Strawberry Shortcake

I'm sorry if strawberry shortcake is totally cliche, but it's one of the rituals of summer that I couldn't let slip by. When strawberries are in season they are dazzling jewels to be scooped up in handfuls. Never mind the red stains, we eat as many as we can. Strawberry shortcake is a must make dessert when the berries are in season, even if it seems old fashioned, perhaps a bit out of style. I have never claimed to be trendy, I wear what I like until it's worn through. I really only pull strawberry shortcake out of the closet once a year, so I think it will be making appearances for years to come.

I've never been a fan very biscuit-y shortcake. Years ago, I found a recipe for something that is sweeter, more like a scone. I had been indifferent to strawberry shortcake, but this recipe, from an old Simple Meals magazine (by the publishers of long gone Organic Style), changed that to, Yes Please! Soft but sturdy and a little sweet, this little cake is just the right thing to top with ripe red berries and whipped cream.

I know the dazzling red berries have distracted you and you've forgotten that last week I brought you a recipe for a cake topped with berries and cream. With berries only in season for a short time, can you complain?

No complaints here.

Strawberry Shortcake

For the Berries:
4 cups strawberries, rinsed, stems removed and sliced into thin rounds
4 tablespoons sugar (or more to taste)
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar (optional)

Combine the berries with the sugar and balsamic vinegar in a bowl. Let sit for at least 30 minutes or until the berries are very juicy.

For the cream: 
2 cups heavy cream
3-4 tablespoons sugar


Whip the cream until it forms slightly stiff peaks. Mix in the sugar, adding more to taste if necessary.


For the cake:
3 cups whole wheat pastry flour
1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 pound unsalted butter (1 stick)
1 1/2 cups buttermilk


Combine the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Cut the butter into small pieces. Mix with the flour and cut into smaller pieces using two knives, a pastry cutter or your fingers until the butter and flour form large crumbs. Pour in the buttermilk and gently mix until the butter and flour come together into a mass of dough. Chill the dough for 30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 375'. Remove the dough from the refrigerator. Shape it into a circle about 1 inch thick. Cut the dough into 8 even pieces. Place each piece on a baking sheet lined with parchment. Bake for 30-35 minutes until they are golden brown. Let cool completely before serving topped with strawberries and whipped cream. Serves 8.

Summer Eating

Summer has finally arrived in the form of food grown and picked nearby. I brought home the first share from the CSA where I work on Friday: swiss chard, bok choi, green onions and green garlic. On Sunday I decided that since I had a day off, I should go strawberry picking. A bit of a bus man's holiday, but I wasn't sure of another day when I would have time to gather up that juicy red bounty. I ended up picking 20 pounds of berries! Our freezer is stocked with strawberries to last the rest of the year, with plenty left over for eating now.

When it comes to food that is local and in season, I get pretty greedy. I'm often surprised that people don't snatch up as much of it as they can find, whether at a farmers' market, CSA share, or picking their own. The abundance that is available at a grocery store any time we need it means that we often forget about using and preserving as much as we can when its growing nearby. I've been thinking about, and obsessing over, this a lot lately. Eating locally and in season brings me such joy and preserving some of this goodness for the rest of this year is so satisfying.

I know that not everyone cares as deeply about this as I do, but I really hope that this summer I can share lots of ideas for cooking and preserving a variety of fresh vegetables. I am afraid I won't have time to delve as deeply into this as I would like, but I am determined to do as much as I can to share recipes for most of the vegetables that I bring home.

If you are ready to jump into cooking with as many foods as you can find at the farmers' market, I'd like to recommend the book Local Flavors, by Deborah Madison. It is a whirlwind tour of farmer's markets around the United States and a wealth of ideas for using the foods you will find there.

Here's to eating well and enjoying the abundance this summer!

Care in the Form of a Cake

I don't bake cakes very often, but lately I've had a hankering for one. I was contemplating a big chocolate cake covered in chocolate ganache, but I was baking on the first day of summer and wishing for something a little lighter. I made a batch of very satisfying stuffed shells and with this filling main dish, I didn't want to go overboard. There are only two of us to eat whatever I make, so I appreciate baking something that we don't have to immediately ship off to our coworkers to keep us from eating "just one more piece."

Maybe that sounds a little stingy. I love sharing food, especially baked goods, but this time I wanted to keep it simple. I didn't have to search for long. There was a carton of buttermilk in the fridge, threatening to expire if it couldn't be part of a cake. I just needed a few other ingredients, no more than a bit of measuring, a quick mix and it was in the oven. Although I baked it on a cool, rainy day, I imagine this as the cake you might go to on a warm summer day when you have an abundance of berries to smother it in but not much time or energy for baking.

I love chocolate and certainly don't mind a rich dessert, but I don't need more than this one layer of cake paired with fruit and a bit of whipped cream to feel at home. Like our cloth dinner napkins, the clean but worn dishtowels folded in the drawer, and those empty glass jars gleaming on the pantry shelf this is an everyday sort of comfort. It's really nothing fancy, but adding this treat at the end of the meal was like a bit of extra love and care in the form of a cake.

Vanilla Buttermilk Cake
I adapted this recipe from the one on epicurious which originated from Gourmet. That recipe has you drop raspberries into the batter, for a raspberry buttermilk cake. I'm sure that would work well, but since I didn't have berries, I decided this cake would takes its fruit in the form of preserves spooned on top. I used a jar of blueberry lime sauce I brought home from the food swap, but any berry or rhubarb preserve would work well, spooned onto individual slices and topped with barely sweetened whipped cream. I used a 9-inch springform pan, because it was easy to get the cake out of it, but you could use a cake pan, too.


1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup unbleached white flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 ounces (1/2 stick) butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar, plus 1 tablespoon
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 egg
1/2 cup buttermilk


Preheat the oven to 400'. Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan. Whisk together flours, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. In a separate bowl, beat the butter and 2/3 cup sugar together until they are light and fluffy. Add the vanilla and egg and beat until smooth and completely combined. On a low speed, alternate adding half the flour and half the buttermilk until the batter is smooth. Don't beat it more than that. Pour into the prepared pan and sprinkle lightly with the remaining sugar. Bake for 20-25 minutes or until the cake is golden on top and the middle is springy to the touch. Let cool for 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and let cool completely. Serve each slice topped with berries, berry sauce or preserves.

Making the Most of It

In this season of busy days and weather that goes from 101 to 60 and rainy in a day or two, I am reminded of the importance of seizing the moment. While I could try to plan for the perfect picnic, an afternoon of reading in the shade of a tree, or an evening lingering in the light and warmth of a summer's day, this doesn't happen often. Over the weekend I remembered that these moments present themselves shyly, like a four leafed clover that can only been seen at a glance. They truly have to be seized and held onto for dear life. If you're not looking, you might miss them and if you're waiting for them to be perfect, they might not happen at all.

On a Friday evening that was pleasantly warm enough to enjoy sitting outside, I decided we didn't need a great restaurant patio, a grill of our own, or any sort of outdoor lawn furniture. We barely have a proper backyard and the grassy patches boast a parking lot and alley view, but the evening beckoned. All it took was two of our kitchen chairs, a bench that doubles as a tiny table, and a couple of sputtering beeswax candles. The pizza in the oven made the kitchen too hot to stay in, but we enjoyed the perfect evening outside. Perfect is, of course, what you make of it. A mosquito or two, a few sprinkles of rain wouldn't deter me from enjoying a cool drink and dinner on the lawn.

On Saturday, I found myself again making the best of a less than perfect situation. We were headed to an outdoor concert about 10 miles away and had planned to bicycle there. It was raining, but I set off with a change of clothes and a blanket stuffed in a huge waterproof messenger bag. At first I grumbled, but once I got going I was wet but not cold and traveling by bicycle usually makes me pretty happy. When I met Ray half way there, I was completely soaked but since the bike path was nearly empty we got to ride side by side catching up on the day so far. After a few hours, we were fairly dry and having a good time, along with thousands of other people, many stylishly clad in garbage bags and plastic rain ponchos. The rain didn't make things better, but we didn't let it keep us from enjoying the evening.

Today marks the official start of summer. It doesn't look like I'll see the sun today, but I'll still celebrate the solstice no matter how rainy. Reaching the longest day of the year is bittersweet. The days start getting shorter, but it reminds me that we still have so much of summer to enjoy. Don't let the gorgeous, fleeting, imperfect moments of summer pass you by.

Off to the Market

I just finished some new bags. I'll have my tent set up with aprons, bags, placemats and more at the Northeast Minneapolis Farmers' Market on Saturday. I'm hoping for sunny skies and pleasant temperatures. I love farmers' markets, so it will be great to participate in one. There will be a cooking demonstration at the market on Saturday and I like to think that with all the veggies I sew, my work will be appealing to farmer's market shoppers. I'll be at the market once a month through September. If you're in the area, please stop by and say hello!

Recently in the Kitchen

Dear Friends,
I've been busy, working a lot and haven't had time to do much else. I can't say that I'll be less busy any time soon, but I'm doing my best to find time to cook more and do lots of preserving as the summer goes on. In the mean time, I hope you don't mind a quick round up of what I've had time for in the kitchen recently.

I made sourdough rolls and cultured butter for the Food Swap. After swapping, I came home with a few different jams, maple syrup, cookies, and pesto.

While the rolls were baking, I made a small batch of rhubarb jam, which just might taste like summer in a jar.

I harvested my window box greens and used them in a salad with strawberries and basil.

What have you been eating, swapping, preserving or harvesting? I'd love to hear about it!

Garden Update

It may not look like much, but I love my little garden! I'm not quite sure if I can call it a garden, but the assorted containers on our back porch (which isn't quite a porch either) are doing well, despite not being in the full sun. I could move them to an area that gets more sun, but I selfishly love having them right outside my back door, even if they grow a little slower . I am surprised by how much fun I had planting them all and now watering them, moving them around and making sure they are doing okay.

I have basil, mint, parsley, dill, oregano, cilantro, rosemary, peas, a strawberry plant, arugula, lettuce, nasturtiums and calendula. There is a pot with two cucumber plants which I hope to trellis up the porch as it grows. I also have two hanging tomato plants. I'm not sure how well they will do, but I guess tomato plants in containers sometimes do better hanging than growing upwards. You can buy upside down tomato planters, but I decided to make them myself since I had some sturdy green canvas on hand. After I sewed them, I stuck the tomato plant in the bottom and filled them up with soil. They are pretty heavy and I'm a little nervous about strong winds, but I hope they will be sturdy enough.

It was amazing to see the tomato go from hanging upside down to growing up toward the sun in a matter of hours!

A few people have asked me about the best way to harvest basil. I wait until they are big enough and look for a spot where two new leaves are growing next to the stem. I pinch the stem off between the two new leaves which will grow and allow the plant to branch (I drew a diagram, I hope it helps). You can continue harvesting them this way as they grow. We celebrated our first basil harvest with accompanying tomatoes and fresh mozzarella.

It's only Thursday, but I'm already looking forward to spending my spare time this weekend in the kitchen doing some baking, early season canning, and getting ready for a food swap! I hope you have a delicious weekend, too!

Shaved Asparagus Salad

We're having a heat wave here in Minnesota. Today, as I weeded between the summer squash plants in 90 degree heat, I tried not to think about my own sweaty toil and let my mind wander to all the people who work hard to bring me the food I eat. It starts with the farmer, whose name I rarely know, planting seeds. Or the people who work for the farmer, tending and harvesting. Truthfully, I don't know exactly where it comes from most of the time, or who put their time and energy and sweat into the ingredients that I use to make my dinner. Cooking, creating a dish, eating and sharing food are such personal and every day acts that we rarely think about what happened before the lettuce, milk or beans arrived in the kitchen.

I've always been grateful when I know just where my food comes from, when I can say I grew this basil I made that bread. Although it's not always possible, there are many opportunities to meet and get to know the people nearby who make and grow our food. From the local bakery, to the farmer's market, to becoming a member of a CSA, you can find out more about where your food comes from by getting it straight from the source.

I picked up ingredients to make this salad at the farmer's market, where I came face to face with the growers and producers, or at least people very close to them. Asparagus is still piled high at many market tables and I wanted to try it in a new way. I usually oven roast the stalks, but peeling them into thin slivers is another way of using them and makes a flavorful base for a different sort of green salad.

Shaved Asparagus Salad
With this salad, the asparagus works as a base -- an alternative to greens that can be combined with a wide variety of flavors. I wanted to keep it simple with just a few vegetables, a bit of cheese and some nuts. It's nice to use seasonal ingredients, but I think you could pair the shaved asparagus with almost anything you would like in a salad.


One bunch of asparagus
1/4 cup walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
4 radishes, thinly slices
1 1/2 ounces parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper


Using a sharp vegetable peeler, peel (or shave) each stalk of asparagus into thin ribbons. Grate, or shave off thin slices of the parmesan cheese. Place the asparagus in a bowl with the walnuts, radish slices, and cheese. Drizzle the lemon juice and olive oil on top and season with salt and pepper. Makes plenty for 2 people.

Miso Ginger Salad Dressing

I've been meaning to post this recipe for a while. I discovered it, somehow, through NPR and I've been waiting to share it until we get closer to true salad season. By that, I mean the time of year when you can eat lettuce and other vegetables that haven't traveled thousands of miles to get to your kitchen. We're getting there, although the local salad fixings are still somewhat limited around here.

I have been trying some different dressings lately. I really enjoyed Ashely's creme fraiche vinaigrette. But I was especially pleased to find this recipe for a carrot, ginger, miso dressing. This dressing is a very close replica of the delicious ginger dressing that I have enjoyed several times at a Japanese restaurant. I've also been wanting to incorporate fermented soy bean paste (miso is really good for you) into more meals.

At the restaurant, this dressing was always a little mysterious, differently textured than a thin vinaigrette or a viscous creamy dressing, but it has an amazing flavor. It certainly dresses up a salad, the miso adds a saltiness, the ginger is a bit spicy and the carrot is another layer of vegetable. When your salad is made from freshly picked vegetables, you might not need anything additional flavors, but this dressing could transform a bunch of greens into a salad in no time.

Miso Ginger Salad Dressing
Adapted from this NPR recipe
Miso can be found in natural foods stores (and probably regular grocery stores, too) the lighter the color, the more mild the flavor. It keeps in the fridge for a long time, but don't be afraid to try it out! The recipe calls for white miso, but I had red miso, so that is what I used. I usually thin the dressing with some water to make it more pourable.

1 medium sized carrot, peeled and diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, peeled and finely chopped
2 tablespoons white miso
Water, optional

Place all ingredients in a food processor. Blend until smooth. Add small amounts of water to thin the dressing to the desired consistency. Keeps, refrigerated for several days.

Getting Ready for Summer

Happy June! We had a day of real summer warmth earlier this week, followed by a seriously windy day. It was a relentless wind that blew across the fields and whipped up anything that was light enough to catch. I was planting corn at the farm (where I spend 3 of my working days each week) and the intense wind did not make crawling along the rows any more enjoyable. Dreaming of ears of delicious sweet corn which will be appearing later this summer did help, slightly.

I feel like I haven't had as much time as I would like, lately, to work on recipes and projects to post here. I'm still trying to find a balance between my two jobs and the work I want to do for Seedling Design, for this space and for myself. Now that we are on the edge of summer I am also thinking about picnics, grilling, eating lots of good fresh food, riding my bike more and enjoying warm days outside.

I realized that many of the things I make are ideal for summer: placemats for picnics, bags to take to outdoor markets, and aprons which are great year round, but of course I am looking forward to baking summer pies, grilling veggies and lots of canning. Even so, I'll probably be doing less sewing in the next few months. Instead, I'll be spending a few Saturdays outside at fairs and farmer's markets with all of these summery wares for sale and taking time to work on some other projects.

What are your summer plans?