16 June 2025 Being the first fruit of the summer, I eagerly anticipate the arrival of strawberry season. And I am truly blessed to be able to get sweet, juicy, sun-ripened strawberries from a farm only two miles down the road. During their relatively short season (these are the June-bearing variety), I load up on fresh strawberries every couple of days. We eat them fresh morning, noon and night with our cereal, in salads, with quark (a fresh cheese with a Greek yoghurt-like consistency from another farm neighbour – how lucky am I?) or they are delicious eaten all by themselves. We also freeze quarts and quarts of them to be enjoyed all winter long in smoothies. After hulling (and slicing the big ones), we spread the berries in a single layer on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Once they are frozen solid, we transfer them into bags. (Pre-freezing the berries on cookie sheets makes it easy to take out just the amounts of frozen berries needed). Not only are strawberries delicious, they are also good for us. Registered Dietitian and FoodNetwork.com nutrition expert Toby Amidor puts strawberries on her list of top 25 foods for boosting immunity. She says a serving of eight strawberries contains 140 per cent of the Daily Value of Vitamin C along with other antioxidants that help fight free radicals that can harm the body’s cells. According to Amidor, there is evidence that eating strawberries every day can also reduce risk factors for diabetes and strawberries are included in the MIND Diet, an eating plan that could lower the risk of Alzheimer’s Disease by more than one-third. And there’s more good news. Amidor says freezing strawberries, if done properly, doesn’t significantly affect their nutritional composition for several months. This recipe for Spinach Salad with Strawberries and Almonds is from Amidor’s, The Family Immunity Cookbook. She published this cookbook in 2021 to help people boost their immunity through the food they eat instead of turning to supplements which “can be potentially dangerous, haven’t been properly tested, and can interact with medications.” Click here to find more of the award-winning nutrition expert’s recipes including trending recipes like sweet potato and prune stew, Asian lettuce cups and Greek chicken and rice bowls. FOOD STRAWBERRIES: BERRY NUTRITIOUS AND DELICIOUS YEAR-ROUND ARTICLE BY HELEN LAMMERS-HELPS AVAILABLE AT INDIGO/CHAPTERS TOP: ALICJA NEUMILER - ADOBE STOCK | TOBY AMIDOR
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