Arkansas Strawberry Shortcake

The Arkansas strawberries are ready! Yes strawberries are available in the markets most of the year but they are not Arkansas strawberries. The Arkansas berries are small, sweet, juicy and red all the way through.

My husband brought home several quarts yesterday so I spent the morning preparing the berries for strawberry shortcake for dinner and had a couple of quarts to put in the freezer for later.

First the berries must be capped. I find a paring knife is the most effective method to accomplish this.

I run cold water into my salad spinner and toss the capped berries in for a couple of rinses. Sand, soil and leaves are rinsed away.

Then I give them a spin to dry them.

Slice the berries and add sugar. I use a potato masher to mix the sugar and create juice. The amount of sugar is a matter of preference.

Ready for shortcake and a couple of quarts for the freezer.

There are several options for the shortcake. My grandmother made a sweet biscuit that is the traditional Southern shortcake. Another option is pie crust. I like the crunch of the pie crust especially when the berries are very juicy. Today I used a pound cake mix.

Assemble the cake and berries, top with topping of your choice.

There is no right or wrong way to make strawberry shortcake. I guess the "Supreme Strawberry Shortcake" would be my grandmother's homemade sweet biscuits and real fresh whipped cream. That said, I think my grandmother would have enjoyed the shortcake I prepared for supper.

♥andPeace, Myra