Part #2: Preserving Through Pie

Pie is perfection. You can take anything and make it into a pie. 

Before breaking my finger (I will spare you the photographs) I was busily making pies for our upcoming family camping trips. Hopefully I will be all healed before apple season…

So, though belated, here is my absolutely favorite recipe for a fresh summer cherry pie:

In my arsenal I have (from top to bottom of the photo):

My really cool all purpose scale for measuring the weight of the cherries

Metal bowls galore

My trusty kitchenaid mixer

The Martha Stewart Pie Wheel

Click HERE to download and enjoy

The classic Betty Crocker Cookbook

The Betty Crocker recipe for pie crust is a wonderful, quick all purpose recipe that can be used for ANY type of pie. A lot of people prefer crusts with butter but this calls for shortening making it a bit more affordable and you don't have the wait time to refrigerate it before using it.

8-9" one-crust

1 Cup Flour

1/2 tsp. Salt

1/3 Cup + 1 T Shortening

2-3 T cold water

I usually double this if I am treating a 10" lattice top.

Mix the dry ingredients, blend in the shortening until it is pea sized and sprinkle in the water and mix. 

Cook Pie at 425 degrees for 35-45 min

Now we are talking PIE cherries. Not table cherries like Queen Ann or Bing. Those are a different creature all together. I have tried a few different recipes for cherry pie and have made an alteration or two . Very sweet but tart. Perfect with a dollop of vanilla ice-cream.

2 1/4 lb pitted cherries. She says halved but I do whole

1/4 c sugar

2 T instant tapioca powder

1/4 to 1/2 tsp of almond extract. 

Let sit while you prep your crust and turn occasionally.

In the tradition of the all american cherry pie, I only do a lattice top but add a bit of my own flare. 

Pies are also an excellent way to preserve your fruit and pull out of the freezer when company is coming. I have canned pie filling but it just isn't the same. Plus, freezing the pie ahead of time seems to make it flakier. 

Another summer favorite growing up was the pitted cherries my mom froze for us to snack on, on those super hot summer days. Far healthier then frozen fruit pops and just as refreshing. 

Remember too that all cherries can be frozen in baggies (measure them out first for the recipe) and used later. Bing Cherries are also lovely in rustic pies. 

So now that I have gallons of these babies put away we can add them to smoothies, pies and create sauces with them in the winter. It is always worth taking a little time every evening during harvest time to put something away. Now that Blueberries are done my vegetable garden is brimming with cabbage I plan on making into sauerkraut for the first time ever. It could be a great success or a stinky mess. Wish me luck!

Honey Jars

We spun quite a while ago but I didn't blog about it because in the photos I am filling the a top secret gift.

Here is what we spin with. We rent it each year but the price goes up each year so I am seriously looking into buying one. It's on my amazon wish list which is sort of becoming a version of a vision board :)  

This year I purchased dozens of little jars to give as favors at a baby shower I hosted and to give to friends at family at our annual harvest dinners and parties. You can find these jars at your local honey producer like I did at Glory Bee Foods. Click the link to buy online.

We have only a few more canning jars left for tea and baking this winter and our precious large hive has flown away. Not sure why but we have had a pretty bad yellow jacket year... Oh well, there is one more hive we are keeping by the orchard. Perhaps next summer will be the one to help them grow and hopefully split.  

Summer 2013 Part 1

Every summer starts with our trip to Sunriver OR. This time was a bit longer then most but because of the rain I was only able to sketch a few pages. I have been sketching exclusively in my large moleskine allowing me to write more about where I am when painting and what I am experiencing. I especially love watching people look through it and read the stories. 

Not a few days after this trip we were off to the coast to camp with family; my oldest sis Angie from Dear Spring Green and her family along with my mom and dad. It was so great spending time with my niece and nephews. Mark went diving twice in Depoe Bay and we dreamed together of one day owning a house on the beach. We drive around looking at signs and collecting flyers. Does anyone else do that?

At some point, and I honestly don't know when because I'm getting old, we went fishing. Very, very  early in the morning. The morning started out with high hopes. El had just gotten a new bright pink fishing pole that lights up when you real in and I was fully prepared with sunscreen, snacks and a fabulous hat!
Within the first hour we caught our first fish! We all clap and take pictures and congratulate each other. Hour number two goes by... nothing. The other boat holding Mark's brother and friends continue to catch fish. We say "yay!" and clap for them the third, fourth and fifth time but by fishy number six we could only manage a weak "yay" followed by a grumble. The sun was not warm on our faces anymore. We lacked the excitement we once felt when we cast our line. Life was meaningless.

I love my photo bombing daughter

 After five hours we went home and took a nap. Life got better.

And, as always, there is the CONSTANT harvesting going on here. Because we had such unseasonably warm weather in June our cherries, basset berries, strawberries and rhubarb all came on at the same time. My fingers were stained brown from all of the cherry juice for a few weeks, but I now have a gallon of dried cherries and countless gallons of seeded pie and bing cherries in the fridge.

In my search for a good cobbler recipe for the bings I found THIS one by Martha Stewart. I would double the filling though because there is a ton of crust in this recipe.

Now the blueberries are consuming our evenings and the blackberries and apricots are on their way! I am also working on harvesting our lavender for my handmade sachets and to make infused vodka!

I will spare you the details about worming the sheep and move on.

Finally, we are enjoying every sunset here at Bramblefield and I look forward to sharing more of my summer projects with you soon.

Free Recipe Card Download

Mark and I have an ongoing competition as to who makes the best blueberry muffins. I for one, am of the mind that streusel topping makes everything better. 

Many Saturday mornings we will quickly distract the other while we start preparing "our" muffins before they can get to the mixer. What we do agree on is that our home grown blueberries and farm fresh eggs make them better than anything we could possibly have from a bakery. 

Click the link below to download these little gifts from my kitchen to yours, whether you like agree with my stance on streusel topping or not.

Recipe Cards #1
Recipe Cards #2

A New Hive of Bramblefield Bees

Look close and you will see the ball of bees that settled themselves in my parent's back yard.

Let's zoom in shall we?

They are not interested in stinging but protecting the queen. It's really a giant version of a dog pile.

We are always ready for a new hive and the honey to follow so when we got the call that a swarm had landed we rushed right over, suit and box in hand.

My dad put on his classic 70's jacket and hat to join Mark and they lopped off the branch of bees. Usually Mark can hit the branch hard enough for the swarm to fall right in but this bush was quite tangled and cutting was the only way.

What a handsome bee keeper.

We sat a while to let all of the bees settle in and "call" to the others. Looking at the base of the box you can see them at the opening fanning their wings, causing the queens scent to drift out.

Here is Sammy. He waited with us.

 Once home we put them on a makeshift stand and unsealed the opening.

Take note! This is going to be the new spot for all of our hives! A little rough right now but this summer we are making stands and surrounding the area with lavender plants. It is the ideal space: nestled in the orchard, away from main walk ways and enough sun to light the entry and shade to keep it cool in the hot summer months.

It's a week or so later and they are now creating new comb and have new babies on the way. 

Next step: Honey!

A Buzz In The Air

Last month Mark took a look in our one remaining bee box- we used to have five and found no queen and very few bees.
Last week he found the hive alive and well! With any luck we can split this hive in the next few weeks.

 Over the years we have had some weird bees. Two years ago one hive condinually pulled wax in circular shapes making the uniform frame look like it had huge yellow tumors all over it. Last year four hives disappeared. I'm sure you have heard about our incredible bee problems and to learn more you should watch The Vanishing of The Bees. You can find it on Netflix still I'm sure.

This year they keep laying brood (baby bees) along side the honey they have stored. This calls for Mark to move the frames regularly. As the hive grows our chances of splitting them increases. To do this though we must transfer half to a new hive and bring them over a mile away. When they see there is no way to back they resign themselves to create a new queen and build up a new family.

Our harvest 2 years ago

I have loved giving everyone a small jar of this nectar at Christmas time and after a good season I am able to do all of my cooking with it. Because we are surrounded by wheat and grass fields it is also great for people with allergies to build up a resistance to it.

Look closely, you can see where I poked my finger in the comb to taste the warm honey. I couldn't resist!

There has been a rise in people raising bees which is fantastic but it takes quite a bit of infrastructure and time so prepare yourself. One hive will get you about a gallon of honey if it is a strong one but sometimes it is less expensive to just support local keepers by purchasing your honey from them.

Right now the hive is positioned right next to our recycling station, chicken coop and the new cut flower garden so we will be relocating them soon. In the dead of night of course.

Radish Painting

This is a view of last years lush vegetable garden. Mark insisted on three rows of potatoes and for some reason I thought planting and entire row of purple beans would barely feed us. Don't even ask how many tomatoes we have in this picture!  By the end of the season I was practically throwing them away. The same goes for the radishes. No one in my family eats them so why did I plant them? The answer for every gardener is: Because I had room. 

After harvesting, washing and photographing them I decided to paint rather than consume them. The chickens liked this arrangement as well. 

If this is still available you can find it in my shop HERE

Pumpkin Brain

Though the stores are filled with tinsel and lights I still have pumpkins on the brain. The above image is of a few I painted  last month and I can't seem to stop. I have been waiting all summer to make this soup and thought I would share the recipe with you all.  I made it for a dinner I hosted a month ago (tripling the recipe) and had many requests for it. I first found it on allrecipe.com and altered it as I went along. Enjoy!

4 T butter

1 large onion, chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

2-3 carrots, chopped

2 sweet potatoes peeled and cubed

1 medium butternut squash peeled, seeded and cubed

32 oz chicken stock

salt and pepper to taste

Before I begin anything I put the squash in the oven on a low temp to heat. This makes it so much easier to peal and cut up. Then I go to work chopping up the celery, potato and carrot. It doesn't have to be pretty because it is all getting blended in the end. Now prep and cut up your squash. Melt butter in pot and toss in all your handy work to brown for about 5 minutes. Pour in enough broth to cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for 30 minutes or until veg is tender. Transfer to a blender to puree or use a hand blender in the pot. add salt and pepper. 

I usually double this but if you have never done a soup like this before just make a single batch up to try it. It freezes quite well and for added richness I like a dollop of sour cream on top. Serve with a white wine and a hardy bread. Afterwords curl up on the couch with a good movie and warm blanket.  Well, at least those are my plans tonight.

Happy Autumn and Warm Tummies to you all,

Elizabeth

Fall Harvest

This is our favorite season by far. It has been filled with parties, dinners and the harvesting of our bountiful garden. Not a lot of canning happened so I am hoping our fruit from this summer will tied us over. 

This year was our first really successful apple harvest. I made pies, crisps and squeezed apple cider with Mark's press. In college he wanted a small version of his dad's larger press. Using hand tools, regular framing lumber and scrap materials he fit it all together.  5 gal of apples = 1 gal of cider. 

My tomatoes come with a sadder story. After carefully washing, cutting and boiling down I ran out of time and set them in the fridge till I was able to can them the next day. And that is where I found them days later.... The corn is a happier story. Another creation of Mark's helped us quickly collect the corn and into the freezer they went. Instead of bags I used the large plastic containers our ice cream comes! This will make it easier to get it our a cup or two at a time for soups and sides. I'm sure this has been done before but I am basking in my cleverness all the same.

Here is to happy harvesting friends and a bountiful autumn!
-Elizabeth