This story was originally published in June 2024.
Strawberry season is here in Maine.
Whether you pick your own strawberries or purchase them from a local farm stand, there is nothing quite like the taste of fresh Maine strawberries. You can eat them all by themselves, but if you want to get creative with the bounty of the season, here are five things to make with your fresh Maine strawberries.
Strawberry tart
This rustic strawberry tart is a perfect way to celebrate strawberry season. Plus, it’s lower maintenance than making a pie. Instead of rolling out the dough to fit into a pie plate, neatly adding a top crust and prettily fluting the edges, you simply roll the dough into a circle, plop the berries in the center and flip the edges toward the middle.
Strawberry shrub
Shrubs, also known as drinking vinegars, are an old-fashioned fruit syrup, preserved with vinegar and mixed with water or alcohol to make a tangy, refreshing beverage. Strawberries make for delicious shrubs, and you can enjoy the sweet taste all year round if you make a batch (though we doubt it’ll last that long because it’s so delicious). Just follow the basic steps for making shrubs for a delicious summertime drink.
Strawberry rhubarb pie
Sweet strawberries and tart rhubarb are a perfect combination for pie. Plus, in the early summer time, both strawberries and rhubarb are ripe and plentiful at farm stands and farmers’ markets.
Fragoncello
Like its citrusy cousin limoncello, fragoncello is an alcoholic strawberry drink that is surprisingly easy to make yourself. Follow the basic steps for making limoncello, but use diced strawberries instead of lemon zest for a totally new flavor for this classic aperitif.
Strawberry compound butter
Compound butter is simply a mixture of butter with sweet or savory mix-ins to give it an extra punch of flavor. Fresh diced strawberries are delicious in compound butter with a pinch of orange zest and honey. Spread the final product on fresh biscuits for a delightful summer treat.
