Berry Pickin' - Memories of my Mother
I orginally wrote this post to release during strawberry season but I thought it maybe more fitting to release it now as a tribute to my mother who past away on Feburary 25, 2014 at the age of 83. It is one of my fondest memories that included my sisters because being the baby of the family I spent a lot of time alone with my parents.
As a child I remember walking back the dirt road across from our house, it was a tree lined path made up of evergreens and old apple trees that lead past the railroad tracks to the empty fields just beyond. With my mother and sisters we would go on a search for the wild strawberries that grew very plentifully there. We were given our containers and we would fine our spot to sit for the afternoon (trying to find a spot where you wouldn't crush the berries). We would spent the afternoon picking and talking to pass the time. For anyone who has ever picked wild strawberries could attest, it would take a long time to fill a container because of the small size of the berries not like the ones that you find in your local grocery store today. That being said they maybe small but they really made up for it in flavour. I think being just a little girl at the time I probably ate more berries then I picked, I guess it was a good thing I had so many sisters to pick up the slack for me. We would spend the day in the field, thinking back now it may of had more to do with get us girls out of the house so that my dad could sleep before heading to work for a nightshift. Anyhow once the berry picking was complete we would head home with our rewards for the day. Mom would wash the berries, put them in containers with some sugar and freeze them so we would have some for the winter. We didn't have dessert often but this was one of the rare times if there was enough strawberries she would make a strawberry shortcake. She would make the biscuit by hand, press it into a square pan and bake it. When the biscuit was cooked she would cut it into squares and serve it slightly warm with the fresh berries and sugar, with a dolip of dream whip on top. I can't have strawberry shortcake without thinking about those times and to this day I would have to say it is may favourite dessert.
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds strawberries, stemmed and quartered
5 tablespoons sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
Whipped Cream, recipe follows
Directions
Mix strawberries with 3 tablespoons sugar and refrigerate while juices develop, at least 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Add heavy cream and mix until just combined. Place mixture in an ungreased 8-inch square pan and bake until golden, 18 to 20 minutes.
Remove shortcake from pan and place on a rack to cool slightly. Cut into 6 pieces and split each piece in half horizontally.
Spoon some of the strawberries with their juice onto each shortcake bottom. Top with a generous dollop of whipped cream and then the shortcake top. Spoon more strawberries over the top and serve.
Whipped Cream:
1 1/2 cups heavy cream, chilled
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Using a mixer, beat the heavy cream, sugar and vanilla, until soft peaks form, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.
As a child I remember walking back the dirt road across from our house, it was a tree lined path made up of evergreens and old apple trees that lead past the railroad tracks to the empty fields just beyond. With my mother and sisters we would go on a search for the wild strawberries that grew very plentifully there. We were given our containers and we would fine our spot to sit for the afternoon (trying to find a spot where you wouldn't crush the berries). We would spent the afternoon picking and talking to pass the time. For anyone who has ever picked wild strawberries could attest, it would take a long time to fill a container because of the small size of the berries not like the ones that you find in your local grocery store today. That being said they maybe small but they really made up for it in flavour. I think being just a little girl at the time I probably ate more berries then I picked, I guess it was a good thing I had so many sisters to pick up the slack for me. We would spend the day in the field, thinking back now it may of had more to do with get us girls out of the house so that my dad could sleep before heading to work for a nightshift. Anyhow once the berry picking was complete we would head home with our rewards for the day. Mom would wash the berries, put them in containers with some sugar and freeze them so we would have some for the winter. We didn't have dessert often but this was one of the rare times if there was enough strawberries she would make a strawberry shortcake. She would make the biscuit by hand, press it into a square pan and bake it. When the biscuit was cooked she would cut it into squares and serve it slightly warm with the fresh berries and sugar, with a dolip of dream whip on top. I can't have strawberry shortcake without thinking about those times and to this day I would have to say it is may favourite dessert.
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds strawberries, stemmed and quartered
5 tablespoons sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 tablespoons sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
Whipped Cream, recipe follows
Directions
Mix strawberries with 3 tablespoons sugar and refrigerate while juices develop, at least 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, and salt in a medium bowl. Add heavy cream and mix until just combined. Place mixture in an ungreased 8-inch square pan and bake until golden, 18 to 20 minutes.
Remove shortcake from pan and place on a rack to cool slightly. Cut into 6 pieces and split each piece in half horizontally.
Spoon some of the strawberries with their juice onto each shortcake bottom. Top with a generous dollop of whipped cream and then the shortcake top. Spoon more strawberries over the top and serve.
Whipped Cream:
1 1/2 cups heavy cream, chilled
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Using a mixer, beat the heavy cream, sugar and vanilla, until soft peaks form, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.
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