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Sunday, April 8, 2012

Tuesday Cuppa Tea, Strawberries!

I hope you have had a lovely Easter or Passover weekend. It was sunny here and warm, but there are blossoms on the trees everywhere so I am still a bit of a prisoner inside, although I'm back on Claritin after the system cleanse and it's beginning to work. SUCH a relief!  No sinus headache for 4 days!!! Woo Hoo!!!!




Today for Tuesday Cuppa Tea I am taking my inspiration from The Country Diary Of An Edwardian Lady by Edith Holden.




This is a favorite book through all the seasons.  And today I am looking at April.











This page features lovely wild flowers, swallows and wild strawberries. And that reminded me of a favorite Wedgwood, England cup and saucer in the Strawberry Hill pattern.






This pretty pattern was made between 1957-1976 and I just love it! Strawberries are always a favorite. Here is a Royal Worcester egg coddler in the Strawberry Fair pattern from the 1950-1960s. Love the butterfly on the other side too. The teacup and egg coddler are at Antiques And Teacups. Just click the photos for more info.






There are a number of strawberry fields around us, including the National Organic Farm/Farmer of the Year, Nash Hubler of Nash's Organic Produce. We are in an area that features lots of organic farms. The strawberry fields are set to open next week, and I am really looking forward to that!  




I found this great strawberry scone recipe and mini tutorial that I tried last week with some organic strawberries from a local organic farm store, Sunny Farms, that has a farm in the eastern and warmer part of the state, and so had some strawberries.



Strawberry Scones
http://familyfun.go.com/recipes/strawberry-scones-687680/


Ingredients
  • 1 cup hulled and finely diced fresh strawberries
  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/3 cup sugar, plus a little for sprinkling
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • A lemon, for zest
  • 6 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
  • 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon light cream
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
1.     Heat your oven to 425ºF. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, using a few spots of butter or cooking oil to stick it in place. Set the baking sheet aside.
2.      Place the diced strawberries on several sheets of paper towel to absorb their juice. Meanwhile, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Zest half of the lemon into the ingredients, taking care to remove just the outermost skin and not the white pith.
3.      Cut in the butter with two butter knives or a pastry blender until the flour-coated pieces are the size of peas. Add the strawberries, tossing them gently with a fork to coat them.
4.     Make a well in the mixture. Blend the 1/2 cup of light cream and the vanilla extract in a measuring cup and pour them into the well. Using as few strokes as possible, gently stir the dough until it forms a ball. Let the dough sit for 1 minute.
5.     Clean and flour your hands and dust your work surface with flour. Place the dough on the floured surface and knead it gently three or four times. Transfer it to the large baking sheet and pat it into an 8-inch circle. Using a lightly oiled pizza cutter or a serrated knife, cut the dough into 8 wedges, as you would a pizza. Use a small spatula or pie server to carefully separate the pieces, leaving at least an inch between them.
 Brush the tops of the scones with the remaining tablespoon of light cream, then sprinkle the surfaces with sugar. Bake the scones until the outsides are crusty and starting to brown, about 18 minutes. Let them cool on the baking sheet for 2 minutes, then slide the parchment and the scones onto a wire rack to cool for another 20 minutes before serving.




They were a real hit! I just made mine with vegan margarine and soy milk instead of butter and cream.


Here are the lists of other blogs I am joining, so go and visit their wonderful offerings. The linky's down there too...would be honored to have you join us!



Monday Marketplace
Terri~  http://artfulaffirmations.blogspot.com/ 
Teacup Tuesday
Trisha~  http://sweetology101.blogspot.com/ 
Tea Party Tuesday
Teatime Tuesday
Kathy~  http://blissfulrhythm.blogspot.com
Victoria - A Return to Loveliness
Martha~  http://www.marthasfavorites.com/ 
Teacup Tuesday 
Tuesday Cuppa Tea
Friends Sharing Tea Wednesday
Tea With Friends
Celia ~ http://attitudeivlife.blogspot.com/  Afternoon Tea
Wanda ~ http://theplumedpen.blogspot.ca Tuesday Teatime 
What’s It Wednesday



22 comments:

  1. Good Morning Ruth. A lovely post today. I can't believe the strawberries are coming on there already. We had snow yesterday here and it's still not melted. I'm glad you are feeling better. Have a great week!

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  2. Happy Easter!! Love your strawberry inspired post. Your teacup and egg coddler are lovely!! xo HHL

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  3. Hi Ruth,
    Your Wedgwood tea cup and saucer are just stunning! What a beautiful pattern for Spring!
    The Royal Worcester egg coddler is also beautiful! We don't use them in Portugal so I don't know exactly what an egg coddler is for... :)
    Hugs

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  4. Hi Ruth,

    I always enjoy visiting your blog for tea time. Your Strawberry Hill teacup is so pretty and is perfect paired with those scones. Happy tea day!

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  5. I love strawberries and your dishes are lovely! Thank you for hosting and have a wonderful week.
    FABBY

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  6. Happy Easter, Ruth! Your teacup and egg coddler are lovely, and the strawberry scones yummy! We had a snow storm over the weekend which put the kibosh on many activities but thankfully the snow has melted today. Have a lovely week.

    Blessings,
    Sandi

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  7. The egg coddlers are so very cute! I used to have some, but I seem to have misplaced them. They do make good eggs! Happy Tea Day Ruth!

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  8. Hi Ruth,
    egg coddlers have been sometimes very common here. Now they are almost forgotten like many nice table accessoires. Love the Diary as much as the botanical patterns on china. Thanks for sharing the nice photos and the yummy recipe.
    Best greetings, Johanna

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  9. Hello Ruth
    A charming strawberry theme for tea today. I always make my scones the same - plain, so must try your recipe.
    Our strawberry farm opens in June but luckily I still have a couple of frozen bags in the freezer from last year's harvest.
    Judith

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  10. I love strawberries! I just had a bowl of fresh berries this morning. Love the teacup and egg coddlers and the scones... yummy! Happy Tea Day!

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  11. Strawberry scones! Oh my! But I would love one of those! Yum!
    The tea cup is very pretty. I love the pattern and the shape as well.
    I have never read the book you have shared, but have always wanted to.
    It is going on my list : )
    Hugs,
    Terri

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  12. Love your tea cup and coddlers. I did a Tea post today also!

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  13. I love that book! I have seen several people post about it. Your tea cup is beautiful! Thank you for hosting!
    Sherry

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  14. What sweet pieces. That is an especially adorable coddler. I have been wanting one, and they do not seem to be popular around here. That is the cutest one I have seen a picture of yet.

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  15. Your teacup is perfectly botanical for the pages of April in that book!

    I gave that book as a gift to a tea society "sister/friend" a few years back. I often had wished I would have purchased one for myself as well - it is a GOOD one.

    Thank you for the recipe, and for hosting a wonderful link party.

    Happy Tea Tuesday!

    Hugs.

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  16. Hi Ruth! You are sharing from a favorite book selection of mine, too! Love Edith's story and the legacy of her beautiful work left to us for inspiration - giving glory to the Lord of creation - in the beauty of His natural wonders! The teacup and saucer are a nice match for her work. The scones look delish, too!
    Joy!
    Kathy

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  17. Your egg coddler and teacup are so pretty. Thank you for hosting.
    ~Clara

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  18. Although I own Edith Holdens wonderful book. I love to browse and look at the illustrations. What a joy to own tea cups with strawberry motifs. I have not tried the nutmeg in the scones. I will do that! I wish you continued great week! Zinnia

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  19. Your recipe sounds really yummy!

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  20. Edith Holdens book just made my list of "must haves"! I love your tea cup. And I can't wait to try that recipe! Have a great week, Michelle

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  21. Hi Ruth...I love the Edith Holden books! I first found them years ago on a trip to Port Townsend. Your recipe looks so yummy. Sounds like you had a nice Easter. I'm still waiting for spring here...it's been wet again. Beautiful teacup and I just love egg coddlers.
    Linda

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  22. MMm, the scones sound delicious. TFS the recipe. The botanicals are lovely...so is your cup. Thank you for hosting, Ruth. Hope you stop by for Persian tea :)
    shawn

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Thanks for visiting and we love to hear from you! We read every comment. If my husband's health permits, I love to visit andreply. Have a wonderful day and a cuppa tea always at hand! :)