Organic Product Review - Mileeven Strawberry Preserve

Mileeven are an Irish company based in county Kilkenny. I already stock some of their jams in my hampers but hadn't tried the Strawberry one before. When I found it on the shelf of my local supermarket I couldn't resist giving it a go.

It is quite a smooth jam, lacking the big chunks of strawberry that you may find in some products. I was slightly disappointed when I discovered this as I always love getting that surprise giant strawberry in the middle of my toast. It does spread quite easily though and this is a definite advantage to a smooth jam.

The flavor is great, it contains 45% fruit so although it is sweet, it's not too sweet which leaves the strawberry to do the talking. 

This was supposed to be my last post in celebration of the Strawberry but I have just received another product to review and tasted some great organic strawberries at the weekend so I can't resist extending my celebration.

Other Irish Blogs on Strawberries

Organic Yum-Yum doesn't have the last word on strawberries, two other great blogs have featured them recently.

To find out the best way to grow your own at home have a look at Sally Garden.

And for a great taste test of the organic strawberries found in Ireland Oliver Moore gives you the low down.

Recipe - Strawberry Smoothie Lollipops

It's almost the end of June so this is my penultimate post in celebration of the Strawberry for 2008.

I have started almost every day this month with a Strawberry smoothie and on the Sunny evenings I have been treating myself to these ice pops. Lets hope that the sun shows it's face again soon so that I can continue to enjoy this summer treat.

Ingredients

7 large strawberries

250ml freshly squeezed orange juice

1 banana

2tbsp Water

1tbsp sugar

Stir the sugar into the water and heat in the microwave for 2-3 minutes to create a syrup, this helps the ice pop to retain it's flavor when sucked.

Place all of the ingredients, including the syrup into a blender and blitz until smooth.

Pour the liquid into ice pop moulds and freeze for 8 hours.

For more organic and seasonal recipes join our mailing list on the top right of this blog.

Why Organic Strawberries?

I've really been enjoying this seasons strawberries, every week they seem to be getting sweeter and more full of flavour.

If you are living near to Enniscorthy don't miss out on the chance to visit the Wexford Strawberry Festival next weekend. It kicks off on Wednesday the 25th with a Strawberry Ball and goes on until the 29th of June. It would be worth going just on the chance of being able to sample the Organic Strawberries produced locally at the Wexford Organic Centre. 

So why should we choose organic strawberries? 

Thankfully one of the most devastating chemicals used in Strawberry production, Methyl Bromide was phased out in 2005. According to the Environmental Protection Agency the chemical was used as a pesticide both to sterilise the land before planting and after harvesting. Apart from the obvious concerns of chemical residue on the fruit itself it was found that Methyl Bromide was having a devastating effect on the ozone layer. It is also sited in the Environmental Protection Agencies Draft Guidance Note for Ozone Depleting Substances as being responsible for the deaths of some pesticide appliers. 

Unfortunately Methyl Bromide was only one of 50 chemicals that is listed by the Pesticides Action Network as being routinely used on Strawberry crops. I picked two at random from their list: Methomyl which when taken orally, inhaled or absorbed through the skin can cause symptoms which:

may include weakness, blurred vision, headache, nausea, abdominal cramps, chest discomfort, constriction of pupils, sweating, muscle tremors, and decreased pulse. If there is severe poisoning, symptoms of twitching, giddiness, confusion, muscle incoordination, slurred speech, low blood pressure, heart irregularities, and loss of reflexes may also be experienced - source extoxnet

And Thiophanate-methyl which although not anywhere near as toxic as Methomyl does cause skin and eye irritation.

So if you aren't lucky enough to be able to source organic strawberries on your doorstep try to buy from a small local supplier who is less likely to have used the full spectrum of chemicals and will be able to tell you exactly how they are grown.

Better still, why not try and grow your own next year!

Recipe - French toast with strawberries, maple syrup and mascarpone

French toast always seems a bit of a posh name for what I have always known as 'eggie bread'. Using Brioche for the toast part really does make it extra fluffy and yummy. If you can't find brioche locally a good quality bread will be an adequate substitute.

I had mascarpone as an alternative to cream in a London restaurant recently and find it goes really well with the strawberries. If it's not your thing you could use natural yogurt or cream in its place.

Ingredients

2 x Free Range Eggs

100ml Cream

2 slices of bread (preferably brioche)

25g Butter

5 or 6 Large strawberries

2tbsp Mascarpone

Maple Syrup to garnish.

Slice the strawberries.

Whisk the cream and eggs together in a bowl. 

Dip the brioche into the mixture coating thoroughly

Melt the butter in a frying pan and fry the soaked brioche for a few minutes on each side until golden. Turn out onto a serving plate. 

Scatter the strawberries over the bread and add two large dollops of mascarpone. Garnish with maple syrup and eat whist still hot.

Organic Product Review - Luscombe Strawberry Lemonade

I found this lemonade 3 years ago at a trade fair and knew from the first taste that It would go into my hampers. 

Luscombe Farm's Strawberry lemonade comes in a glass bottle and reassuringly needs a bit of a shake before you drink it as, being completely natural and organic, some of the pulp settles when it is left on the shelf.

Although labeled as lemonade the overwhelming flavor is a lovely smooth strawberry juice. The lemon adds a bite of refreshment. Although this is a sparkling drink, the sparkle is minimal so doesn't affect the taste but tingles on your tongue.

It is available in two sizes 32cl for personal use and 74cl for sharing. 

Luscombe have a great website with lots of cool cocktail recipes including one featuring the Strawberry Lemonade. It's also great just added to a drop of  vodka and ice for a cool summer drink.

Luscombe Organic Strawberry Lemonade is certified organic by the Soil Association.

Recipe - Chocolate Dipped Strawberries

The first time that I encountered chocolate dipped strawberries was in New York about 5 years ago. NYC might be called 'The Big Apple' but having seen the size of the strawberries there I think it should be renamed!

It was the winter there at the time so I'm guessing that the giant berries that I gazed at through the window of chocolate shops were neither seasonal or organic. In spite of this my passion for chocolate strawberries was sealed. This recipe is so simple I'm sure you could have come up with it yourself. Last week at the Irish Business Women conference I had some that were double dipped in both white and dark chocolate. If I get a chance I will give these a go at the weekend and update this post with the results.

Ingredients

100g Good quality organic chocolate (dark or milk)

1 punnet Strawberries

Chop the chocolate into chunks, place into a pyrex bowl that is just the right size to sit over a pan of boiling water without making contact with the water.

Melt the chocolate over the water.

Taking the strawberries one at a time by the stalk dip three quarters of the way in chocolate. 

Place on a plate to cool.