if you’re anything like me,
you didn’t grow up wondering where the
foods you ate came from,
and the exotic fruits you had for dessert
came from a can.
now that i think on it,
i didn’t have my first strawberry until
i was older,
like, a teenager older.
fresh strawberries are expensive
and were usually bypassed
on grocery trips.
now i know where these gems come from,
now i know the labor
it takes to harvest them
and now i understand their price tag
and why it was always
more important to buy the rice
and fish sauce
and tofu
and vegetables.
much like asparagus season,
strawberry season is fleeting.
dw took me strawberry picking the first
year we met
we missed it last year
so we made a point to go
this year.
he is too good to me,
he squats and stoops to pick me
the best berries,
while i hold an umbrella over him,
taking pictures and
judging others
pretending to harvest
resisting eating the fruit as we
worked our row.
it’s not possible to eat all
the berries we picked,
most have been washed
& packed into the freezer
destined for smoothies
or coulis
or ice cream
but i set aside a few handfuls
for fresh snacking
and for this,
a kindof strawberry shortcake.
what’s your favorite spring fruit?
strawberry sweet biscuits
adapted from whole grain vegan baking by celine steen & tamasin noyes
copyright Fair Winds Press
3/8 cup (or 6 TBL) coconut milk
1 cup (120g) organic pastry flour
1/2 cup (45g) oat flour
1/2 cup (70g) spelt flour
1 TBL baking powder
generous pinch of salt
1/2 cup organic sugar, + more for sprinkling
1/3 cup ( 74g) cold coconut oil
fresh strawberries
preheat oven 400F
in food processor mix together dry ingredients
add in the coconut oil, pulse until mixture looks like little peas
add 1 TBL at a time of the coconut milk into processor until mixture pulls from sides of bowl
move dough onto lightly floured surface
knead until comes together, roll or pat down into rectangle, 1/2″ thick
cut dough with desired sized cutters
pat scraps together & cut until all dough is used
transfer biscuits to baking sheet, 2″ apart
brush with coconut milk & sprinkle with sugar
bake for 16 – 18 minutes
allow to cool
serve with strawberries
*note: i served my biscuits with sweetened tofutti cream cheese
additional info:
pink paper basket handmade via the elli blog
morestomach 
I’m with you lan! fresh strawberries were never really quite on my family’s menu back in Singapore…only once in a long while, because there were so many other cheaper tropical fruits to choose from! anyway, seeing the pictures of you at the strawberry farm (after seeing Shanna’s last week) is making me wish there was a strawberry farm somewhere here in Argentina to visit! Oh, my strawberries..
Anyway, just curious. the strawberry biscuits kinda remind me of scones because of the texture they seem to have? is that what it’s like with the taste of strawberries? Happy friday btw!
i just asked dw if they’re like scones and he said there is a slight scone-y-ness to them. it is dry and crumbly, so the addition of the strawberries does give the entire thing a great texture, plus, when you add something creamy (like whipped cream or cream cheese, vegan or otherwise) it makes it all the more delightful.
Wow, this looks amazing! (Especially with those beautiful fresh strawberries– which I can’t believe it’s never once occurred to me that I could simply freeze myself after an over-indulgent farmers’ market trip…) I’ve also been looking for more recipes that use (up) coconut oil, since I recently won some in a giveaway. 🙂
Your post made me remember just how expensive most types of fruit– especially strawberries– were in Japan. I was the tiniest bit worried that I would give myself scurvy over there from lack of fresh fruit and vitamin C, and I remember mentioning this on the phone to my mother once, who immediately threatened, “Do you want me to send you some money so you can buy yourself some strawberries?!?!” I had to tell her “No, mom. It’s ok; I have a job. I promise I will splurge and buy myself some strawberries.” She made me promise to buy clementines, too. It was worth it.
i hope you’re able to put your coconut oil to good use. PS. it’s great a face or hair moisturizer!
the one week i spent in Japan visiting my bio-mom i remember everything being so expensive, so i can just imagine that fresh fruit would be costly! but i bet that first taste of berries or citrus bliss was SO good!
Yum, that looks so good! Wow that is just unheard of where I live, everyone has been eating strawberries since they can remember. In the summer everywhere in NZ, they are so cheap and I grow them at home also.
zoe,
the season is so fleeting and maybe our environment can’t support it well or for long. sigh. i’m jealous you’re able to grown them at home!
I love your style! The respect you have for honest ingredients, for beautiful fruits of the earth, and making them into a dessert that is not so harmful to our systems as some. So awesome! I spent a few summers of my childhood picking berries for cash — a lot of kids my age did, before child labor laws really came into their own. I actually hated picking strawberries the most — the squatting and the sun and the dirt on my knees. Blueberries were better because I could stand and it was a little shady 🙂 This dish sounds so so good and I am looking forward to whatever you put some strawberry coulis on later — I hope you’ll share with us!
sophie,
it’s taken me a very long time to reach this point, and i’m still learning and it’s a humbling experience.
i can’t imagine picking berries as a kid, i’m pretty sure i’d crawl under a tree and just nosh on berries and nap…
blueberry picking season starts soon, and i’ll be canning then!
I’ve never heard of canning blueberries! Rad. Wish I could pick with ya 🙂
I sometimes complain too much over the price of fresh produce, without stopping to think about Why it’s so expensive…thanks for the gentle reminder. 🙂
This biscuit looks scrumptious!
I love strawberries, these biscuits look heavenly!
thanks Laura!
Looks gorgeous! I am so inspired to make this now!
thanks Erin. looks aside, it really does taste great.