Honeyed Words: Strawberry Picking and Crêpes for Mother's Day

Strawberry Picking and Crêpes for Mother's Day · 13 May 2007

Picture of a Bowl of Strawberries

As promised, this post is about food. Also as promised, I’m going to wax prosaically about the springtime bounty in San Diego, specifically the strawberries. It’s the height of strawberry season out here, and the berries are thick and juicy on the plants. Every farmer’s market is carrying fresh picked berries, every grocery store is having a sale on berries, and, best of all, the Carlsbad Strawberry Company’s U-Pick fields are open!

Yesterday, after a morning spent in the library working on final assignments, I hijacked my boyfriend and spent the early afternoon in the strawberry fields. There was something of a country-picnic air to the operation. We drove into a dirt parking lot and approached a white wooden stand with hand-lettered signs. After paying, we were handed a bucket and let loose on the fields. Most of the pickers were families with children, so the air was thick with the raucous shouts of youngsters. It was almost like I was participating in a scene that would be photographed and later included in “The Great American Dream Collection, Scenes from Rural America.”

San Diego County has rural roots. Much of the land used to be missionary land, tribal land, or rancho land. Twenty years ago, cows, horses, fields, and groves were a common site in my hometown. But San Diego has been growing into a bona fide “city,” and places where you can connect with the rural history are increasingly rare, especially in the pricey coastal suburbs like Carlsbad. So, it was a bit nostalgic to see rows and rows of strawberries fields defiantly tucked in between the I-5 freeway and the Carlsbad auto mall.

Now that I spend quite a bit of time in Los Angeles County, I appreciate San Diego and its open spaces all the more. I find myself very affected by place and physical surroundings. On a sunny day I’m exponentially more likely to be productive than on a cloudy one. After a long drive in traffic, my energy is sapped. A buzzing downtown scene inspires me to take on large challenges, to conquer the world like the skyscrapers have conquered the horizons, and wide open spaces awaken the dreamer in me.

As my boyfriend and I staked out a row of strawberry plants that looked like it hadn’t been ravaged by other pickers, I found myself relaxed by the balmy day and in a peaceful frame of mind. Though I’ve been trying to be more environmentally aware this year, the goal of my efforts has been an abstraction. Actually getting out and getting my hands in the dirt attuned me to what it is that I’m trying to save.

Even without the mini environmental epiphany, I deemed the strawberry picking experience a huge success. For only $11.00 we picked a huge bucket full of syrupy-sweet berries that make store-bought berries taste like cheap imitations. The $11.00 also included the option to eat as many berries picked straight from the vine as you could fit in your stomach. Since I hadn’t eaten anything for lunch, I downed a considerable number while we filled the bucket. I’d highly recommend a visit to The Strawberry Company's fields to all San Diego strawberry lovers.

I do have a word of caution about picked strawberries though; don’t expect that you’ll be able to leave these in your kitchen for a week (especially not during warm weather). Unlike store-bought berries, ripe-picked berries will last one to two days before becoming overripe and possibly moldy. If you think you’ll be picking more berries than you can eat in a day, make sure you pick slightly less ripe berries for the bottom of your bucket and then separate your berries when you get home so they don’t get crushed. Refrigeration can extend the life of your berries, but you’ll notice a decrease in their flavor if your refrigerate them.

Fortunately, I had a household of willing eaters to consume the picking spoils. The berries that didn't vanish during snacking yesterday made their way into the mandatory “Cook Mom Breakfast for Mother’s Day” crêpes this morning. I almost managed not to fall into the trap of the equally traditional “Burn Mom’s Breakfast on Mother’s Day,” but was foiled by someone (who shall remain nameless) turning on the front burner, but then placing the kettle on the back burner instead and leaving my cooling crêpe pan on the activated burner . Luckily, all turned out well in the end, and we were able to feast on the strawberries before noon (oh yes, and the crêpes too).

Picture of a Plate of Strawberry Crêpes

Basic Sweet Crêpes:

These crêpes have a subtly sweet flavor that pairs well with sweet fillings. If you like a very sweet crêpe, double the sugar and vanilla.

1 cup flour
1 Tbsp sugar
1½ cups milk
½ tsp vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 Tbsp butter or margarine, melted
2 Tbsp butter or margarine, divided

Combine flour and sugar in large mixing bowl.

Gradually add milk and combine ingredients using a whisk or hand blender.

Once flour and milk are combined, add melted butter, eggs, and vanilla, then whisk or blend until smooth.

Let batter sit for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Heat 1 tsp butter (or margarine) in a 7 to 8 inch skillet or crêpe pan over medium heat. (I have not been able to master the art of crêpe making using anything but a non-stick pan. Today I used a non-stick griddle with much better success than the cast iron crêpe pan that was my only alternative.)

Whisk batter again to blend it, then pour one-third cup batter onto the hot, buttered, pan.

Rotate pan so that the batter is dispersed evenly and covers the entire surface of the pan.

Cook 1 to 2 minutes, until the edges of the crêpe turn slightly brown and the top of the crêpe is completely dry.

Using a (non-stick!) spatula, carefully flip crêpe and cook 30 seconds to 1 minute on the second side.

Transfer the crêpe to a plate to cool, and cover with waxed paper.

Repeat cooking process (this time using only as much butter or margarine as needed to prevent the crêpes from sticking to the pan) with the remainder of the batter, stacking the finished crêpes on the plate and placing a layer of waxed paper between each crêpe.

Makes about 10 crêpes.

Strawberry Crêpe Filling:

3 cups strawberries, sliced
3 Tbsp sugar
6 oz cream cheese
½ tsp almond extract
Optional – Rose and Pansy Syrup

Combine strawberries and 1 Tbsp sugar in large bowl.

Soften cream cheese by allowing to sit at room temperature while cooking the crêpes.

Mix softened cream cheese, 2 Tbsp sugar, and almond extract in small bowl.

Place 1 Tbsp cream cheese mixture in the center of a cooled crêpe. Spread cream cheese down the center, making a vertical line in the middle of the crêpe.

Spoon approximately 2 Tbsp of strawberries on top of the cream cheese.

Fold the crêpe inward from both ends, leaving the top and bottom open.

Top with strawberries. If desired, top with syrup. (I had lots of Rose and Pansy Syrup left over from the custard I made last month, and it was a nice complement to the sweetness of the strawberries.)

Breakfast, Crêpes, Dessert, Mother’s Day, San Diego Local Growers, Strawberry, U-Pick Strawberries, Vegetarian