Another Post About Peaches

Last night was my first overnight shift in over two years and, thankfully, it went well enough that I had energy this morning to do things. Like go to my riding lesson. And pick peaches. I pulled another 4 pounds off the tree (up to 38.3 pounds and there are probably another 6 or more pounds on the tree, at least that I can see) and brought a few to my riding instructor. The rest went into a peach-wild blueberry cobbler which we just had for dessert with peach ice cream.  I used the last cup of wild blueberries that we picked on Saturday.

I did spend a few minutes after my riding lesson to go hiking up the hill behind the stables for berries. Last year I started a long term project of foraging whatever berries grew at the stables and, when I get enough, I plan to make some sort of jam or jelly with them. Last year I filled a quart sized ziploc with blackberries, black raspberries, wild blueberries, and grapes. Mostly grapes. They're in the freezer. This year so far I've found both red and black raspberries, wild blueberries, and some blackberries which are just getting started. Most likely the bulk of the project will be grape based, but there will at least be a variety of berries in there to add some interesting flavor. Generally each week I get about 1/4 cup of berries. (This project is neither quick nor easy. Yes. I am patient.)

More Baking Than Canning

In addition to our weekly farm share, sometimes our mason drops by with vegetables from his fabulous garden. Usually zucchini is one of the things he brings (along with celery, green beans, basil, tomatoes, peppers and sometimes eggplant - it's really quite wonderful) and they're generally the very big ones. Each one makes about 3 cups of shredded zucchini, which means they are perfect for chocolate zucchini bread. Since I had 2, the other day I made a double batch - 4 loaves. Do you know why this recipe is so great? Because the 10 year old asks me to make it. Knowing full well there is zucchini in it.

One loaf went to my next door neighbors who had just returned from a month away. Another went to the construction workers in front of our house. They are replacing the water main on our street with a new 3-foot diameter main, complicated by old pipes, traffic, heat, and the fact that the entire neighborhood is mostly ledge. For the past week I've had to either make a date with them to leave my driveway or get my car out really early and leave it out on a side street all day. Anyway, they've been super nice. I brought a loaf of the bread to them, and said they could leave the plate on my steps when they were done. Not TWO MINUTES later, the foreman appeared at my door with an empty plate. I was highly amused.

The other two loaves were for us, and one was finished that day - eaten for both breakfast and dinner. See, it's a vegetable, right? So it's perfectly fine for dinner!

Last night we'd stopped by the local peach farm so I bought a quart of "seconds" as well as a quart of peaches for eating. I made the seconds into a peach cobbler which we ate for dessert. (Note to self, use the 9x13 dish, not the Corningware.) We tried it with the spruce ice cream - not bad, but I think I might like to try it with the wintergreen ice cream instead. If there is any left by the time I get home from work today!

Gifts of Blueberry

The kids were vacationing with their grandparents and returned the other night, bearing gifts:  maple syrup, a freshly laid egg, and 10 cups of wild blueberries!

Add that to the gallon my husband and I picked on Saturday and that is... let me see... carry the 1... a WHOLE LOT of wild blueberries!  I already had a plan to make jam, but that only took 6 cups.  I froze 8 cups into 1-cup servings for pancakes and waffles.  Last night I made a cobbler with another 6 cups, and that was terrific!  Here's the recipe I used, repeated here mainly so I don't have to keep looking at the photo on my phone that I took of the recipe:

6 T. butter, softened

1.5 cups sugar

1 cup milk

2 cups flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 cup sugar

1 T. cornstarch

1 cup boiling water

Spread the berries in a 9 x 13 baking pan.  Cream the butter and the sugar, add the milk and mix until smooth.  Add the flour and the baking powder, mix and spread the batter over the berries.  Then mix the 1 cup of sugar and the cornstarch, sprinkle over the top of the batter, then pour the boiling water all over everything.  Bake at 350 for an hour.  Perfection!

Today I took the 6 cups I'd frozen to make the jam and did that, using the recipe for powdered pectin - 6 cups berries, crushed, pectin and 4 cups of sugar.  It made a total of 7 cups and I couldn't help but lick the pot afterwards!  So so so good!  Even the ornery 8 year old, who didn't want to like it, liked it.  Six of the jars are the half-pints and 2 are half-cup jars, to add to the gift stash.

Lastly, at the request of the 11 year old, I will be making blueberry sauce.  Apparently the farm at which they were staying makes it and it seems as good a use as any!  It sounds like it's a little like a blueberry syrup so that would have plenty of uses in our house!