Plant City, Florida, is the winter strawberry capital of the world. While you can find Florida strawberries in supermarkets down here, the ones at the farmstand seemed fresher and juicier — without that telltale white top of berries picked before ripeness.

I picked up a couple quarts and made a pitcher of agua fresca back at the house. This is a fun project with kids, particularly if they’re old enough to safely hull strawberries. (If not, they can take a pass at plucking the stems at least.) Instead of lime juice, I used an orange from one of the trees at my sister’s house — one whose fruit tastes almost like a cross between a lime and an orange.

Recipe: Strawberry Agua Fresca
adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients:

• 6 cups hulled and quartered strawberries
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup sugar (depending on sweetness of the berries)
• 4 cups cold water
• 1/3 cup fresh-squeezed orange juice

Instructions: In a tall pitcher, stir 1/4 cup sugar into the water until dissolved. Place strawberries in blender and blend until smooth. Pour into the pitcher. Stir in the orange juice, taste, and add additional sugar if desired. Chill in refrigerator several hours. Garnish glasses with a small strawberry, and enjoy! Makes 8 cups.

The finished drink was lighter than a smoothie, cool and refreshing, and a big hit with the kids. A sweet end to a day at the beach and a nice taste of things to come as our own berry season is just around the corner.

I made this simple salmon salad to top homemade bagels (stay tuned!). I can’t stand the taste of mayonnaise, so instead this gets its creaminess from sour cream and a little kick from horseradish and mustard. It’d be great atop salad greens, in tea sandwiches (for spring baby showers, perhaps), or rolled up in crispy romaine leaves.

Recipe: Mayo-Free Wild Salmon Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 7.5-ounce can wild Alaskan salmon
• 2 stalks celery, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup organic sour cream
• 1 teaspoon stone ground mustard
• 1-2 teaspoons prepared horseradish
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions: Drain salmon of excess oil (makes an excellent treat for any cats in the home). Empty can into a medium bowl and use a fork to break apart large chunks. Add remaining ingredients, tossing with the fork to combine. Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes and up to a day before serving. Makes enough to top 6 bagels. Enjoy!

This past week finally saw some beautiful spring weather, and market hopping was a lesson in patience and perseverance as the spring crops are only just beginning to roll in. At Penn Quarter last Thursday, morels had sold out within an hour, so I settled for black trumpet mushrooms. Another customer snatched the last two bundles of baby beets at Sunnyside, so it was Harukei turnips for me. The turnips and their greens found themselves sautéed with garlic, salt pork (from Cibola Farms) and the mushrooms.

A beautiful Saturday morning drew a huge crowd to the Del Ray market, a drastic improvement from the rainy washout the week before. Three Way Farm of Warsaw, Va., was back with spring onions, greens and a limited stock of asparagus that sold out early. They assured us there will be plenty more asparagus the next couple weeks, and mentioned that strawberries are just two weeks away. The herbs and seedlings folks were doing a brisk business as people snatched up tomato, chard and other plants for their own gardens. St. Elmo’s was back serving coffee to accompany the plethora of baked goods from Bonaparte, Marcela’s and Vera’s. The most popular items – asparagus, Tom’s cave-aged cheddar, Smith Meadow’s fresh pastas – sold out before 11am. Clearly demand for fresh, local produce continues despite the economy.

The quest for asparagus drove me to Dupont Circle’s FreshFarm market on Sunday, but I was too late once again. (Didn’t score any ramps, either.) There I consoled myself with one final pint of Buster’s Chesapeake oysters, the last until fall. Those were pan-fried and served atop chives and arugula (for me), on their own as “oyster nuggets” for the toddler. I tend to prefer oysters from further north, as I like a strong briny flavor, but I was pleasantly surprised the first time I tasted Buster’s local oysters. They are large, sweet and meaty, with a more subtle saltiness, a blend of flavors that transports you to a dockside perch on a warm summer day. (And you know, they help clean up the Bay.)

Recipe: Chesapeake Bay Oysters on Arugula

Ingredients:

• 1 dozen raw oysters, drained
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1/3 cup corn meal
• 1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 bunch arugula, rinsed
• several sprigs chives, chopped
• raspberry vinaigrette
• lemon wedges

Instructions:

Heat oil in skillet over medium high heat. Combine flour, corn meal and Old Bay in a small bowl. Gently roll oysters in mixture to coat, place in pan and fry until golden brain. Drain on paper towels. Toss arugula and chives with vinaigrette and place on plate. Top with oysters and serve with lemon wedges. Enjoy!

Recipe: Shrimp & Scallop Crepes Etouffee

Ingredients:

Crepes

• 3 eggs
• 1 c milk
• 3/4 c buckwheat flour
• 1/4 unbleached flour
• 1/4 t salt

Etouffee

• 1/2 pound jumbo wild-caught US shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 small white onion, finely diced
• 2 celery ribs, finely diced
• 1 red bell pepper, finely diced
• 1 teaspoon tapioca starch (or corn starch)
• 1/3 cup water
• 6 large diver-caught scallops, rinsed and patted dry
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• salt and pepper
• Tabasco (optional)

Instructions:

Crepes: Whisk together crepe ingredients until combined. Cook on a large cast iron skillet or crepe pan, and transfer to cookie sheet in warm over to keep warm.

Etouffee: Melt butter in skillet or dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, celery and red pepper and cook until tender and golden, about 10 minutes. Add shrimp and cook 2 minutes, until shrimp begins to turn pink. Dissolve tapioca starch and water and add to pan. Stir, then cover and cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Scallops: Warm olive oil in skillet over medium high heat. Season scallops with salt and pepper. Add scallops to pan and cook 2 minutes, until bottoms are golden brown. Flip scallops and add butter to pan. Cook 2-3 minutes more, until just cooked through. (Scallops should be opaque and just firm to the touch.)

Fill crepes with a spoonful of shrimp etouffee, fold and serve with scallops on the side. Add a few dashes of Tabasco if you like a little heat. Makes 4 servings. Enjoy!

For more scallop inspiration, check out this yummy Lemon-Thyme Scallop recipe from one of my favorite new foodie kids’ blogs, Chow Mama.

Note: Shellfish is not recommended for children before one year of age, and possibly longer if there is a family history of allergies. Our pediatrician advised us to wait until 18 months, but check with your own doctor if you have not yet introduced shellfish.

Health and sustainability issues surrounding seafood tend to fall into two general areas:

1. over-fishing, ocean health and species survival
2. health risks from mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)

1. Ocean Health: Our oceans are over-fished and too many countries do not adequately regulate fishing practices. Fishing techniques for certain species also endanger other species. We all remember the dolphin-safe tuna campaign of the 80s, and while “dolphin-safe” labels now appear on tuna cans, other dangerous fishing practices are still in use. Blue fin tuna and Chilean sea bass top the list of endangered species to avoid. For more on the problems of over-fishing, see the Environmental Defense Fund on “Fishing Responsibly.”

2. Human Heath Risks: Pollutants in water are ingested and stored in fish. Certain fish retain a higher concentration of mercury and PCBs, chemicals from fertilizers and industrial waste which pose brain development risks, particularly to developing babies and young children, and are linked to cancer. These toxins build up and are stored in fat cells, so choosing less fatty fish and using cooking techniques that reduce the fat (avoid frying, drain fat during cooking) will help reduce your exposure. For more on issues surrounding farmed food, particularly the fish meal feeding that concentrates toxins in certain species, read this informative post on the Green Fork Guide.

Sustainable Fish Resources: The guides produced by the Blue Ocean Institute and the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafod Watch rate fish by their sustainability index, and they offer on-the-go tools that are a lifesaver when your mind goes blank in front of the seafood display at the store. You can download an iPhone application from Seafood Watch or simply text 30644 with the message FISH and the name of the fish in question for an instant response from the Institute’s “Fish Phone.” “Organic” seafood is going through its own challenges, but you can look for fish with the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certification. Using the Environmental Defense Fund’s lists of most and least-contaminated fish, narrowed to highlight the more commonly found, here are the “top 5″ best and worst to remember:

Top 5 Fish To Look For: Wild Alaskan Salmon, Yellow-Tail Snapper, Tuna – Albacore or canned light, Black Sea Bass, Tilapia – US farmed.

Top 5 Fish To Avoid: Blue fin Tuna, Striped Bass – wild, Salmon – farmed/Atlantic, MackerelSwordfish

We tend to eat a lot of Alaskan salmon, as it happens to be my favorite as well as one of the safest. My husband is a reluctant seafood eater, so finding types he will willingly eat is another challenge. Tilapia was a recent success, though, and this week’s Sustainable Family Supper (below) features this nutrient-rich, easy-to-find and affordable fish.