Strawberry moon, strawberry crisp
Nobody panic but the summer solstice is this week AND it’s strawberry season!
Good morning! Astronomical summer officially begins Friday night (at 10:41 PM ET, to be exact). Recipes to help you celebrate the longest day of the year and the start of summer are below.
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WEATHER TIDBITS
The first half of this week is looking fairly active, weather-wise. Here are the highlights -
EXTREME HEAT: It will remain toastier than toast across the Southwest early this week. Parts of southeast California and southern Arizona could top 100°F and, according to the National Weather Service, temperatures over 120°F will be possible in Death Valley, CA. The heat is expected to gradually shift across the U.S this week - moving from the central Plains to the Upper/Middle Mississippi Valley and finally to the Lower Great Lakes/Mid-Atlantic by late next weekend. The Southeast U.S will also begin to experience climbing heat and humidity values. Be sure to have a plan to stay cool and safe this week (and this entire summer!).
SEVERE WEATHER/FLASH FLOODING: A risk of heavy rain and severe weather will also meander across the country this week. Today, there will be a risk of flash flooding from southern Illinois/southern Indiana/western Kentucky into the central Appalachians due to a stationary front producing thunderstorms and heavy rain. The threat of flash flooding will lift into New England by Wednesday. Meanwhile, a threat of severe weather will move from the Plains today and tomorrow to the Midwest/Great Lakes region by midweek.
READ: Everything you need to know about the upcoming summer solstice from EarthSky.
FROM MY KITCHEN
Happy strawberry season to all!
In this day and age, you can reliably buy a lot of fruits and vegetables from big box stores at any point of the year, regardless of their growing season. But it’s hard to deny the fact that they taste so much better when they are a) in season, and b) locally grown.
Strawberries are a prime example of this. A strawberry from the produce section of Trader Joe’s during January is fine, but a strawberry from a farm stand in the middle of June? It’s night and day! In-season strawberries are so flavorful, so juicy, and so vibrantly red.
I believe strawberry season is slightly delayed where I live this year, so I haven’t been able to reliably find them at my usual markets that stock local produce yet. Lucky for me, my parents have a strawberry patch and it’s poppin’! We picked some strawberries yesterday and they were a perfect accompaniment to our Father’s Day dinner.
Last week was the Strawberry Moon, aka the full moon of June. It’s named the Strawberry Moon because, as you were probably able to ascertain, strawberries ripen in June. A Strawberry Moon called for a strawberry (and rhubarb) crisp by the fire in the backyard. We’ve been enjoying meals in the backyard a lot lately - always under the watchful eye of crumb-catching Oakley.
The final reason to celebrate this week - my husband’s birthday! Born on the summer solstice 28 years ago and as full of light and goodness as a summer solstice baby should be. Sweet as a strawberry most of the time, a big goofball all of the time. He would be honored if you would eat some strawberry shortcake in his honor this week.
RECIPE INSPIRATION
As mentioned before, astronomical summer begins this week and the occasion must be celebrated - preferably with a good meal. The following recipes scream early summer to me. They’re also heavy on the strawberries, due to my current strawberry phase. Enjoy!
Almond Strawberry Chia Seed Pudding from AllRecipes
Lemon Berry Ricotta Toast from Eating Well
Strawberry Quinoa Salad from Fit Foodie Finds
Arugula Pesto from Serious Eats
Lemony Broad Beans with Goat Cheese, Peas, and Mint from BBC Good Food
Lemon Basil Pasta from Caroline Chambers (What to Cook Substack)
Strawberry Fool from Good Life Eats
Fresh Strawberry Pie from Inspired Taste
Thanks for making it to the end of the Frost Bites Newsletter! I’ll be back in your inbox next Monday with the weather forecast and recipe suggestions. In the meantime - get outside, eat good food, and remember all weather is ice cream weather.