"

For most of us, salad has assumed an important place in the menu. There are times when the meal is not completely satisfying without a tossed green salad, either before the entrée or after to clear the palate. The word "salad" comes from the original version of this dish; once all salads were light and green, the edible parts of tender herbs and green plants seasoned only with salt. Now, "salad" encompasses a lot more than the tossed green. There are bean salads, potato salads, coleslaw, composed salads, molded salads and more. The first three recipes are from a lovely big book called The Complete Encyclopedia of Vegetable and Vegetarian Cooking by Christine Ingram. Although I had this article spurring me on to try new recipes, the book's photographs are so luscious looking that they are inspiring in themselves. This encyclopedia makes me hungry just looking through it! Without further ado, I'm going to share recipes for some of my favorite salads.

Chicory, Carrot and Arugula Salad (Serves 4-6)

3 carrots, coarsely grated
about 1/4 cup chopped fresh arugula or watercress
1 large head chicory
For the dressing:
3 T. sunflower oil
1 T. hazelnut or walnut oil (optional)
2 T. cider or wine vinegar
2 t. honey
1 t. grated lemon rind
1 T. poppy seeds
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Combine the carrot and arugula in a large bowl and season well.

Shake the dressing ingredients together in a screw-topped jar, then pour onto the carrot and greens. Toss the salad thoroughly.

Line a shallow salad bowl with the chicory leaves and spoon the salad into the center. Serve lightly chilled.

Scandinavian Cucumber and Dill (Serves 4)

2 cucumbers
salt
2 T. chopped fresh chives
2 T. chopped fresh dill
2/3 cup sour cream
freshly ground black pepper

Place the slices in layers in a colander set over a plate to catch the juices. Sprinkle each layer well, but not too heavily, with salt.

Let the cucumber drain for up to 2 hours, then lay out the slices on a clean dish towel and pat them dry.

Mix the cucumbers with the herbs, sour cream and plenty of pepper. Serve as soon as possible.

Crunchy Cabbage Salad with Pesto Mayonnaise (Serves 4-6)

Note: Both the pesto and the mayonnaise can be made for this dish. However, if time is short, you can buy them both ready-prepared and it will taste just as good.

1 small or 1/2 medium white cabbage
3-4 carrots, grated
4 scallions, finely sliced
1/2 oz. pine nuts
1 T chopped fresh herbs: e.g. parsley, basil, and chervil
For the pesto dressing
1 egg yolk
about 2 t. lemon juice
7/8 cup sunflower oil
2 t. pesto
4 T. plain yogurt
salt and freshly ground black pepper

To make the mayonnaise, place the egg yolk in a blender or food processor and process with the lemon juice. With the machine running, very slowly add the oil, pouring it more quickly as the mayonnaise emulsifies. Season to taste with salt and pepper and a little more lemon juice if necessary. Alternately, make by hand using a balloon whisk.

Spoon 5 T. of mayonnaise into a bowl and stir in the pesto and yogurt, beating well to make a fairly thin dressing. (The remaining mayonnaise will keep for about 3-4 weeks in a screw-top jar in the fridge.)

Using the food processor or a sharp knife, thinly slice the cabbage and place in a large salad bowl.

Add the carrots and scallions, together with the herbs and pine nuts, mixing thoroughly with your hands. Stir the pesto dressing into the salad or serve separately in a small dish if preferred.

The next recipe is from Great Food Without Fuss edited by Frances McCullough and Barbara Witt. The heart is the tender center of the head of celery and is sometimes available packaged separately. Or, pull off the outer ribs of celery until you reach the tender interior stalks. If you don't have the black vinegar, use balsamic vinegar instead.

Celery Hearts with Peppercorn Dressing

2 lbs. celery hearts
Spicy peppercorn dressing:
1 t. freshly ground white pepper
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 T. sesame oil
2 T. minced scallions
1 T. minced ginger root
1 T. Chinese black vinegar
2 t. sugar
1 T. minced scallion greens, for garnish

Rinse the celery hearts and peel away the tough skin, if any. Trim the ends and cut away any leaves. Cut the celery stalks into 3-inch lengths and then cut crosswise into thin slices about 1/8 inch thick. Heat 2 quarts of water until boiling and drop the celery slices into the boiling water for 30 seconds. Remove and immediately immerse in cold water. Drain thoroughly and pat dry. Place the slices in a large bowl.

To make the spicy peppercorn dressing, heat a dry wok until hot and add the white pepper. Stirring constantly, cook over medium heat for about 1 minute, until fragrant. Transfer to a bowl and add the remaining dressing ingredients. Mix to blend and then add to the celery slices. Toss to coat. Transfer the slices to a serving platter and sprinkle the minced scallions on top. Serve at room temperature.

Serving suggestions: In China this dish is served as a snack, accompanied by other tidbits, all carefully balanced in color and flavor. If you're using this as a first course, you might want to add some julienned green or red pepper strips to the celery.

This next recipe is from the May 1996 issue of "Eating Well Magazine." It is one of my all-time favorite pasta salads. Though the author calls for (wheat) pasta shells, the thin spiral-shaped quinoa pasta (in the Coop's bulk pasta section) works very well in this dish, and unlike pure corn pasta, the quinoa will hold up in the refrigerator if you have leftovers.

Pasta Salad Nicoise

(Makes about 8 cups, for 4 servings.)

2 cloves garlic, crushed and peeled
1/2 t. salt
2 7-oz.cans solid white tuna packed in water, drained and flaked
1/2 cup diced bottled roasted red peppers
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives or scallions
1/4 cup chopped pitted black olives
2 T. drained capers
2 T. olive oil, preferably extra-virgin
2 T. balsamic vinegar
2 T. fresh lemon juice
1/2 t. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 t. red-pepper paste, such as harissa (optional)
3/4 lb. small pasta shells

With a chef's knife, mash garlic and salt into a paste. Transfer to a large bowl and add tuna, peppers, basil, chives or scallions, olives, capers, oil, vinegar, lemon juice, pepper and red-pepper paste, if using. Toss gently to combine. Let stand for 15 minutes to allow the flavors to blend.

Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling salted water, cook shells until al dente, about 10 minutes. Drain in a colander and rinse under cold water until cool. Press to remove excess water. (Note: If not serving immediately, toss the pasta shells with 1 t. oil. Refrigerate the shells and the tuna mixture separately for up to 1 day.) Add the pasta to the tuna mixture and toss gently to combine.

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