Since 1926, the Agricultural Review has been a free newspaper published by the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. For many years, The Tar Heel Kitchen was a featured column written by the department’s marketing home economist.
These recipes tended to be seasonal with just a handful of ingredients. We thought these recipes needed to be shared in a new format. The Tar Heel Kitchen post will unearth a few of these timeless recipes each month. This week we are revisiting the June 1, 1981, issue and a a delicious way to enjoy fresh North Carolina strawberries.
It’s strawberry time in North Carolina, and pick-your-own farms, grocery stores, farmers markets and roadside stands are teeming with the delicious berries. York Kiker, former NCDA&CS home economist, offered readers good advice when picking and storing strawberries.
“Consumers are urged to be good pickers whether ‘picking’ berries from the market or the farm,” wrote Kiker. “Always look for berries with a full red color and a bright luster, firm flesh, and the cap stem still attached. If you pick your own berries at the farm, observe the rules of the grower and good handling techniques. Always break the stem of the strawberry by pinching between the thumb and forefinger,” Kiker added. “Pulling the strawberry from the plant can loosen the cap, bruise the fruit or damage the plant.” She recommends refrigerating your berries once you get them home, and washing them immediately before using. “Fresh strawberries and cream, shortcake, sundaes, tortes – take your choice. Strawberries alone are low in calories. When we feel we can splurge with calories the following recipe is delightful.”
Strawberry Cream Carnival Cake
- 2 cups whipping cream
- 1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 1/2 cups crushed strawberries (1 pint)
- 27 plain chocolate wafers
Line square pan (9x9x1 3/4) with two strips of waxed paper cut to fit width and length of pan. Allow extra inches to be used as tabs to lift dessert out. Add sugar and vanilla to cream; whip until stiff. Fold strawberries into cream gently but thoroughly. Spread 1/4 of strawberry-cream mixture into bottom of pan. Cover with 9 chocolate wafers in 3 even rows. Fill pan with alternate layers of cream mixture and wafers, ending with cream. Chill in the refrigerator 2-3 hours or overnight. Invert on serving platter. Lift off pan and gently peel off waxed paper. If desired, garnish with ruffle of whipped cream and whole strawberries.
Shoppers have a lot of choices when choosing where to buy their berries, including the department’s North Carolina Farm Fresh website. The N.C. Strawberry Association also offers a few tools to help with the search, including an app for iPhone and Android users.