Strawberry Trivia

Who knew that the strawberry is not really a berry? It's a "receptacle." That's somewhat disappointing, or at least it sounds unappetizing. Then I learned that the seeds aren't really seeds; they're "achenes."These little structures contain the seeds, one inside of each.

Recently, I bought a quart of berries, which are not in season in Massachusetts. However, I was lured by their low price and their luscious appearance. Their taste was OK, but not great. However, after eating some whole, I sliced the rest and macerated them with a bit of sugar and some Triple Sec. Then I poured them over lemon sherbet. Turns out to be a good way to enjoy less-than-wonderful fruits.

If the berries had been better, I would have made strawberry shortcake. To me, that is an almost perfect food. (Shortcake assumes a biscuit-like cake, not an angelfood puck; whoever thought those were shortbread?) When I was younger, I can remember feasting on ripe berries and making an entire meal out of strawberry shortcake. In a few weeks, we'll have local berries. I can wait...