Some berry good tips about strawberries

"The size of the strawberry is not important; all strawberries, large or small, can be sweet and juicy," writes Aliza Green in "The Field Guide to Produce" (Quirk, $14.95). "To savor fresh-picked strawberries at their best, eat them right away without chilling."

"I put unwashed berries into a bowl lined with paper towels and cover them with another paper towel," writes Ruth McHugh in "How to Break an Egg" (The Taunton Press, $19.95). "I store the bowl in the refrigerator, and the berries stay fresh all week -- no problem with mildew. Whenever I want berries, I take some out and wash them."

"Berries bruise easily if you try to dry them too vigorously," writes Michel Richard in "Sweet Magic" (Harper Collins, $27.50). "The way I dry mine is to rinse them and then place them on a dish towel or paper towel to spread out on a sheet pan. Then, when I gently shake the tray, the berries roll around and dry on the cloth without the slightest damage."

"To trim strawberries, don't just cut the stems off -- you'll waste strawberry," writes James Peterson in "Essentials of Cooking" (Artisan, $40). "Instead, cut the stems out by rotating a paring knife around the top of the strawberry, leaving a small cone-shaped indentation. Always rinse strawberries before hulling, not afterward, or they'll get waterlogged."

"To bring out the flavor of lackluster berries, put them in a bowl (hull and slice strawberries first) and sprinkle them with a little sugar, a tablespoon or two for every pint," write the editors of the "Williams-Sonoma Kitchen Companion" (Williams-Sonoma, $24.95). "Let them sit at room temperature for at least 15 minutes. The sugar draws moisture from the berries to make a sweet natural syrup."

"Take a cue from the Italians and sprinkle perfect strawberries with superfine sugar, then drizzle with a little aged balsamic vinegar; finish with a light grinding of black pepper and mascarpone cheese," writes Leanne Kitchen in "The Produce Bible" (Stewart, Tabori & Chang, $29.95). "Crush strawberries with sugar and a dash of orange-flower water or rose water, then fold through whipped cream and serve as a fool, or use as a filling for sponge cake."

RICK NELSON