Parenting Children

My children love fruit, especially berries! We go and pick them in the summertime at our local farm and I hope we have any by the time we get home with my kids in the backseat with them. Strawberries are my favorite and there are so many things you can do with them!

Did you know that California provides 88% of the nation’s strawberries, and the region is experiencing an incredibly bountiful harvest this year? With over 35,000 acres of fields across California, the growers will be picking nearly 6 million crates of delicious, ripe strawberries this week to deliver to grocery stores nationwide. Yum!

Did you also know that: strawberries contain powerful antioxidants and rank second among the top ten fruits in antioxidant capacity: one serving of strawberries contains more Vitamin C than an orange. Who knew?
* Strawberries may help reduce the risk of heart disease, fight some types of cancer and lower blood pressure. Not bad for a little delicious red berry!
* Don’t forget! The antioxidants in strawberries also aid in memory performance and may help prevent Alzheimer’s disease by reducing oxidative stress and inflammation, two key factors that can cause age-related diminished brain function.

Now here is the fun part you can go to www.calstrawberry.com for information or recipes including this amazing sounding strawberry shrimp ceviche or www.strawberryville.com for games and facts for kids.

Here is one of my family’s favorite strawberry recipes:
Strawberry Bread
2 cups fresh strawberries
3 1/8 cups all-purpose flour
2 C sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 C vegetable oil
4 eggs, beaten

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Butter and flour two 9 x 5 inch loaf pans.
Slice strawberries, and place in medium-sized bowl. Sprinkle lightly with sugar, and set aside
Combine flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt and baking soda in large bowl: mix well.
Blend oil and eggs into strawberries.
Add strawberry mixture to flour mixture, blending until dry ingredients are just moistened and divide batter into pans.
Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until tester inserted comes out clean.
Let cool in pans on wire rack for 10 minutes.
Turn loaves out, and cool completely.
Enjoy!

What is your favorite strawberry recipe?

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