Okay. Y’know how you hate to admit that maybe, even quite possibly, you were wrong about something? Particularly to your parents? Even when you are considerably older and it shouldn’t matter?
So, perhaps I was incorrect as a child, when I whined incessantly about living on a small family farm. This is tough to admit, even though my parents have both ascended to the big farm in the sky. I can see them smirking all the way down on Earth as I concede this. Turns out, given today’s miniscule number of family farms, that I actually had a privileged childhood full of relative freedom and abandon. Roaming the fields with the family dog, pretending to prepare meals from the seeds and blooms of the orchard, riding my bike on relaxed country routes. And when I requested a sandbox, my dad simply had a large truck full of sand delivered, dumped into a huge pile in the back yard. What’s not to like?
Mostly, I had no peers near enough with which to play. My closest friend lived a mile away. So I had to make do with entertaining myself much of the time. There was also a great deal of work to be done, even on a small farm. My father planted a garden large enough to feed the county. While I loved dropping seeds into the beautifully plowed furrows in the spring, keeping the rows of plants weed free through the hot and humid summer was a never-ending task. And picking, podding, shucking, peeling-well, you get the idea. My dad worked in a large factory in the city, so he left us a daily list of such tasks, and there was no argument.
Ultimately though, the quality of the food I grew up eating spoiled me for life. There is nothing quite like sweet corn prepared within ten minutes of picking, freshly cut asparagus, new green beans simmered with bacon, just picked strawberries. And my mother was a great cook. I spent many days in the kitchen with her, preparing meals and preserving the bounty for winter’s feasting. In retrospect, life on the farm built the foundation on which I’ve lived my adult life, even though I haven’t lived on the farm now for many years. Having retired in the desert Southwest, I’m now exploring how to maintain those farm values, while prepping fresh meals in the Sonoran Desert. There’s much in common between those two experiences, as well as much to learn. Adapting to a completely different seasonal calendar of local food production is still a work in progress… However, it didn’t take me long to grab the locally grown strawberries that appeared at the farmer’s market in March.
My mother would have made these beauties using 100% all-purpose flour, one of her few indulgences, as you’ll see in future posts. She would butter the biscuit, drown it in fresh berries, and then pour whipping cream on top. My version updates her shortcake recipe with some spelt flour and is served with a yogurt whipped cream. I usually serve it for breakfast…never too early in the day for strawberry shortcake! No matter how you serve it, it’s spring on the farm, wherever you might be.
Sweet Biscuit Shortcake
Ingredients
- 1 cup whole grain spelt flour
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp. salt
- 3 Tbsp. sugar
- ½ cup cold butter
- 1 egg beaten
- about 1/3 cup milk
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 425° F. Coat a baking sheet or layer pan with non-stick baking spray, and set aside.
- Place flours, salt and sugar in work bowl of food processor. Pulse briefly to mix. Add the butter, cut into small bits. Pulse the mixture until the butter is evenly distributed, and about the size of small peas. Alternately, the dry ingredients can be mixed in a bowl and the butter cut in with a pastry blender. Add the milk gradually, stirring gently to make soft dough; if additional is needed, add by the tablespoon until the consistency is right. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and pat into a ½-inch thick circle. Cut into rounds of desired size (Mom’s were always substantial…) Bake in preheated oven for 15-20 minutes until golden.
- Top with sliced strawberries or other fruit of choice. Whip together 1/3 cup plain Greek yogurt, 2 tablespoons of heavy cream and ½ teaspoon of vanilla to top the shortcakes.
Sounds great MaryKay
Miss you both 😊
Loved your sharing! Keep up the good work!