Posts tagged ‘strawberries’
Lemon scones and strawberry jam
I’ve made these scones a couple of times recently, inspired by the gorgeous jar of homemade strawberry jam my uncle in Halifax gave me this summer. I brought it back from PEI and opened it a few weeks ago, and it is so delicious, as of course I knew it would be.
Whenever I’ve had John’s strawberry jam, it before it’s always been accompanied by his perfect tea biscuits. Sadly I wasn’t clever enough to write down a proper recipe for them before I got my jam home. I made these lemon scones in an attempt to create something similar. They are a variation on a cheese biscuit recipe I’ve made for years, which has yogurt as its secret ingredient.
They’re not John’s biscuits, but they did save me from eating jam straight from the jar.
Lemon scones
Makes 8-12 scones
2 cups flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup cold butter
1 cup plain yogurt
grated zest and juice of one lemon
a handful of dried cranberries, blueberries, etc
Combine dry ingredients. Cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in lemon zest and dried cranberries. Combine yogurt and lemon juice and stir with a fork to make a soft, slightly sticky dough. If the dough is too dry add in a bit more yogurt. On a lightly floured surface knead the dough gently until it’s smooth, pat it until it’s about an inch thick and cut out scones. Bake on parchment paper at 400F for 12-15 minutes. Serve with heaps of homemade jam.
Fruit and berry season is here!
Just thought I’d share a few pictures of how we’re enjoying the summer fruit season. I love this time of year when local berries and fresh fruit are so plentiful. (more…)
Strawberry salad!
A quick post to point you in the direction of my strawberry salad recipe. It’s strawberry season again and enjoying the ripe red fruit in a delicious salad is a rite of summer for me. I found beautiful BC-grown organic strawberries for sale at the corner store on our street this week and I’ve been blissfully eating my way through a big basket for the past two days.
I’ve updated the original recipe to include mint and chopped green onions along with the salad greens, strawberries and goat cheese. Those herbs combined with the creamy cheese and the juicy sweetness of the strawberries is a magical pairing.
Happy strawberry finding and salad eating!
Strawberries
I’m still learning about strawberries. I purchased a small package of them last year for a hanging basket. I’d read somewhere that you should pinch back the flowers of strawberry plants during their first year, so I did this and only harvested a handful of berries. In the fall, I planted the strawberries in a small patch of dirt along the sunny, west facing spot along fence; small shoots also went in a couple of spots in our front yard. I mulched the strawberry plants heavily for the winter, and when spring came one of the first signs of life was these three bits of strawberry. The largest clump along the fence is flourishing and now has numerous flowers that I hope will turn into delicious berries. The two tiny shoots are both in shadier spots, but they’re coming along nicely. I was so encouraged by their early, healthy start that I purchased more strawberry plants this spring. Two were planted in a sunny spot under the large cherry tree in our backyard, but they’ve unfortunately already met their demise at the hands of the hungry (and destructive!) squirrels that live in our backyard. I also have a cute little strawberry pot stuffed with plants on our toasty warm south-facing backyard deck. I can’t bring myself to pinch off the flowers on any of the new ones, even after seeing how healthy last year’s plants look after having done so. I will do some more research on this question of pinching back the flowers of new plants in the first year. For now, I’m too keen on living in the moment and enjoying some fresh berries this year to do the deed!
The plants in our yard will probably only yield a few small handfuls of berries. There are a number of U-Pick berry and vegetable farms in the Calgary area and I’m interested in making a trip out to harvest some strawberries for snacking, baking, salads and maybe jam if I’m feeling really ambitious. During our last trip to Victoria I experienced the most amazing strawberry-rhubarb jam with my toast when we had breakfast at the Blue Fox Cafe – still can’t get it out of my head and I’m keen to try to make my own.
Spinach and strawberry salad
Anyone with a backyard or a tiny balcony can grow spinach and strawberry plants. I grew the spinach from seeds in a small planter on our deck. The strawberries in the background weren’t quite ready, but they will be soon and I’m looking forward to enjoying this salad at least a few more times this summer. Both spinach and strawberries are very easy to grow and among the first things ready to eat from the garden in the spring and summer.
If you care about what you eat, where it comes from and how it tastes, this delicious salad is a good argument for why it’s worthwhile to grow your own food. And if you like to cook, there is really nothing better than gathering up a few ingredients you grew yourself, creating a simple and delicious meal and then enjoying it outdoors in the warmth of the summer sun. This dish was absolutely perfect served on the patio with a crisp glass of cold Joie Riesling (2006).
Spinach, Strawberry and Goat Cheese Salad
Fresh spinach and / or salad greens, about 2 cups per person
Fresh sliced strawberries, about 5-6 medium berries per person
Crumbled goat cheese, 1-2 tablespoons per person
Toasted pumpkin seeds, 1-2 tablespoons per person
1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
1-2 finely chopped green onions
Fresh ground pepper
Salad dressing – creamy, onion and poppy seed dressing (store-bought or your own) is what I’ve been using and it is perfect!
Making salad is pretty self-explanatory. Pile the greens on a plate, top with strawberries, sprinkle on cheese, pumpkin seeds, herbs and pepper and drizzle on the salad dressing. Serve outdoors and enjoy a delicious meal that tastes just like summer.
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