Nothing tastes sweeter than ready-to-be-plucked fat, red strawberries. Except when you bust your butt to pick them yourself.And that's what the foodie family did this morning. We headed out Hwy 2 to Blandford Road, hung a right and followed the signs to the Chesney farm (aka Thames River Berries) to pick our own.
Check out their website: http://www.thamesrivermelons.ca/index.html
After a confusing few minutes of trying to figure out if we just picked and paid on the honour system (we called them.. thank goodness for cellular service.. and yes, this late in the year they just let us roam into the field and drop $1.50/quart into the tin on the honour system - love small towns!!) we headed out to pick away.
It's late in the season, so I was a bit concerned on what we were going to find. Plus, I've heard from just about everyone that strawberries weren't stellar this year. A little small. But it's easy to spot those little red jewels of fruity goodness from the leaves and we quickly picked a couple of quarts - more than enough for us to munch on and cook with.
After an hour or so in the field, we were ready to head out. Truly, a fantastic way to kill an hour with the girls on a Sunday morning. Even Jim had a good time. Mina and I had a competition to see who could find the biggest berry - Mina won after spotting a beauty hidden beneath some leaves far up the field. We were joined by only one other picker, so no busy lines or huge amounts of people to contend with. And, even though late, we got a great haul.
As I'm generally pretty well prepared, I brought some water to wash off the berries so the girls could taste them right after picking. Of course, Lucy managed to get a few in her mouth before I could wash them off. Yum. Pesticides.
Once back home, Mina left with Grandma and Grandpa for a day at Bingeman's. Lucy had a nap and, after, we hung outside for a bit and ran some errands. Strawberries, of course, made it on to her plate after every meal. The kid loves them and these ones are particularly sweet. Testament that the sweetest things come in smaller packages, I suppose.
This afternoon, I attempted yet another Martha recipe - Strawberry Shortcake Cookies. As I often do, I start with the recipe verbatim and find things to tweak and make my own after a first try. Overall, the cookies turned out nicely. I think, next time, I'll add a smidge more salt and go for a different sanding sugar (maybe an unrefined brown sugar...). White chocolate (as a drizzle or in chip form) may be a nice addition as well.
The girls and Jim went nuts for the cookies and I've had to promise Marsha, from work, that I'd bring her in a few tomorrow. I've already had a few people asking for the recipe, so here it is in it's original version. Courtesy of Martha. Who makes a damn fine cookie.
Strawberry Shortcake Cookies
You Need:- 12 ounces strawberries, hulled and cut into 1/4-inch dice (2 cups)
- 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
- 3 ounces (6 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 2/3 cup heavy cream
- Sanding sugar, for sprinkling
- Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine strawberries, lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and remaining 7 tablespoons granulated sugar in a large bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter, or rub in with your fingers, until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in cream until dough starts to come together, then stir in strawberry mixture.
- Using a 1 1/2-inch ice cream scoop or a tablespoon, drop dough onto baking sheets lined with parchment, spacing evenly apart. Sprinkle with sanding sugar, and bake until golden brown, 24 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool. Cookies are best served immediately, but can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 day.
No comments:
Post a Comment