A Strawberry Trilogy

When a financially challenged student cursed with a sweet tooth walks into a grocery store and sees strawberries on sale for six dollars a flat, she buys them. The problem is, a flat is a unit that is weirdly difficult to imagine outside of context of fruit. It's like asking someone to imagine the size of the universe, or more relevantly, a side of beef. I'm reminded of an I Love Lucy episode where Lucy, in the lingering excitement of buying a new walk-in freezer, buys a side of beef, not realizing exactly how much meat that really is (she ends up having to hide all that beef in a furnace and hilarity ensues...oh Lucy, you got some 'splainin to dooo).

Fortunately, I've seen that episode and have learned from our favorite redhead's folly! You see, I had a plan. A three part plan. A trilogy, if you may.

A flat of strawberries, which if you haven't figured out already, is a lot of strawberries for someone who's only really feeding herself and a part-time carb-free, full-time boyfriend. The easiest thing to do, is to pick out some of the best looking ones, and save them for eating fresh, in oatmeal, on panna cotta, etc.

The second part of this trilogy involves artfully disposing of a large proportion of the remaining, uglier strawberries. By some dirty produce arrangement trick, the ugly berries always end up on the bottom. If you're not buying organic (which these were most likely not), the ones one the bottom are the monster GMO strawberries with third limbs. The answer: jam! Mashing berries is strangely satisfying. Realizing how much sugar goes into strawberry jam, is not. End result? 4x1cup jars boiled and sealed, ready for consumption some other day.

Finally, putting some of that jam to good use, we make a Linzertorte. This is something I was only recently introduced to, but quickly fell in love with. Reminds me a little of those Pepperidge Farm Montieri Raspberry Tart cookies...only better because you can have a large slice and still call it one serving. Ground almonds form the basis of the crust and the fresh jam for the filling. I used Oma's (German Grandma) Linzertorte recipe, provided to me by not S.'s Oma (although I'm sure she had one too), but by another S.'s Oma.

And that will last 2 days if left in plain sight, 4 if you hide it in the back of the refrigerator where your "carb-free" boyfriend won't find it.