Fresh strawberries line the counter of the fruit stand on Snow Road near Old Farm Road. Photo by Jennifer Baldwin

The one-acre strawberry field behind the stand is planted and picked by the Saechao family from Fresno. They drive down every day to pick and sell the fruit on-site from April to June. Photo by Jennifer Baldwin

These strawberries are ripe and ready for picking at the Saechao family's farm on Snow Road. Photo by Jennifer Baldwin

Vicki Chupa says she tries to buy strawberries at the Snow Road stand every weekend during peak season in April and May. Photo by Jennifer Baldwin

Lucia Bruer is one of many customers who travel across town once a week to buy fresh strawberries at the Snow Road stand. Photo by Jennifer Baldwin

By Michelle Beck

It’s strawberry time! Everybody do a little happy dance, then hurry over to the strawberry stand, because the season is short. I am sure it will not surprise you to learn that I am a strawberry snob, but it is for good reason. For the most part, grocery store strawberries and those brought over from the coast are picked green, then gassed to turn them red. Unripe strawberries last longer and bruise less, but they don’t taste very good. Ripe strawberries should smell like strawberries and should be red all the way through. If they don’t have any fragrance, don’t buy them.

My favorite place to purchase strawberries is the little stand on Snow Road near Old Farm Road. The field is directly behind the stand, so the strawberries don’t have very far to travel. A very nice family, the Saechaos from up near Fresno, owns and operates the stand. They drive down every day during the season from about April to June and pick the strawberries ripe. During the peak of the season, the strawberry smell surrounds the stand. They also operate a second stand on Taft Highway in Pumpkin Center.

Strawberries are versatile and delicious in a variety of ways. Sliced strawberries go very well over ice cream or in a milkshake. Homemade strawberry-cheesecake ice cream is easy and well-received by friends and family.

Sliced strawberries are also wonderful over pound cake or angel food cake. Some people like to put them on the “Twinkie cups” found at the grocery store, but they are very processed. Strawberry shortcakes are always a popular option as well. I am still experimenting with gluten-free shortcakes, with edible, but not terrific, results. If anyone has a terrific gluten-free shortcake recipe, please share!

Pavlova is a light, crispy, meringue-like dessert that originated in either Australia or New Zealand. It is named for the Russian ballet dancer, Anna Pavlova. It is similar to meringue cookies, but has a softer center. Pavlova is easy to make and naturally gluten-free. Individual pavlovas filled with whipped cream and sliced strawberries make a pretty dessert.

Strawberry-lemonade bars are a fun variation on a traditional favorite. To make them gluten-free, substitute the flour in the filling for rice flour or corn starch, and use the crust recipe from your favorite gluten-free lemon bars.

Now that the weather is warming up, strawberry margaritas are a refreshing cocktail. Just use fresh strawberries in place of the frozen ones called for in the recipe.

Chocolate-covered strawberries are such a pretty gift this time of year. Use good chocolate, though, not those dipping chocolate drops gift and party stores. It really does taste better. I like Ghiradelli’s semisweet chocolate chips, which can be found in most grocery stores. Chocolate burns easily, so I usually melt it in a glass bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Some people enjoy dipping strawberries in white chocolate, but I got sick on white chocolate as a kid, so we won’t be discussing it here.

Strawberry gelatins are a natural alternative to regular Jell-o, which is mostly made of sugar. I made them last year, and we all enjoyed them with a little whipped cream. They are made with unflavored gelatin and strawberry puree – no chemicals or artificial coloring.

If you insist on doing something non-sweet with strawberries, they go nicely in this spinach salad with strawberries and feta or this green salad with strawberries and bleu cheese.

Strawberry freezer jam is very popular in my family. It is very easy to make, and tastes great with peanut butter. I far prefer it to cooked jam. I have tried different pectins, but my favorite is the Ball freezer jam pectin found in a packet, not a box.  Winco carries both it and the plastic freezer jam jars. If you have a food processor or a potato masher, the process goes very quickly – just crush, stir and pour.

Udi’s delicious gluten-free bread (really!)

If you are gluten-intolerant, run, don’t walk, to Lassen’s and pick up a loaf of

Udi’s Gluten-Free Bread. (Be sure to leave me some!) It has a very nice texture and flavor. The primary flour is tapioca starch, with rice flour following, so it is about as nutritious as a slice of white bread. But I was excited to toast it and make a sandwich. I bought the pizza crusts, which look promising, and my former neighbor Karyn told me that the muffins are great. Lassen’s carries Udi’s in both the freezer and bread sections.