Recipe Of The Week: Strawberry Bread

Strawberries are perhaps American's most popular fruit.  They are extremely versatile and are easily adaptable to most areas of North America.  Strawberries burst on the summer scene with a flare of color and flavor in June in most areas.

To start your own strawberry patch, buy plants from a reputable nursery to avoid spreading disease.  Plant strawberries in the spring, setting the crowns at ground level so no roots are exposed.  Allow 24 -inches between plants and 4-5 feet between rows.  This is the hardest part...Remove any and all flowers that develope the first summer to help promote growth in the mother plant and the daughter plants that develop from runners.

To get more even spacing, runners can be hand spaced, allowing a minimum of 4-inches between plants.  Spacings of less than four inches will decrease the size and yield of your bed.  Too many strawberry plants inhabit production just like weeds do.

Weed control is critical during the first summer.  Frequent hoeing around the mother plant before runners set and tilling between the rows is advisable.

In the fall, cover the rows with clean straw mulch.  Straw with a lot of weeds in it will seed new weeds all over your strawberry patch.  The mulch will protect the plants from extreme cold and will keep the ground from going through root damaging freeze/thaw cycles.  Remove the straw in the spring once new growth is beginning and put it in between the rows.  It will make picking more pleasant and help keep the weeds from growing.

Strawberries are irresistible picked fresh from the garden.  The ones that make it to the table, are excellent plain, with sugar and milk, in pies, in sauces, or cooked into jam.

Nutritionally, strawberries are a good source of vitamin C, folate and potassium.  In addition, they have bioflavonoids that help reduce the risk of cancer.

Yield:  1 quart equals 1 and 1/2 pounds
1 quart fresh equals approximately 1 pint of frozen mashed or sliced (yield depends on the size of the strawberry)

STRAWBERRY BREAD

3 cups of flour
2 cups of sugar
1 teaspoon of salt
1 teaspoon of soda
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
3 eggs, well beaten
3/4 cup of vegetable oil
2 1/2 cups of sliced strawberries, drained
1 cup of chopped pecans (optional)

Combine all dry ingredients.  Add eggs and oil, stirring briefly.  Fold in berries and nuts.  Spoon batter into two 8x4 buttered loaf pans.  Bake at 350 degrees about 1 hour.  Freezes well.