The first strawberries appear in grocery stores by early March on the west coast. Imports from further south, they look appealing but lack the sweet smell and taste that strawberry lovers crave. Generous amounts of sugar and cream help mask their imperfections, and these first offerings carry the promise of more perfect varieties to come as spring folds into summer.
My first-born granddaughter Abby loves strawberries and, as a toddler, called them "strawbabies," a name that truly expresses the delight of this succulent red fruit. Abby comes by her fondness for the berries naturally, because her father, my youngest son Peter likes them too.
When he was six, Peter, his three older brothers, and I rode an Amtrak train from San Francisco to Omaha to visit my parents in southwest Iowa. The trip took two days and one night, so I reserved a compartment with two bunk beds and a tiny bathroom. I brought along a sleeping bag, to serve as a fifth bed, intended for Peter. He has never given up easily on the things he wanted to have or do, and he wanted to sleep in a top bunk. I gave in to him, a decision I regretted later when he rolled out of his upper berth with a loud thud. Fortunately unharmed, Peter spent the rest of the night in his rightful place, on the floor in the sleeping bag.
I knew that no matter how much food I packed to bring with us, it would never feed four young boys for the trip's duration. Besides, Amtrak trains still provided a reasonable facsimile of fine railroad dining that I remembered from earlier train trips. The June dinner menu featured strawberry shortcake, which we all ordered. Our kindly waiter noticed how Peter devoured his dessert with gusto and served him a generous portion for each meal of our trip.
During my childhood, we waited eagerly for local strawberries to ripen in summer, because shipping perishable produce from warmer climates didn't exist, at least not to our rural town. My mother didn't usually serve dessert with the evening meal but made an exception with fresh strawberries. Here's the traditional shortcake she liked best.
Strawberry Shortcake
2 cups washed strawberries, tops removed and berries cut into halves or quarters. Mix with sugar, to taste, and refrigerate.
The Shortcake:
2 cups flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg, well beaten
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup butter
2 additional tablespoons melted butter
1 cup heavy cream, whipped to spreadable consistency
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