A Different Twist

Picking strawberries was a childhood right in my home, and not one summer passed where the six of us weren't squatting kneehigh in berry bushes. It may very well have been the one assignment we never complained about.

I loved sneaking berries, just to make sure they were ripe of course, in between filling up crates. I was always impressed at how many crates my dad could stack as he carried them over to be weighed. Then watching my mother pour them into the sink to be washed, stemmed and sliced for food storage, jam, or our favorite-strawberries and cream, was magical. Such a simple, yet beautiful berry, always brings out the best in me.

I have to admit, my one regret was never sharing this celebrated experience with Gabriel. We went picking blackberries and raspberries, but somehow amidst dreaming about endless red dotted fields, we never went.

I did however have a strawberry patch of my own at one of our nine homes over the years. It thrived, and it was one of my proudest accomplishments having never successfully found my green thumb before then. I cried, literally, when at the end of one summer I painstaking uprooted my entire strawberry garden when we moved to downtown Portland. I found a place for my new patch, but there was not enough sun, and the building was scheduled to be painted; needless to say, they did not survive.

You've likely dipped your strawberries this season in chocolate, and maybe even marshmallow crème, but what about caramel?

Caramel Dipped Strawberries

Select only firm, ripe berries (you don't want them to leak)
Wash strawberries, and pat dry - leave out to dry for several hours before dipping
Warm one jar of Caramel Sweet Sauce, just until pourable
Hold strawberries by the stem and gently dip into jar of caramel sauce
Swirl around to make sure strawberry is even coated
Transfer to wax paper and let set for 1 hour

What will you do with the last available strawberries of this summers crop?