When you have just and handful of strawberries

I think most gardeners at MCGA grow produce for personal consumption,  I know we do.  Our strawberry patch this year is growing well but due to very wet weather in May, many of our strawberries have succumb to slugs, mold and poor production due to poor pollination.

The end result is basically only handful of strawberries at a time instead of little basket-fulls.  Most of the time the kids pick our berries and eat them out of hand before we leave the garden.  Two nights ago, I was at the garden by myself and actually came away with two handfuls; a bounty in my mind.  (Some had slug bites but cooked down, I knew the kids would not notice. )  Immediately crepes with strawberry jam came to my mind.  I have a really great recipe and they made a perfect breakfast the next day. I used to garden with my parents as a child and there was no sense of pride greater than producing and eating homegrown food, now my kids get to have a similar experience with me.

 Recipe to follow!

 Crepes with homemade strawberry jam

Crepe Recipe 1:  (from my own pantry)
1 C. flour
1 C. milk
1 T. sugar
1 T. melted butter
pinch of salt
3 eggs

Put all ingredients in a blender,  blend well until there are no lumps. (Batter will be watery)  Get two non stick pans ready.  Heat them up at medium heat with a dot of butter or non-stick cooking spray.  Ladle or pour some batter into the pan, less is more.  Shake the pan violently and try hard to distribute the batter all over the bottom of the pan. When the edges of the crepe become lacy and golden, see photo 1 above,  flip the crepe.  Re-butter the pan and repeat.

Crepe Recipe 2:  (From Julia Child)
1 C. flour
1 C. liquid (half milk and half water)
1 T. sugar
1 T. melted butter
pinch of salt
1 egg and 2 yolks

Strawberry jam:
2 handful strawberries
juice of 1/2 lemon
1-2 T. water
sugar to taste
1 t. pectin

Cook everything together, mash the berries if they are large.  Taste for sugar and let simmer until thick.  Serve!