It is the peak of the Florida strawberry harvest and people in Plant City 
are celebrating with their annual festival. Plant City is a bit east of Tampa and has soil and climate that are perfect for growing strawberries. The festival, held on a large fair grounds, is a week-long event complete with rides, vendors, music by top name groups of a bygone era (think Charlie Pride, Donnie and Marie, Oak Ridge Boys, Kris Kristofferson,) and of course strawberries.
My husband and I drove around the area to look at the fields where the strawberries are grown and harvested, and we saw neat, mounded rows of strawberry plants with dots of red hanging beneath the leaves. That growing, harvesting, packing, and shipping strawberries is an important part of the life in Plant City was evident as we drove around the town.
The strawberries grown in this area have a taste that is different from those grown in California that are available year-round in my grocery stores, and is also different from those grown in the Midwest that are only available seasonally. To my taste, the strawberries from Plant City are juicy and sweet; terroir is everything when it comes to ingredients for pies!
There was no shortage of people selling fresh-picked strawberries and places to purchase them. We bought ours at Parksdale Farm Market. We stopped at several restaurants in search of a strawberry pie, but apparently the strawberries here are only used for shortcake!
While driving back home with our strawberries, we were wondering what type of strawberry pie would best feature the flavor of the Plant City strawberries. We recalled a 
strawberry pie we had years ago at Shambarger’s restaurant in Red Key, Indiana. This restaurant (now long gone) served a one-seating, 13-course menu that ended on a high note 6 hours later with a whipped cream strawberry pie. This pie was made in front of the guests by the entertaining chef as he piled the strawberries and whipped cream 15 inches tall into a pastry crust. This pie was served before the days of wine pairings with the dessert course, so we paired ours with a light Sauvignon Blanc. This pie is easy to make and was a perfect showcase for the juicy Plant City strawberries. (See recipe.) A friend who made the pie for Easter told me he appreciated the fresh and flavorful taste of the pie, “no sugary and starchy taste”.
People:
• Strawberry stand and market owners who can chat knowledgeably about the produce
• Happy memories of the showy chef at Shambarger’s Restaurant in Red Key Indiana
Places:
• Plant City Strawberry Festival http://www.flstrawberryfestival.com/
• Parksdale Farm Market http://www.parkesdale.com/
Pie: Strawberry-whipped cream pie, Shambarger’s
- Crust - Use recipe from http://www.artofthepie.com
- Use a 9 inch deep dish pie pan
- Pre- bake crust at 350 degrees for 15 minutes.
- Whipped cream and strawberry filling
- 1 pint heavy cream
- ½-1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3-4 (or more to taste) tablespoons confectioners' sugar
- 2 pounds of strawberries or to taste, rinsed, hulled, and sliced in quarters. Save a few whole strawberries for garnish.
- Chill the whipped cream, bowl, and beaters. Whip the heavy cream with an electric mixer using the chilled beaters on medium speed until soft peaks form, 2 to 4 minutes. Add the vanilla and confectioners' sugar; continue whipping on medium speed until the mixture forms firm peaks, about another 2 to 3 minutes.
- Gently blend in the strawberries and pour in the cooled crust. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
- This makes a 5 inch or so pie; adjust the filling recipe if you want a taller one!
