Category Archives: wild berries

picking rosehips for winter tea

15 Sunday Sep 2013

Posted by in tea, wild berries

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rosehips

I like to let the tea steep overnight and the next day make a delicious rosehip ice tea with a squeeze of lemon. ~Beverley Gray, Aroma Borealis

Last evening, we brought our berry picking baskets with us on the evening walk. The rosehips have been turning bright red, beckoning us cheerfully along the trail and letting us know that they are ready for picking. As I still have many jars of rosehip jelly and syrup from last summer I have decided to simply freeze this year’s berries and use them for winter teas.

rose hipsI pull the ends off of the hips before freezing in large ziplock bags so that they are ready for use straight from the freezer. Then, when I am feeling under the weather in the winter months I can dip into the bag for a quick immune-boosting tea. Click here for a previous post on the medicinal and nutritional benefits of rosehips, or recipes for rosehip jelly and rosehip syrup.

For the tea, I use about half a cup of hips to about six cups of water. I allow the tea to steep on the stove on low heat for a few hours and add agave nectar (to taste) to sweeten.

Lucy also kept us company on the trail. She is a handy berry-picking companion as she is always on the alert for coyotes or the rare bear. She also keeps the spruce grouse, mice and pocket gophers busy!

Lucy

 

the season for jams and jellies…

01 Monday Oct 2012

Posted by in appreciate the seasons, cook, preserve, wild berries

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Since early August I have been been busy picking berries as they ripen in the wild and preserving them in jams and jellies.  I love making preserves! I love the process of turning berries into little jars of sunshine, the satisfaction of a cupboard filled with preserves and the way the entire house smells like pie when the jams and jellies are cooking. I also love giving these jewels away as gifts as it is rare to enjoy wild berry preserves unless your lucky enough to find them at the farmers market or you pick and preserve them yourself.

Above is this year’s gooseberry jam. Click here for the recipe.

Here is this year’s rosehip jelly. One batch set beautifully and the other did not. I will simply label the watery one as ‘rosehip syrup’ and use it for pancakes and waffles. Click here for the recipe.

This raspberry jam is not from wild berries but from fruit from a dear friend’s backyard. Click here for the recipe.

Here is some high bush cranberry jelly in progress and below is the final jellies, just in time to serve with Thanksgiving turkey. Click here for the recipe.

I have also made apple butter, apple jelly and two batches of chokecherry jelly. I will post those soon with the recipes. In the meantime, I hope you are enjoying this beautiful season!

Saskatoon jam

13 Monday Aug 2012

Posted by in cook, Pigeon Lake, preserve, wild berries

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This year the Saskatoon berries in my backyard are huge and plump! B and I got on ladders yesterday and picked three full basketfuls. I froze them for smoothies and pies and made a small batch of tarts for immediate enjoyment. I like to freeze the berries one layer at a time on cookie sheets and then place the frozen berries in large ziplock bags. This way they don’t stick together or freeze into one large lump and I can easily reach in for a handful of berries any time for smoothies. Last weekend I picked Saskatoon berries at one of our many beaches here on Pigeon Lake. There were many ripe berries and as these ones were a little smaller in size, I decided to make this jam with them.

Saskatoon Berry Jam

4 cups Saskatoon berries

3 cups raw cane sugar (less if, like me, you prefer the jam a little less sweet)

1 tablespoon lemon juice, fresh or bottled

Place Saskatoon berries in a large pot, add the lemon juice and cover with the sugar. Heat on medium-high heat and stir until the mixture begins to bubble. Allow mixture to boil hard for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until it thickens. Pour into hot, sterilized jars to within 1/4 inch of the top. Yield: 2 half pints and 1 small jar.

Serve on toast, pancakes, crepes and waffles. Enjoy!

millet pancakes with wild strawberry jam and wild blueberries

07 Tuesday Aug 2012

Posted by in cook, preserve, whole grains, wild berries

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I have been busy milling various flours at home, including soy, black bean, spelt, brown rice, jasmine rice and buckwheat and experimenting with each of them. Today I tried millet for the first time and decided to use my classic buttermilk pancake recipe to see how the flour behaves (beautifully) and tastes (quite mild, actually). Served with wild strawberry jam and the blueberries found on the morning walk, it was a lovely way it start the day.

Millet Pancakes

1 egg

1 cup millet flour (or whatever flour you want to try)

1 cup buttermilk

1 tablespoon raw cane sugar (or honey)

2 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

Combine all ingredients until well mixed. Ladle onto a preheat griddle (medium heat) and flip over when the pancake starts to bubble. Serve with your favorite jams, jellies and syrups. Enjoy!

wild strawberry jam

25 Wednesday Jul 2012

Posted by in cook, forage, preserve, wild berries

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I spent a blissful two hours picking wild strawberries on the trail last weekend. I had been picking small handfuls of them every morning and evening on our walks over the past two weeks and enjoying the sweet burst of flavor each little berry contains, but now it was time to do some serious picking. This time I brought along a large basket, dressed in rain pants (in order to crawl around on the ground) and wore mosquito netting. Lucy, as always, is a patient foraging companion. She just wanders around quietly nearby or curls up beside me in the tall grass and relaxes in the morning sunshine, eyes half closed.

I managed to pick enough berries for four medium jars of strawberry jam. As I didn’t have a lot of time for sterilizing jars, etc. I decided to try a freezer jam recipe from Jean Pare (Company’s Coming) which worked quite well. I am looking forward to opening these up on a cold winter’s morning and tasting sweet summer sunshine on my pancakes or toast or even served with chocolate or ice cream!

Strawberry Freezer Jam

4 cups sliced strawberries (or whole wild strawberries)

4 cups sugar (I use raw cane sugar)

2 tablespoons lemon juice, fresh or bottled

Place strawberries in a large pot. Cover with 2 cups of the sugar. Heat and stir on high until it comes to a full rolling boil. Boil hard for 3 minutes, stirring continually.

Add remaining sugar. Return to a boil, stirring continually. Boil hard for three more minutes while continuing to stir. Remove from heat.

Add lemon juice. Stir and skim off foam. Cool. Fill jars or plastic containers leaving at least one inch at the top for expansion. Let stand on counter for 24 hours to set. Freeze. Makes 4 half pints.

wild berry muffins

27 Friday Jan 2012

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It’s time to dip into those frozen berries that you picked last summer! For this recipe, use blueberries, strawberries, raspberries or Saskatoon berries; or a combination of any of these.

Wild Berry Muffins

2 cups organic all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup plain yogurt

1/2 cup butter, melted

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup berries

icing sugar and/or cinnamon for dusting (optional)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees (F).

Sift flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a large bowl. In a separate mixing bowl, place eggs, sugar, yogurt, butter and vanilla and beat until blended. Add the egg mixture to the flour mixture along with the berries. Use a rubber spatula to fold together gently until just combined. Do not over-mix.  Place in muffin tray and sprinkle with a dusting of sugar and cinnamon (if desired).

Bake for 12-15 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool for about 5 minutes before removing muffins from pan. Turn onto a wire rack. Serve while still warm or later at room temperature.

Resource:

Elliot, R., & Treuille, E. (2001). Organic Cookbook: Naturally Good Food. New York:

Dorling Kindersley.

chocolate cake with wild berries

08 Sunday Jan 2012

Posted by in cook, wild berries

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This cake has never failed me. Even non-chocolate lovers dive in! Perhaps the secret is the sauce? This cake is worth the effort to make and always looks good for any sort of presentation. I normally use Grand Marnier or Cointreau in the sauce for the liqueur. Garnish the cake with whole berries or edible flowers. Today I sprinkled some the the rose petals that I dried back in July on top. For the sauce, I used some of the Saskatoon berries and wild raspberries that I had picked last summer as well.



Chocolate Cake with Wild Berries

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

4 eggs, separated

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

2 tablespoons butter

2 tabelspoons corn syrup

Preheat oven to 325 degrees (F). Grease a spring form pan. Heat 1 cup chocolate chips and 1/2 cup butter in a small saucepan until melted. Cool for 5 minutes then stir in flour and eggs yolks until well-mixed.

In electric mixer, beat egg whites on high speed until foamy. Add sugar, a few spoonfuls at a time, and continue to beat until stiff peaks form. Fold the chocolate mixture into the egg white mixture. Spread in pan.

Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until wooden toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Allow cake to cool for 10 minutes then run a knife along the sides of the cake to loosen. Open spring and remove. Invert cake onto a wire rack and remove bottom of spring form pan. Allow cake to cool completely.

Heat 1/2 cup chocolate chips, 2 tablespoons butter and the corn syrup over medium heat until the chocolate chips are melted. Mix until smooth and then spread over the top of the cake, allowing some to drizzle down the sides.

Garnish with whole berries. Serve with Wild Berry Sauce and whipped cream if desired.

Wild Berry Sauce

2 cups of fresh or frozen berries (raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, Saskatoons, dew berries, etc.) or 1 package (10 oz) frozen berries, thawed, drained, juice reserved

1/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1-2 tablespoons orange or raspberry-flavored liqueur (if desired)

Add enough water to the reserved berry juice to measure 1 cup. Mix sugar and cornstarch in a small saucepan and stir in the juice and berries (reserve some whole berries for the garnish, if desired). Heat to boiling over medium heat, allowing the mixture to boil for about a minute. Remove from heat and stir in the liqueur. Serve warm over chocolate cake or ice cream.

Enjoy!

wild berry smoothie

08 Thursday Dec 2011

Posted by in cook, forage, wild berries

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With the earth asleep under a thick blanket of snow, this is the perfect time to ‘shake things up’ by visiting your freezer and rediscovering those healthy summer treasures stored there. Today, I brought out some frozen raspberries, Saskatoons, wild red and black currants, Highbush cranberries and a few pureed chickweed ice cubes to add to a colorful smoothie. What a great way to wake up those sleepy taste buds, boost that immune system and enjoy last summer’s foraging harvest with this explosion of summer berry flavor.

wild berry smoothie

I use a variety of smoothie recipes depending on what I have on hand.  The most basic smoothie recipes generally calls for:

1 cup yogurt

2 cups frozen fruit, chopped

1 cup ice cubes

Put these in a blender and blend until smooth. From there feel free to experiment by adding:

  • different fruit combinations ( I almost always add a banana to thicken it)
  • frozen honeydew, cantaloupe and/or watermelon
  • frozen pureed dandelion leaf
  • a splash of pineapple juice or coconut milk for a tropical flavor
  • pomegranate or cranberry juice
  • almond or soy milk
  • a tablespoon of freshly ground flax seed or wheat germ
  • honey or Stevia if you want your smoothie a little sweeter
  • a squeeze of lemon or lime juice to make it more sour
  • or top with granola

A friend of mine mentioned that he makes a healthy peanut butter breakfast smoothie… I’ve never tried that before, perhaps he’ll share his recipe with us? In the meantime, cheers everyone…

To health, wellness and vitality!

 

rosehip syrup

21 Wednesday Sep 2011

Posted by in cook, forage, preserve, wild berries

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The brandy added to this syrup makes it taste so good! A concentrated and potent syrup bursting with vitamin C. Add a few tablespoons to smoothies or add to a mug of hot water for tea. Mix with prepared black tea and chill for a fruity ice tea or mix with soda water for a rosehip Italian-style soda. Pour over top cakes or puddings, pancakes or waffles. Or simply take a spoonful as medicine when feeling under the weather.

5 cups rosehips

water to cover

honey, or natural sweetener of your choice

brandy

Put rosehips in a stainless steel or glass) pot. Add enough water to cover and bring to a boil. Then simmer on low heat for about an hour. Let cool then mash the rosehips well.

Stain the liquid through cheesecloth or jelly bag, pressing the juice through the bag.

Measure to see how much juice you have, then pour into a clean Stainless steel (or glass) pot. Bring to a boil and add sweetener. For every cup of juice add 1 cup of honey or sweetener of your choice. (Note: I only use half the recommended amount of sugar for a more tart syrup). Boil for a few minutes. Then pour into a large sterilized jar. Allow the syrup to cool before adding 1 teaspoon of brandy for every cup of syrup.

Refrigerate. Note: should keep from 6 months to a year in the refrigerator.

rosehip jelly (Rosa acicularis)

13 Tuesday Sep 2011

Posted by in cook, forage, preserve, wild berries

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This jelly is very high in vitamin C and has a wonderful tangy, hibiscus-like flavor. Serve on toast, pancakes, waffles, crepes or on top of a wheel of brie.

rosehip jelly

8 cups of rose hips

6 cups of water

4 cups of the prepared juice

1 box of certo

1/2 cup lemon juice (bottled or fresh)

5 cups of organic sugar (I only used 3 cups as I like my jelly tart in flavor)

Remove stems and wash rosehips. Put hips into a stainless steel pot (never use aluminum as this destroys the vitamin C) and add water. Boil for about 10 – 15 minutes, until the fruit is soft enough to crush. Crush and squeeze through jelly bag. Put prepared juice into stainless steel pot, add lemon juice and certo and bring to a boil. Add sugar and boil hard for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and pour into sterilized jars up to ¼ inch from the top and seal.

Enjoy!