Days in the Life Blog: Farm to Oven: Strawberries

Hello Everyone,

I have decided to add some of my baking to the blog. Just yesterday we went strawberry picking at a farm in a little town here in Wisconsin. I have been going strawberry picking since I was a wee one and was able to share this experience with the Mr. for the first time. He loved it {at least, I hope}! We came back with about 10 lbs of strawberries, so I decided to bake. I originally got this recipe from Barefoot Contessa, but I altered it a little to accommodate my strawberries.

Strawberry Crisp:

8 cups strawberries
Zest of 1 lemon or orange {I used lemon}
1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
1 1/2 cups plus 2 to 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour {I always use unbleached}
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup quick-cooking oatmeal {I used regular oatmeal and it baked just fine}
1/2 pound cold unsalted butter, diced

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter the inside of a 9 x 12 baking dish.

Cut the stem out of 8 cups of strawberries. {I left them whole.} Add the lemon zest, 1/4 cup sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, and 2 tablespoons of flour. Toss well. Allow the mixture to sit for 5 minutes. If there is a lot of liquid, add 1 more tablespoon of flour. Pour the strawberries into the baking dish and gently smooth the top.

Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, salt, oatmeal, and the cold, diced butter {I used salted butter, so did not add the salt, which turned out just fine} in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the butter is pea-sized and the mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle evenly on top of the strawberries. Bake for 1 hour until the top is browned and crisp and the juices are bubbly. Serve immediately with ice cream of your choice {just the way I like it}.

Let me know what you guys think! It's the perfect summer dessert! Nice and refreshing.