Blackberry Bonanza

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Blackberries have risen in rank as one of my favorite berries over the past few years.
Eaten fresh they fall just behind raspberries and strawberries. But cooked or as jam, blackberries take the cake!
Not only do these berries taste great, they’re great for you!
Also, when you pick them yourself they’re usually cheaper and you know exactly what you’re getting. You can avoid the moldy surprise the cartons at the grocer tend to hide and you can make sure each berry you pick is plump and ripe.
But what to do with all those blackberries you pick?
I use the following recipes every year for my blackberry harvest. I hope you enjoy them too!

Blackberry Cobbler

1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups white sugar, divided
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons cold butter
1/4 cup boiling water
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 cup cold water
1 tablespoon lemon juice
4 cups fresh blackberries, rinsed and drained

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

2. In a large bowl, mix the flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut in butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in 1/4 cup boiling water just until mixture is evenly moist.

3. In a separate bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in cold water. Mix in remaining 1 cup sugar, lemon juice, and blackberries. Transfer to a cast iron skillet, and bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Drop dough into the skillet by spoonfuls. Place skillet on the foil lined baking sheet.

4. Bake 25 minutes in the preheated oven, until dough is golden brown.

Blackberry Jam

4 cups crushed blackberries
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 box (1-3/4 or 2 ounces) powdered pectin
6 cups sugar

1. Wash 6 half-pint jars. Keep hot until needed. Prepare lids as manufacturer directs.

2. In large, non-aluminum pot, combine the crushed berries, lemon juice and pectin. Bring to a full rolling boil over high heat, stirring constantly. Quickly add sugar, still stirring. Return to a full rolling boil that cannot be stirred down; then boil, stirring, for 1 minute. (If using a 2-ounce box of pectin, boil for 2 minutes.) Remove from heat and skim off any foam.

3. If preparing jam for the pantry, ladle into one hot jar at a time, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Wipe jar rims with a clean, damp cloth. Attach lid. Fill and close remaining jars. Process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes (15 minutes at 1,000 to 6,000 feet; 20 minutes above 6,000 feet).

4. If preparing for freezer or refrigerator, ladle the jam into clean jars (or freezer containers, leaving 1/2-inch headspace); apply lids. Let stand for 12 to 24 hours at room temperature; freeze or refrigerate.

Storage Time: Processed, up to 1 year; unprocessed, up to 1 month in the refrigerator or up to 1 year in the freezer.

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July 9, 2007 | Filed Under Good Eats, Random | 1 Comment 

“Mom, I’m bored!”

Oh, how often I hear that phrase in a day.
We seem to go through stages of activity and lesser activity. For me, lesser activity=relaxation, for kids it=boredom and thenceforth the need to have mom entertain in some manner.
A constant endeavor of mine is to come up with some mom free entertainment that doesn’t involve placing the kids in front of the TV or computer.
Here are some activity ideas that don’t require constant mom involvement.

1. It’s berry picking season. Two of my favorite berries, blackberries and blueberries are about ready for the picking. If you live near a pick your own farm, plan an outing. Take a picnic blanket, pack a lunch, bring some baskets, sunscreen and a book and let the kids pick berries while you read your book on your blanket.
Most pick your own farms will have many very long rows of berry bushes making it easy to restrict your children to one row for a long time and keep an eye on them.

2. Have any woodland trails nearby that perhaps lead to a small stream? Again, pack whatever you need and when you get to your destination, set up and enjoy nature while the children wade in the stream chasing bugs and fish.
Local Nature Centers will often have woodland trails and perhaps a little museum for you to explore or animals to see before you begin your hike.

3. Go to the pool. I always have a great time relaxing and playing with my kids at a swimming pool. Open swim hours are available at many recreation centers as well as lessons. If you prefer not to swim, you can just watch your kids learn to swim.
If you can’t afford the local Rec. Center and don’t have any other pool to swim at you can always buy a kiddie pool for the backyard or balcony for the kids to splash around in. Don’t like the kiddie pool idea? What about water guns? Or send the kids out with an electric bubble blower.

4. Kids don’t nap anymore? Designate their former nap time as quiet time. A time where they are to stay in their rooms playing quietly or looking at books. To help keep them entertained you could check out library books every couple of weeks, and rotate giving them a couple new books to look at during each quiet time.

5.Make playdough. It is so relaxing for me to knead dough of any kind. And the kids will be entertained in making it and then playing with it.

Basic Tips:
*I find when my kids get to make something they’re going to play with, they usually enjoy playing with it much more. Items like Playdough and fingerpaints can be made quickly and inexpensively.

*One trick to keeping kids entertained is to keep things fresh and new. Rotate through activities throughout the week. Playdough every day will get old real fast, but once a week is special and they’ll want to play with it longer.

* Take the time to waste time. Plan bigger activities on days when you have no place to be. Once you get there, don’t watch the clock. Saunter on that woodland hike. Read until the kids tell you they’re tired of picking berries. It’s great to realize that a three hour chunk of your day has suddenly gone by.

Feel free to share your ideas too and check out the recipes below!

Classic Finger Paint
1 cup flour
2 Tablspoons salt
1 1/2 cups cold water
1 1/4 cups hot water
Food coloring

1. Combine flour, salt and cold water in a saucepan. Beat with a whisk until smooth.
2. Heat the mixture over medium heat. Slowly stir in hot water.
3. Continue stirring until the mixture boils and begins to thicken. remove from heat and beat with the whisk until smooth.
4. Divide the mixture into different containers and add 4 to 5 drops of food coloring to each.

* Paint on the shiny side of freezer paper. Or paint on plastic bowls and cups. The paint will wash right away later.

Classic Playdough
4 cups flour
1 1/2 cups salt
1 1/2 Tablespoon Cream of Tartar
1/8 cup vegetable oil
2 cups hot water

1. Mix flour, salt and tartar. Add oil and water and knead for 8 to 10 minutes. Add flour as needed. Make desired divisions to dough and add a few drops of food coloring to each, kneading the color in.

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July 9, 2007 | Filed Under Kids, Motherhood | 2 Comments