Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Blueberries & Raspberries, Oh My...







Another 9 1/2 pints of raspberry sauce went to the cold room after the Bullet was revitalized. It kept working all day, so all is well in my world. There was a lot of wastage from the berries that I left in the strainer overnight. They were too dry to run through the Bullet. Sucks.


I used one tub (2L) of the blueberries from our playground for an experiment. The less juicy berries. I am trying my hand at sun dried... dehydrated... car dried, actually, blueberries. Blueberry raisins, so to speak. I wanted to try them last year, but the severe lack of sun, aka constant rain, and cooler temperatures made the idea seem less than likely to succeed. Our warm weather this year brought it back to mind. I am anxious to try oatmeal blueberry cookies this winter.

I picked, cleaned, washed the blueberries. Put waxed paper over two cookie sheets, and laid the blueberries out in one layer on the cookie sheets. Took them out to the car, where, hopefully, they will dry out in the heat of the sun. Time will tell.
Update: They took a lot longer than I expected, and I moved them into the house into a greenhouse stand. Several days later I had created a batch of Blaizins... Yup, that's what I'm calling them. Two cookie trays turned into half a mason jar. Haven't made any cookies yet though.

The other three tubs of blueberries I had picked (6L) are now sitting on the stove top waiting to pop. 14 1/2 pints of blueberry sauce. A good days work.

Raspberry (Blueberry) Sauce

Equal parts raspberries & sugar. Clean & wash raspberries. Measure before juicing. Cook juice to rolling boil in large pot. Volume will double. Boil 4 minutes. Add equal amount of sugar while stirring. Return to rolling boil. Remove from heat. Fill sanitized canning jars, cap & seal. Turn jars over to rest until cooled and tops have popped.

Amish Friendship Bread


I keep hearing about these Amish Friendship bread Starters from my online friends. Since I have no friends in real life, I decided to look up a recipe for my own starter. It's pretty easy to put together, but at the end of the cycle I just used all the portions that you're supposed to give away. I have to say, it's a lot of messing around for what basically turns out to be banana bread. I forgot about it on the second time through the cycle, so have quit for now. I'll give it another whirl later in the fall when we aren't so busy outside, and see if it's worth it for lemon cakes. Maybe I should look up a recipe for lemon cakes first? There might be an easier way.

1 comment:

  1. Speaking of easy---


    I like to make chocolate pound cakes at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Lately, all the measuring seems like such a long chore. I think I will measure all the dry ingredients into a fruit jar and tighten on and old flat and ring. That will cut down on about half of the measuring. That way, I can line up half a dozen jars and fill them all at once. Then, come baking time, I am set.

    Maybe premeasured dry ingredients for you lemon cake will work.To me, the premeasuring would be easier than the starter. Okay, I was very unsuccessful at remembering to put new things in the starter each day.

    Hmmm, maybe I need a half-gallon jar for the dry ingredients for chocolate pound cake.

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