Strawberries!

Strawberry season has started in California. I know, it seems strange to me too but at $20 a flat and with my intense fruit cravings, I figure I had to buy them. Plus, I expect company both days of Easter weekend so I'll have plenty of help.

On my way home from the market I had at least half a dozen people comment on my crate of strawberries! Some wanted to know the price, others just oohed and awed. But the cutest was a little girl who took a deep whiff of the air and told her mom "it smells gooood!" She's right, they do smell good! I came home and engaged in my OCD strawberry ritual:

1. remove all the berries that are as ripe as they'll get before they go bad. Wash and eat those on the first day.
2. If you truly have a ton of berries, select the ripe but not borderline rotting berries. Clean them, remove the leaves, slice them in half, and spread them in one layer on a baking sheet to freeze. Place in an airtight container or plastic bag.
   
3. line a large airtight container (glass or plastic) with a dry paper towel. Starting with the least ripe berries, place the strawberries in a flat layer and alternate with layers of paper towels. I leave these at room temperature for a day or two to let the strawberries ripen naturally, then place them in the refrigerator. It's amazing; strawberries will keep a week easily this way, and I've even seen them fine after three weeks.
   

The anti-rot ritual and the fact that I know my fruit hasn't been sitting in a Safeway for two weeks are the only reasons I'm willing to buy this many strawberries in one go.