Strawberry Shortcake

For the past month, I have been buying groceries from Eugene Local Foods. It has been such a nice bridge between the end of the winter and the start of the summer CSAs.  However, when I am selecting the vegetables for myself, I tend to only buy staples (lettuce, carrots, collards) and do not experiment with a wider variety of offerings.  I do think that this is a great way to continue to buy local produce year-round, but I am so excited that today was the first day of Open Oak Farm summer CSA.  

It is so wonderful to come home with the cloth bag bursting with a variety of fresh produce including items I wouldn't self select.  (Can you hear me cheering?)  I'm looking forward to cooking with the garlic scapes, mustard greens, spinach, and bok choi on another evening.  But tonight I started with strawberry shortcake.  

I have so many memories revolving around strawberries, family, and friends.  Picking them, eating bowls of them, making jam, and eating strawberry shortcake. Yum.  I've requested strawberry shortcake as my dessert of choice for birthdays (even though my birthday is in late summer), a baby shower, and really any time we have fresh strawberries.  I think strawberries are best enjoyed in the company of people that I love.

I still have lots of buckwheat flour from our winter Lonesome Whistle Farm grain CSA, so I experimented with making my Grandmother's Biscuit recipe with some buckwheat flour.  Topped with a little whipped cream, milk, and of course strawberries it was delicious--especially shared with my family on a sunny Tuesday afternoon.  Maybe we can have strawberry shortcake for breakfast tomorrow too.

Grandma Marjorie's Strawberry Shortcake 

4 T butter
2 T sugar
1 c buckwheat flour (from Lonesome Whistle CSA)
1 c mixed wheat/white flour
2 T baking powder
1/2 t salt
3/4 c milk
2 pints strawberries (from Open Oak Farm and our garden)
1/2 pint heavy whipping cream
2 T sugar
2 t vanilla 

Mix butter and dry ingredients in a food processor.  Slowly add in milk and mix until dough hold together.  Place on floured cutting board and flatten.  Cut out biscuits and place on a greased baking sheet.  Bake 425F for 12-15 minutes.


Cut strawberries into quarters and sprinkle with approximately 1 T sugar and let stand to allow juices to run. 

Mix whipping cream, sugar and vanilla and whip until soft peaks form. 

Plate biscuits with strawberries and whipped cream.  Serve with soy or cow milk.