Fourth of July Strawberry Shortcake

My mother would fill the car with baskets, kids and a jug of water with cups on the third of July and drive to the closest strawberry garden. The warm day and pungent smell of the ripening red fruit found us walking up and down the rows filling those little cardboard boxes. We knew what was to come. The Fourth of July and Mom's giant strawberry shortcake.

The table would be filled with boxes of berries after we got done carting all of them into the house later in the day. As the day wore on the piles of berries dwindled as a new fragrance filled the air. Mom would wash, slice, sugar and put up bags of berries for the freezer. Next she moved on to the large kettle filled with simmering jam. We never grew worried. Mama always saved back just enough of the succulent fruit for the Fourth of July feast.

My father loved biscuits so there was no cake for our strawberry shortcake. Mom would bake a large batch of biscuit batter for our Fourth of July dessert.

Mom's Giant Strawberry Shortcake

Bisquick mix
2 quarts or more of fresh strawberries, sliced and sweetened to taste
4 to 6 cups of fresh, sweetened whipping cream - whipped or 2 large tubs of Cool Whip
Surprise pint or quart of blueberries

Prepare the berries and let set in a glass mixing bowl to form juice as the sugar works into the berries. Cover and place in the refrigerator.
Mix a double batch of the Bisquick or other favorite biscuit recipe mix, with one half cup of sugar added in, early in the day or the previous night. Spread into a lightly greased 13 x 9 pan and bake at 400 degrees for 45 minutes or light golden brown. Check for done-ness with a toothpick as oven temperatures vary. When slightly cooled turn out onto a platter. Carefully slice the completely cooled 'cake' in thirds (or half) horizontally with a long knife that you would slice bread with.
Minutes before serving spoon berries all over the cake. Spread a layer of whipped cream over the berries. Place the next layer of cake on top of the whipped cream. Repeat with the berry and whipped cream mixture. Place large slices of berries all over the top of the strawberry shortcake. Add blueberries if you have them. If you have the time you can form a flag with stripes of strawberries and whipped cream. Place berries in the corner and pipe whipped cream stars on top of them.
Try my mother's method for making a family sized strawberry shortcake. Enjoy your traditional Fourth of July this year.