Food Gallery

Red and ruby, fresh strawberries are the jewel of spring. I saw some fresh organic strawberries at my farmers’ market this weekend, so I bought a basket. When strawberries come into season, you need to grab them fast because the really sweet ones are in season for only a few weeks. (Sure, you see them at Safeway for many months but those are hothouse strawberries that have been forced to turn red but taste like plastic.)

The fresh strawberries by the family farmer were so beautiful that I was inspired to take these photos. I generally like to just eat them as is and just enjoy their goodness, instead of baking them into some dessert. But if you want, you can also add them to a salad, which is what I did in the recipe below, along with another popular seasonal item—the California avocado. This weekend, think red.