Blackberry Bonanza!

freshly picked, washed and drained blackberries

Blackberry Preserves

2 lbs of blackberries to 4 cups of sugar. Stir together and mash to let some of the juice out. You can add a small amount of water to get it started. Heat over a low flame and bring to a hard boil, watching carefully that it doesn't boil over. Pour into sterilized jars , add lids and process in a hot water bath for 10 minutes.

Sugared Blackberries

Just want some sugared berries to spoon over your cereal, over icecream, or for your favorite muffin recipe in the morning?... try sprinkling a bit of sugar over the washed and drained berries... stir and let the juice come out a bit... then pack about 1 cup of berries into a ziplock freezer bag.

Charlottes Blackberry Cobbler aka Berry Fruit Pie - thanks to Charlotte for her recipe!

One Double -Crust Pie Pastry - Prepared or make yourself

5 cups Blackberries, fresh or frozen

3/4 to 1 cup Sugar (I used 1/2 sugar and 1/2 sugar substiturte)

1/3 cup all- purpose flour

2 tsp. finely shredded lemon peel or

1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon (I used cinnamon a little more than 1/2tsp.)

1. Line pan with pie crust

2. In a large bowl combine the sugar and flour. Stir in berries and lemon peel or cinnamon

Gentrly toss berries until coated. (If using frozen fruit, let mixture stand for 45 minutes or

until fruit is partially thawed but still icy.)

3. Transfer berry mixture to the pastry-lined pie plate. Trim bottom of pastry to edge of pie plate.

Place remaining pastry on filling and seal. Cut slits in top of pastry. The recipe

calls for you to do this before you put the pastry on the filling. I did it after.

Crimp edge as desired.

4. If desired, brush top pastry with milk and sprinkle with additional sugar. ( I didn't do this) To prevent

over-browning, cover edge of pie with foil. (I may have done this) Bake in a 375% oven for

25 minutes(or 50 minutes for frozen fruit). Remove foil. Bake pie for 25 to 30 more minutes more or

until filling is bubbly and pastry is golden. Cool on a wire rack.

This recipe started with the one from the Better Homes and Gardens Berry Fruit Pie recipe. I made a few alterations.The one I make for your house was a rectangle glass pan I think it was 9X11. I used a double pie crust and 7 cups of berries and increased sugar to a little over a cup and flour to 1/3 cup plus an additional 1/3 cup 1/2 full. Kathys Note: place a big scoop of vanilla icecream over the top of the hot cobbler!

newly emerging chanterelle mushrooms

Brush the dirt from freshly picked chanterelles with a soft brush. Do not wash. Trim away the root, then slice and simmer in butter. Serve as a garnish over vegetables or meat.

Cleaned Chanterelles can also be dried in a dehydrator , then stored for later use in sauces. Rehydrate before using by soaking in hot meat broth, water and/or wine. Then chop into small pieces and add to your favorite sauce. Great over chicken or vegetables.

As with all wild edible mushrooms, it is recommended to eat them in moderation... no matter how good they taste 8>) And always be sure of your identification

Chanterelles are pretty much of a no-brainer since there is no other "look alike" mushroom to confuse them with. They have ruffly irregular edges and are pumpkin orange when small, fading to a more golden-orange as they increase in size. They appear after a period of rain and high heat and humidity... often in July in the midwest... about the same time as the blackberries!

Fresh Herb Chevre

To your favorite recipe for chevre (or purchased), add some finely chopped basil, oregano, dill leaf, or thyme. Cover and refrigerate overnight so the flavor will permeate the cheese, then serve on crackers or place directly in a beautiful summer salad of greens, cucumbers,red onion and peppers, and perhaps some pealed and thinly sliced crookneck squash . If you don't have a recipe for chevre, I can recommend the BEST book on cheesemaking: Goats Produce Too by Jane Toth

A bumper crop of basil this year allows me to put up some pesto sauce that I dearly love. Freeze your pesto in ice cube trays, then pop out the "cubes" and store in a ziplock bag. One or two pesto-cubes defrosted and mixed into hot prepared noodles is SO SO good. Or try it as a dressing on vegetables or bread. It brings alittle "aromatic-summer-green" to the winter table.

You will need about 2 cups of FRESH (not dried) basil leaves, packed, 1/2 cup of olive oil, 1/3 cup of pinenuts (or any similar nuts), 3 cloves of garlic, minced, alittle salt and pepper to taste... plus 1/2 cup of grated parmesan or romano cheese. You can use a food processor or blender to make the job easy: pulse-chop the basil leaves, nuts and garlic then add the olive oil in a steady stream along with the salt and pepper. If you are going to use it immediately, add the grated cheese . IF you are going to freeze it, omit the cheese and add it later, right before use.

This recipe will make approximately one cup of pesto.

Quick and Easy Salsa - vary peppers to your taste for HOT or not/ be sure to label your jars

I am a bad one for precise recipes. I use what comes from the garden or what is in the refrigerator; but roughly 8 roma tomatoes, 4 banana, 1 rellano, and 2 sweet green peppers, 1 onion, some fresh basil, some fresh thyme, 2 teaspoons of salt, a few shakes of pepper, and about 1/2 cup of lemon juice. Chop all ingredients and mix together in a large bowl. Boil 2 large mouth pint jars for 20 minutes to sterilize, then pack cold/uncooked salsa into jars, pressing down firmly to pack it in the jar. Dip jar lids in the boiling water for a couple minutes to soften and sterilize, then place lid and ring on jars. Process the jars in the hot water for about 10-15 minutes. This is awesome stuff on refried beans (with alittle sour cream) or on a cheese omelette or on your tacos, or mix it into melted cheese for a tortilla chip dip. It is a great way to preserve the fresh taste of the summer garden for your winter enjoyment.

Happy Harvest!