Strawberry Fields Forever

As child, I loved sweet, ripe, and juicy strawberries. Strawberries were my favorite fruit in the whole entire universe. I would eat so many green plastic containers of the berries that sticky red juice would stain my lips and clothes and the delicate poppy-like seeds would get stuck in my teeth.

I was a "strawberry girl" all the way--I demanded that my mother buy me strawberry flavored lip gloss, strawberry scented items, and strawberry flavored bubble gum. If we had Neapolitan ice cream in the house, everyone knew that the strawberry section on the left belonged to me. After trick-or-treating at Halloween, I would even trade the prized brand name chocolate candy bars for a few more strawberry hard candies. I know, it is unbelievable that anyone would do that because those candies are the rejects of the bunch.  Well, those, the starlight mints, and those peanut buttery candies wrapped in orange or black wax paper.

When I grew older, my love for strawberries waned. They simply weren't as sweet as I remembered. However, thankfully, I later learned how to capture the summer sweetness of the berries in my adulthood, by making a chunky and viscous strawberry syrup. Drizzle this syrup on vanilla ice cream, on a short stack of fluffy hot cakes, or in the warm pockets of waffles, and I promise that you'll never go back to chocolate or maple syrup again! Or at least, it will be difficult for you to do so.


Chunky Strawberry Syrup
5 cups of frozen strawberries
1/2 cup of granulated sugar
1/4 cup of water


In a saucepan on medium heat, dissolve the granulated sugar in the water, constantly mixing the sugary water with a wooden spoon. When the sugar has dissolved, add the strawberries, and bring the berries to a boil. Turn the heat to medium-low or low, and allow the mixture to simmer uncovered for about 30 mins, until the syrup reduces. Be careful not to break apart the strawberries. Allow the syrup cool, and then refrigerate the mixture until chilled. Serve cold.