Old Fashion Pickled Peaches

Ingredients:

1 qt. of white vinegar
6 lbs. of white sugar
1 tbsp. of ground cloves
4 whole cinnamon sticks
6 qts. of small whole peaches (peeled)

Directions:

Cook vinegar and sugar together to make syrup.  Tie cloves in muslin bag and drop in syrup. Add cinnamon sticks.  Cook peeled peaches, a few at a time, in hot syrup until tender, remove. Repeat until all fruit is cooked.  Bring syrup to a boil;  remove from heat.  Add cooked fruit.  Cover and let stand overnight. Next day remove and discard muslin bag, pack peaches in clean quart jars to 1/2 inch from top of jar. Cover with syrup, put on lid and process in water-bather in simmering temperature (180 degrees) for 20 minutes. Makes about 4 quarts.  You can use whole cloves instead of ground cloves.

Old Fashion Strawberry Shortcake

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 level tablespoons cold butter
ice water to make a stiff dough (3 to 4 tablespoons)
soft butter to moisten shortcake after baking
3 cups fresh, sliced strawberries that have been dredged and allowed to stand in sugar at room temperature for an hour (or refrigerate if kept longer).
Heavy cream for topping the cake

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 425°F.

This very old recipe makes a crisp shortcake (somewhat like a large biscuit) rather than a soft fluffy cake, in the old fashioned style of strawberry shortcake.

Combine dry ingredients and cut in the shortening until mixture resembles cornmeal.

Add water and mix until a ball of dough forms.

Turn the dough out on a floured board and pat it flat and round until cake is about an inch thick.

Bake until golden, about 12 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven, and with a sharp, heated knife, carefully split it and butter it as you would a biscuit. Put strawberries inside the still-hot buttered cake.

Pour a small amount of heavy cream over each serving just before bringing to the table.