A berry sweet spring treat is capturing the national spotlight this month—providing even more incentive for savoring the season’s selection.

National Strawberry Month in May calls for the celebration of the beloved berry amid peak picking season. Across the country, pick-your-own customers and eager marketgoers are seizing the abundance of juicy blooms—especially in Virginia, where strawberries are grown on 231 farms spanning 277 acres, according to the U.S. Census of Agriculture.

Refreshing and sweet, strawberries also offer various health benefits. They’re high in vitamin C, a good source of fiber, and contain carotenoids and flavonoids that may be good for health, according to Virginia Cooperative Extension.

While delightful on their own, strawberries can elevate a variety of desserts and dishes. This strawberry asparagus salad with lemon vinaigrette offers bright, balanced flavors with a variety of spring favorites. Pickled strawberries with fresh herbs are a great way to extend the strawberry harvest while bringing a unique taste to tossed salads and charcuterie boards.

To keep ripe strawberries fresh after picking, place the berries on a cookie sheet in the refrigerator with a cotton towel laid over top to help them last longer.

To find fresh strawberries near you, visit the Virginia Grown website.

Spring Strawberry Asparagus Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette

5 cups baby spinach (or tender young spinach with the stems removed, torn into pieces)
3 cups arugula
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons lemon or garlic-infused extra virgin olive oil (plain works too)
4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1-2 tablespoons honey
salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups sliced fresh strawberries
1½ cups fresh asparagus, trim the fibrous bottom portion of the stem if necessary and cut into ¼" thick slices on the diagonal

Optional garnishes:

crumbled feta or goat cheese
candied pecans
thinly sliced red onions
shaved fennel
microgreens

Wash spinach and arugula; set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and 1 tablespoon of honey. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the additional 1 tablespoon of honey if desired. Re-whisk, and set aside.

Combine spinach and arugula in a large bowl, and toss to combine.

Add 2 cups of the spinach and arugula blend to each serving plate. Top with strawberries and asparagus, and drizzle with the prepared vinaigrette.

Top with optional garnishes to serve.

—Recipe courtesy of Chef Natalie Ortiz, Warrenton Farmers Market


Pickled Strawberries with Fresh Herbs

2 pounds strawberries (ripe, but still firm)
10-12 sprigs of fresh thyme
8-10 fresh basil leaves
2 teaspoons black peppercorns
2 wide-mouth canning jars
1½ cups water
13/4 cups distilled white vinegar
1¼ cups white sugar
1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger

Thoroughly rinse the strawberries, and remove the tops. Rinse the herbs.

Divide the peppercorns between the two jars. Add some herbs, then some strawberries, and keep adding layers until the jars are packed to the top.

In a nonreactive saucepan, combine the water, vinegar, sugar and ginger. Bring to a boil, and stir to completely dissolve the sugar. Let simmer for 5 minutes.

Pour the hot pickling solution over the strawberries. Let cool down to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate.

They will be ready as soon as 12 hours after you refrigerate them, but the flavors will intensify over the following seven days, and you will taste the difference.
Tightly sealed, these will keep refrigerated for up to three weeks.

Discard once they start to ferment.

—Recipe prepared by Chef Tammy Brawley on Real Virginia, Virginia Farm Bureau’s weekly television program.