Turn Strawberries into Shortcakes

My only complaint about having fresh fruits and veggies a plenty is that sometimes I don’t have a chance to eat them before they go bad.  So my goal is always to come up with a list of recipes and search for those items that are involved.  But if you do decide to randomly grab some produce, coming up with your own recipes can be fun too!  And if worse comes to worst… just throw everything into a salad!
One thing I knew I had to make with the strawberries I picked at Duffield’s was…

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Strawberry Shortcakes – Recipe from Mary Nolan of Chic & Easy
Preheat oven to 400
You will need:
  • 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
For whipped cream:
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy cream, chilled
  • 3 tablespoons sugar
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
1.) Mix strawberries and 3 TBS sugar and refrigerate for at least a half hour.  This will get everything nice and sweet and create juices from the berries.
2.) Combine ingredients for whipped cream in a mixer and beat until soft peaks form.  I suggest refrigerating for a bit to make sure it is cold and more firm.
3.) Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and 2 TBS sugar and salt in a bowl.  Add heavy cream and mix well.  Place mixture in a greased pan and bake 18-20 minutes until golden.  I actually used a larger pan than suggested (8  inch) because I wanted to make thinner shortcakes so I could make smaller pieces.
4.) Remove pan from oven and allow to cool.  If you are making regular sized shortcakes you will slice the shortcake in 6 pieces and slice in half.  I searched for something small enough to make mini shortcakes  and wound up using a champagne glass!  It was perfect and the right size I was looking for.  But a cookie cutter would work just as well Smile
5.) Assemble!  Top one piece of shortcake with the berries, then the cream and then the other shortcake piece.

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I loved the mini version because it was a just right bite!  Also, knowing that I picked these berries and actually worked for them, made them taste that much better.  Strawberries are one fruit that I know will never go to waste, especially with recipes such as this one.  And the flavors – the warm, cake-like shortcake, the creamy, sweet, whipped cream and the melt-in-your-mouth strawberries – well I just don’t think anything screams summer more than that!

Farm Fresh Friday: Duffield’s & Strawberries.

Welcome back to Farm Fresh Friday! Did you see last week’s FFF?
Farmers markets and stands are fun on their own, but the ability to actually pick your food right from the plant itself just adds another exciting element.  When I visited Duffield’s, located in Sewell, NJ, I had one thing on my mind:
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Strawberries.
The perfect time to pick strawberries is very short lived.  It lasts from a few weeks into May until the middle of June.  Which means that if you haven’t picked strawberries yet, you might want to hurry!!
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The market part of Duffield’s has a variety of local foods to buy, where shoppers can also buy strawberries that have been picked.
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But the berries that I wanted were the ones I had to work for!
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There’s really something satisfying about walking through a field in search of strawberries or really any kind of produce.  It’s that moment when you lift up the bright green leaves and think, “Well that’s where they come from!”
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The first glance makes you feel like you found the first Christmas present!
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Except with strawberries, the gifts don’t end. Smile
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I always like finding the crazy looking berries.  And then I have a conflict of whether to pick them because I feel bad or let them be.
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I suggest that for optimal berry picking capabilities you bring someone along.
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The more people picking = more berries, more quickly!  Not to mention it is a fun activity.  This was Jay’s first time picking strawberries so it was exciting !
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Here are some tips when picking strawberries:
1.) Don’t be afraid to be selective.  You are in a whole field filled with berries!  Take your time, lift the leaves and search for bright, dark, medium sized berries.
2.) Wear sneakers or beat up shoes because they will most likely get strawberries, dirt and hay on them.
3.) Wash your arms and legs off shortly after picking because the strawberry vines have small hairs that will irritate your skin.
Most importantly, have fun and enjoy the fruit of your labor, literally!