Recipes for when strawberry season hits peak deliciousness (as in right now)

In California, strawberry fields really are forever.

Strawberries are as red as anything could possibly be and, when you get a good one, more fragrant, succulent and flavorful than anything you imagined nature could create by itself.

But to a native Southern Californian, strawberries are a bit like earthquakes. We don’t give either much thought. (Or at least I don’t.) We take the little fruit — so cute with its heart-like shape, candy-apple red, dimpled exterior and charming green toupee (even the flavor-challenged ones look like the cartoon of a strawberry) — for granted.

California grows 90% of the nation’s strawberries, from as far north as Watsonville in Santa Cruz County to San Diego County. Thanks to the state’s strawberry capital, Oxnard, 60 miles north of Los Angeles, we have strawberries year-round. But peak deliciousness, where juicy, bright-red strawberries taste like sun-ripened candy, is right about now through August.

Here in Los Angeles, you can’t mention strawberries without hearing about Harry’s Berries. These strawberries, grown on an organic farm in Oxnard since the late 1960s, run $15 for 1 1/2 pints at farmers markets and up to $20 or more at specialty grocers. TikTok videos — like a lot of TikTok videos — are made where the berry is eaten in front of the camera by a skeptical-turned-drooling content creator. The varieties they grow include Mara des Bois, smaller and more fragrant than conventional strawberries; Seascape; and Gaviotas, a variety developed by the University of California Davis that has become the gold standard if what you’re looking for is a plump, red, juicy, sweet strawberry. “What have we been eating? What are the other strawberries?” asks one content creator as he bites into a Harry’s Berries strawberry.

But if the price tag scares you — or just turns you off — rest assured there is a delicious strawberry world beyond Harry’s Berries.

“My personal favorite strawberry will almost always be the Albion variety from Tamai Family Farms,” says McKenna Lelah, speaking of another variety developed by UC Davis. McKenna, through her company Handpicked by McKenna, buys from farmers markets and sells and delivers to chefs around Los Angeles. “They have a nice firm texture, and really good strawberry flavor.” McKenna explains what should be obvious but what I’d never really thought about. “Table shoppers come to farmers markets and ask, ‘What’s sweet?’” But if you’re doing something with the strawberries, like macerating them for strawberry shortcake or making a syrup, jam or dessert sauce, she says, “You can always make them sweeter. You can’t add more strawberry flavor.”

I grew up in San Diego County, and whenever I’m there, I make a stop at Chino Ranch, also famous for its strawberries. Like Harry’s Berries, Chino Ranch also grows Mara des Bois and Gaviotas, as well as both red and white Alpine strawberries, which are about the size of a thumbnail and come with the greens and a little stem attached.

What all of these berries have in common is that when you bite into one of these little gems, they’re red all the way through. They have a delicious floral aroma. And the flavor! You instantly become aware that the rest are strawberry impostors: They might be wearing that perfect little strawberry costume, but they have none of the characteristics of an authentic strawberry-flavored strawberry.

But, grown for flavor, not shelf-life, these strawberries are also delicate. They bruise easily. And by the time you put them on your counter, they’re already sliding down the back side of their lives. Who among us has not come home with a pint or several of not-cheap, gorgeous candy-apple-colored strawberries only to open the fridge the next day to see them looking withered, wilted, bruised, darkened and generally just sad.

The trick to stretching their lifespan, explains McKenna, is to take them out of their basket and put them, not touching one another, on a baking sheet lined with paper towels, and then refrigerate.

Or just start your strawberry daydreaming on your way home from the market.

Strawberry shortcake is, obvi, the classic, but don’t let your imagination stop there. If you’re a tennis fan, you’ve likely seen fans at Wimbledon eating strawberries and cream, a tradition celebrating England’s short, sweet strawberry season and a good way to go when you basically want to do nothing and let the flavor of the strawberries do all the work.

When your strawberries are verging on overripe, the best solution is to get them in a saucepan as quickly as possible. Cook them down with sugar and lemon juice into a dessert sauce or jam or the jammy layer to this ethereal, chocolaty Strawberry Forest Pie. Or make a batch of Spring Negronis and call it a party.

Another option when your strawberries are heading toward the compost bin is to save them for another day. Spread them out, not touching one another, on a baking sheet and put them in the freezer. When they’re frozen solid, transfer them to a Ziploc bag or covered container and toss a few into smoothies, milkshakes, Strawberry Jamaica Agua Fresca or a mixed berry pie.

For all the appreciation I have for strawberries, they may be one fruit that I don’t love in savory preparations, such as salad. And I’m just not sure how to feel about Strawberry-Ancho Salsa or this Strawberry-Avocado Salsa. If you’re up for it, I applaud your adventurousness.

I’ll stick with the sweet stuff!

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Strawberry Shortcake

You can’t go wrong with strawberry shortcake. I say that, and yet all strawberry shortcakes went wrong when I was growing up. I would get so excited to see the little round sponge cakes packed in plastic sold next to the strawberries in the summertime. I’d throw them, along with some flavorless berries and a can of whipped cream, into our grocery cart with so much hope and possibility. But when I got home and put them together, I was never not underwhelmed. I’m sure I’ll change my mind with this version that includes macerated farmers market strawberries on just-baked cream biscuits, topped with clouds of freshly whipped cream.
Get the recipe.
Cooking time: 40 minutes, plus 2 to 4 hours hands-off time to macerate the berries. Serves 4.

(Micah Fluellen)

Spring Negronis

Full disclosure: I co-authored barman Christiaan Rollich’s book, “Bar Chef,” from which this recipe originates. Of all the recipes in that book that I tested, this is the one that became part of my repertoire. I make a big batch, put it in a glass, flip top bottle and set it out for guests to serve themselves. It’s always a hit. And as we Angelenos know, it’s not just for springtime!
Get the recipe.
Cooking time: 2 hours 30 minutes. Makes 9 cocktails.

Strawberry Scones

You don’t see strawberries in baked goods as much as you do other fruits. This scone recipe, from Sqirl, is flexible – use strawberries, or whatever fruit you have on hand. It does require a sourdough starter (but also provides a recipe). If you don’t want to go that far, ask a baking enthusiastic friend or neighbor, and return the favor with scones.
Get the recipe.
Cooking time: 1 hour 30 minutes. Makes 8 scones.

(Ben Mims / Los Angeles Times)