Wild Strawberry Cake

I made this Wild Strawberry Cake at the weekend with wild strawberries and a handful of strawberries picked from the garden. 

The wild strawberries are growing like weed, but thankfully I don't mind that and nor do the birds. I sometimes from the corner of my eye spot a blackbird or a mistletoe thrush scurrying amongst the growth, its rather amusing. 

I then go to pick a lovely big juicy looking strawberry and i find a beak peck. I don't overly mind, good for the birds if they beat me to the ripe strawberries - as long as i get some; and  i have been getting my fair share. 

D liked this cake very much and actually had two slices at one point. It was light and spongy with the wild strawberries making the cake fragrant, but also giving that sweet intense strawberry burst.  It was rather enjoyable to eat. 

I had intended to bake a Strawberry cake recipe from one of my many cookbooks, but i did not have the energy to sit and seek one out, so resorted to the world wide web, typed in Strawberry Cake and this is the Strawberry Cake recipe I baked if your interested. 

Red Gooseberries and Wild Strawberries

The weather in the UK is sweltering and I have been spending quite a bit of time in the allotment garden plot  in my shorts - mostly weeding, but delighting in what has been a better year for me in relation to vegetable gardening.  I am getting there slowly and enjoying the fruits and vegetables of our labour.

Here is a glimpse of some edible colours in my garden 

Heavily scented red roses - I am drying some to garnish homemade cakes.

A bowlful of red gooseberries.

Wild strawberries and traditional strawberries. Not enough to make strawberry jam, but plenty to enjoy with yogurt, cream or in a pie!

 Rocket also known as arugula growing well in pots. 

 More Lettuce from the garden

Most of my broad beans got destroyed by black fly, I only managed to harvest a small pot. The potatoes were a bonus gift from last year and made for a lovely meal for two. 

Rhubarb was the first vegetable we harvested from the garden and stalks have been shared with neighbours on our left and right side. I have also made a Rhubarb and Strawberry Pie and it was delicious.  Blog post coming soon. 

I am sharing this post with  Harvest Monday is hosted by Dave over Our Happy Acres

Red Gooseberries and Wild Strawberries

Its been almost a month since I shared progress in my garden, so I am joining in again with Harvest Mondays and sharing my wild strawberries and red gooseberries.  

These alpine wild strawberries were not planted by me or the neighbours, but by its very nature of being 'wild' and invasive they have self seeded and have been creeping from the neighbours into our front porch, not even the garden plot - winding and weaving its way in the paving slabs - I love it actually.  And they are the most sweetest berry I have ever eaten in my life, proper natural sugar berry burst. 

Whilst I was weeding at the back, I discovered, a pot of red gooseberries.  

I had forgotten about it  actually, we picked it up from a garden centre last yer and wow - look at these berries, hardly a harvest, but a unexpected present from the garden indeed. I have put the red gooseberries into a larger container, until I can decide where to give it its permanent spot. 

My mothers wild strawberries

My mothers front garden patch in Wales is covered with wild strawberries, which she dislikes. I love them and brought some runners back with me about two years ago. However, they did not transplant so well in the Scottish climate. Last summer they only showed their lovely vibrant pink flowers, but this year they have rewarded me with a palm full.
These wild strawberries are known as alpine strawberries (I think). They taste nothing like their bigger sisters. These are sweetly intense and melt in the mouth like a squirt of thick red syrup.

I only ever seem to get to harvest the tiniest wild strawberries ever, not enough to make a recipe.

Michele you would love them!