Strawberry time in the Carolinas

Unlike my grandmothers, I don't get the opportunity to spend countless hours freezing and canning fresh fruits and vegetables like they used to do.  But there is one fruit I make time for every spring and that is the strawberry.

I just got off the phone with one our area strawberry producers and am very excited to learn that the u-pick operation is fully underway.  They started picking on Monday.  For me this is the sign that spring has truly sprung!

There is nothing better tasting than a juicy ripe strawberry straight out of the field.  Yum!  At some point this weekend I plan to get up early to head out for a 7:30 a.m. picking.  It will take a little while to fill my two five-gallon buckets, but it will be worth it.

My Grandma Hines was really big into making freezer strawberry jam.  She always said that freezing jam tasted more like fresh fruit when you'd put it on a slice of bread or dab a little on some cottage cheese.  I guess I would have to agree.  It is pretty tasty with the "hint" of sugar in it.  Okay, so maybe "hint" of sugar isn't correct.  I guess "cups" of sugar is more appropriate!   

My family must like the freezer jam, too, because we just finished up the last plastic jar from last year's harvest.  Time to restock!

So, what is your favorite fresh strawberry recipe?