August 22, 2007
Every summer I take the kids to a farm nearby. We pick a ton of fresh produce and come home and eat it. There really is nothing quite like picking your produce off the vine or digging it out the ground and eating it within a few hours. It’s the way God meant for us to eat. Even though I love the fresh, delicious food, taking the kids to U-pick farms is a mixed bag for me. On the one hand, it teaches them about where their food comes from, how it’s grown and a huge appreciation for nature. The taste can’t be beat. They’ve become extraordinarily adventerous with food. They will eat any fruit, vegetable or herb. However. Yes, it’s a big however. The problem is always what happens after we go to the farm.
Today we came home with seven pounds of carrots and two and a half flats of blackberries. After one trip last summer we came home with TWENTY FIVE POUNDS OF POTATOES! You don’t even know the pressure I feel. I called Steve at the office and simply said: I hope you like carrots. He burst out laughing and started listing off carrot dishes like Forest Gump: carrot soup, carrot stew, carrot gumbo- “What about carrot cake?!” I demanded.
Last summer I made blackberry crisps, blackberry pies, blackberry cobbler, blackberry pancakes, blackberry smoothies, and blackberry jam…..
So if you’ve got a recipe for blackberries or carrots, please oh please, dear internet, put it in the comments. I need recipes, people. I got carrots and blackberries comin’ out the wazoo…… ;D
August 22, 2007 at 1:46 pm
Granny’s Blackberry Dumplings
Ingredients:
3 cups sifted flour
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup shortening (butter, margarine or crisco)
1 egg (beaten)
1 teaspoon vinegar
1/2 cup ice water
Freshly picked blackberries
Sugar
Butter
Directions:
Mix flour, salt and shortening. In a separate bowl, mix egg, vinegar and ice water. Mix the flour mixture with the egg mixture and refrigerate dough overnite. Divide dough into 10 - 12 small balls. Roll each ball out into a circular shape. Fill with as many blackberries as you can and add 1/4 cup sugar and a pat of butter. Fold the dough around the berries, sugar and butter to form a dumpling.
Cook for 10 minutes in a pre-heated oven at 450 degrees. After 10 minutes, reduce heat to 350 and cook for an additional 40 minutes.
August 22, 2007 at 4:10 pm
BLACKBERRY FLUMMERY
1 quart Blackberries
1/2 cup hot water
3 tbls cold water
Dash of salt
Dash of cinnamon
2 tbls cornstarch
1 - 1 1/2 cups sugar (adjust sugar to taste)
Wash and pick over berries, discarding any imperfect ones. Combine berries, water, sugar, salt and cinnamon in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring well. Reduce heat an simmer gently about 5 to 8 minutes. Add 3 tablespoons cold water to cornstarch to make a smooth paste. Blend into hot cooking berries. Stir constantly until berries are slightly thick and translucent in color, about 2 to 3 minutes. Serve cold with milk for breakfast or with whipped cream for dessert.
August 22, 2007 at 4:11 pm
POLISH BLACKBERRY SOUP
1 pint ripe blackberries
2 small lemons, sliced very thin
1 one-inch stick cinnamon
2 cloves
1/2 cup sugar
2 cups cold water
2 cups sour cream
Put all ingredients except sour cream into a soup kettle (any heavy pan) and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer 10 minutes or until fruit is soft. Remove cinnamon stick and cloves. Put cooked berry mixture in blender for about 20 seconds. Cool and chill well. Stir in sour cream just before serving.
August 22, 2007 at 6:11 pm
You guys ROCK! I am so excited!
August 22, 2007 at 6:50 pm
For the carrots, you could peel them and chop them coarsely, then stick them in the freezer. Save up your chicken bones, too, and make stock. Stock freezes well. (We freeze ours in small portions, enough to cook rice in or make a soup)
You could freeze some carrot cakes, too — just wrap in several layers and they’ll last a long time.
August 22, 2007 at 8:27 pm
I saw this on Williams-Sonoma.com today Planked Salmon with Pinot Noir-Berry Sauce for the black berries.
This was in the Times a while back for the carrots. Carrot Velvet Soup.
Let me know when you’ve got Butternut Squash. I learned that I didn’t hate squash, it was the way my Mom made it!
August 22, 2007 at 9:21 pm
Hey no fair! My comment is awaiting moderation, just because I put two hyperlinks in?
I guess black berries could have some aphrodisical qualities and carrots, I won’t go there.
August 23, 2007 at 8:43 am
Sorry, I can’t help you, I don’t eat carrots.
Blackberrys though…have you ever made your own wine? If this interests you I’ll post how to make a delicious black and blue berry wine.
August 23, 2007 at 10:04 am
Marcy- I make vegetable stock all the time- I’m a vegetarian though, so no chicken bones.
Beau- Carrot soup looks awesome. Salmon? You’d feed me fish?
Jeff- I have never made wine. Steve loves wine, but I don’t drink it.
August 24, 2007 at 2:35 pm
Oops.
Sorry, forgot about that whole vegetarian thing. Thats okay - more for me!
August 24, 2007 at 3:25 pm
this is great. haha. i have no recipes right now but i was just thinking about how much i enjoy your blog!!!! i would nominate you for so many awards if i actually had the time. speaking of time, it’s nap time.
August 24, 2007 at 8:56 pm
Jess- lol thank you!
Beau- Mmm hmmm. You’d totally fuddrucker me, wouldn’t you?