FARMINGTON – Since the Pierce House, located at 208 Main St. in Farmington, celebrated its grand 100 year anniversary in 2005, it has been the tradition for Old South First Congregational Church to serve up strawberry shortcake on July 4th.
Most years volunteers from Old South pick the berries fresh from David and Verna Pike’s farm on the Whittier Road. Historically, volunteer pickers gather in the morning and harvest over 100 pounds of the red ripe berries. Boxes of picked berries are then transported to the Old South kitchen where another group of volunteers wash, hull and mash the strawberries adding just the right amount of sugar. Every year the Pikes have supported the annual strawberry shortcake event by donating a generous portion of the berries.
Early on the morning of the 4th, at least 300 biscuits are baked in the church’s kitchen. Once the biscuits are baked, then all the ingredients and supplies are then taken to the Pierce House and the serving area is set up under a tent on the Pierce House front lawn. Each year there is always someone wanting their shortcake before the setup is complete!
Volunteers staff the assembly line, making each shortcake as perfect as possible with a fresh baked biscuit, a generous scoop of fresh picked and locally grown Pikes’ Farm strawberries with a generous mound of whipped cream. Serving begins at 10:30 am and goes until 12:30 p.m., or until the berries, or biscuits are gone. The cost for a serving will remain the same as last year at $4 each. Proceeds from the sale of the strawberries will benefit Old South Church’s community service, outreach and youth programs. For more information call 207-778-0424.
