Strawberry Crisp- sweet and local!

    Dinner was great, the company, the corn, all of it; delicious. It was the first time Shannon and I have shared a meal this summer, a testament to the busyness of summer living. I was glad to share the last of my strawberries with those who'd appreciate it as much as I did.

   I have a tendency to hoard things. I very much wanted to make a delicious dessert for our dinner last night, but I had a hard time parting with the last of my frozen strawberries.  We still have some jam but the berries are gone and I confess, I am little sad about it.
     
      I love strawberries, I used to keep a giant bag of strawberries in the freezer, bought at Costco shipped from Peru for smoothies in the morning. I don't feel the same about those Peru berries anymore, especially after delighting in real and fresh strawberries. No doubt I am being petulant, but I don't want peru berries, I want my berries and it's too late.  
   
     The strawberries bring a new question to my thinking- there is no local substitute for sugar, so I buy sugar, but there are local strawberries, I just didn't pick enough. Should I go without? I feel as if I should go without- I feel like doing without is part of the lesson of eating local. Having any food I want, whenever I want, is what makes industrial food production possible. 


   I am not purist by any stretch of the imagination, my rule has been if there is a local option, then I should take it. I feel as though I should follow the seasonal availability of local food, that's part of the adventure right? Maybe the reason I believe that I don't like peaches is because I never had to give them a fair shot, I'd just buy the strawberries.  Next year, I will pick more and freeze more- maybe even grow my own!


As for the Strawberry Crisp, it was delicious. I modified the Strawberry - Rhubarb Crisp recipe from Moosewood Cookbook: 

(ignore the date stamp- I really need to learn how to fix that)

Here's my version:


4 cups of the finest local strawberries
1/3 cup of white sugar
1 cup rolled oats*
1 cup flour- loon song
3 Tbs honey- buzzy bee
cinnamon- be generous
1/2 cup melted Farquar's butter


1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Slice strawberries in pan and sprinkle with sugar. Let sit.
3. Mix remaining ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Spread over the strawberry
4. Bake uncovered for 35min.
*the rolled oats were in the cupboard from before we started, Quaker Oats from Peterborough, but who knows where the oats were grown.

 

Eat and enjoy!