Strawberry Fields Forever: Tips and tricks for Quebec's strawberry season

It's strawberry season, and there's nothing quite like a sweet, petiteQuebec-grown berry.

But finding the idealstrawberryis not always the easiest task.

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With more than 40 years of strawberry-growing experience behind him,Richard Wera,the owner of a u-pickoperationin Waterville, Que., knows justhow to select the right fruit.

Wera says that when you're picking berries off the plant, the colour is a key indicator of ripeness.

"You have to make sure they are entirely red. You have to pull away the fruit and look on all sides, to make sure the back is not green,"he told CBC'sDaybreak.

"If it's not completely red, it will not be as sweet."

Colour is crucial,as strawberries stop ripening once they're plucked off the plant. Even though they may continue reddening, strawberries remain as tart as they were when picked.

This makes findingthe perfect strawberries at the grocery quite the feat.

But it's not impossible:

• Ripe berries should be red, and squishybut not too squishy. If they're firm, it's likely they're tart.
• The skin of the berries should also besmooth. Beware of leathery-looking strawberry skin, as it means the berry is likely old.

Wera recommends that if you do buy strawberries in the store, buy local. In order to ship strawberries from afar, farmers must pick them before they ripen.

Dominic Lalonde, the chef at Plateau hot-spot Majestique, refuses to buy anything but Quebec strawberries. He'd more readily slash an item from his menu than buy American especially Californian fruit.

Storing the fruit also takes technique.

If strawberries are good, they should only have a two or threeday life spanonce ripe.

If berries are lasting for longer than threedays, that may actually be a negative sign.

PabloRojas, achefat the farm-to-table restaurantProvisions 1268inOutremont,recommends storing the strawberries out of the fridge.

"They lose their sweetness in the fridge," he told CBCDaybreak.

If you're not eating ripestrawberries immediately,Wera recommends freezing them.

In order to keep them from sticking together, he lays them out on a cookie sheet and freezesthemfor about half an hour, until they firm up.This keeps them from sticking together, making them easier to use later on.

He then tosses them all in a zip-lock bag and puts them back in the freezer.

Wera will often defrost the strawberries months later, cooking them down into a jam or using them as decoration.

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Your strawberries are overripe? All is not lost.

Lalonderecommends adding sugar and cooking them down into a compote or a jam.

And when they're unripe? That's more difficult. If they're still green, Rojas pickles the berries.

Hissimple pickling recipe involves adding the berries to a mix ofvinegar, sugar, and spices most often star anise, fennel seedandblack pepper.

Wera, too,hascreative ways to keep the fruit exciting throughout the season.

One of the strawberry farmer'seasy, unconventional options isblending berries, egg whitesand sugar or honey to make a strawberry meringue. With fresh Quebec strawberries, he recommends dropping them in a glass of champagne.

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Rojaslikes to turn strawberries into simple syrup.

To do that, he takes strawberry leaves, a bit of the fruitand then sugar and water. He cooks the mix down into a syrup andadds it to all sorts of drinks.

Otherwise, Rojas describes himself as a bit of a strawberry purist, serving the berries fresh and almost always in desserts.Occasionally, however, he'll puree the berries and toss them over some foie gras.

Lalondealsosticks to the classics: strawberry shortcake, strawberry sorbetand strawberry mousse. He tosses certain strawberry varieties the sweet and firm ones into salads or on top of fish. His bottom line is to preserve the integrity of the berry.

"I let the product speak for itself," he told CBCDaybreak.

Another of Lalonde's favourites? StrawberryPavlova. Below is his recipe:

DominicLalonde's Strawberry Pavlova

Strawberry compote

• 8 cups of strawberries, quartered
• 1/4 cup sugar
• juice ofonelemon

Mix the strawberries, sugarand lemoningredients together in a pot and bring to a simmer, cooking for5 to10 minutes.

"Iprefer not to cook my compote all the way, so there's still texture to it," Lalonde adds.

For the meringue:

• 2 egg whites
• 1/2 cup sugar

In a mixer, whisk the egg white until foamy. Add the sugar andwhisk until firm peaks form, about 8 minutes. Spread ina thin, even layer on a baking sheet and cook at 175F for 2 hours.

Plus:

• Raw strawberries
• Whipped cream
• Roasted pistachios or hazelnuts
• Fresh mint leaves

To assemble: