Berry Land

"One berry, two berry, pick me a blueberry..."

Have you ever read Jamberry by Bruce Degen?  It is one of our favorite summertime books, and if you pick berries, a must have!  If you don't own a copy, the library should have it.  I think I enjoy reading the rhymes as much as the kiddos do.  It covers raspberries, blackberries, blueberries and mulberries, all of which we have picked recently.

Being a grainless family, we have been looking for different ways to eat our berries.  Of course we eat 'em right out of the basket (and before they even get in the basket!), as well as smoothies, in homemade coconut milk ice cream, on top of it, in coconut flour confections (I use that term loosely, lol!), and in JAM!  I would LOVE to hear some suggestions and recipes! 

Since we do not eat bread products, the occasion to use jam isn't often, but I sure do love the process of making it.  So far I have made blackberry jam only, as they were plentiful in the wild.  I occasionally make coconut flour pancakes to take on picnics and such.  We use them as bread, slathering them with the jam.  Mostly egg, they are pretty delicious.

From Bruce Fife's Cooking With Coconut Flour:

2 eggs

2T coconut oil or butter, melted (um, ghee anyone?)

2T coconut milk or raw milk (ok, raw being my own addition)

1t sugar (we use honey of course)

1/8t salt

2T coconut flour

1/8t baking powder

Cook as you would any other pancake.  I find that if I let the batter sit a while, it performs better.  Of course, for a family of five, we at least triple this recipe!

For the jam, I use the basic recipe in the Pomona's box.   It's great when using honey, which we do, exclusively.  I also love this great old book for preserving with honey.

The girls were not the only ones busy this weekend.  Stone, more commonly referred to as "Boo", has shown great interest in the poddy.  When I go, there is an almost inevitable "me too!".  Well, he has been getting on the big potty, but definitely needed a potty of his own.  We are not the kind to go out and buy brand new stuff that we'll only use a few months, and I'm not keen on plastic anything in the house.  So YogiDad and Boo made a simple potty, and mom donated a mixing bowl to the cause.  Sweet and cute, it is. 

He loves it, and can pee on cue!  It's amazing.  He's a little potty prodigy.  If this kid is potty trained by his 2nd birthday (August 1st), I get a promotion!

I hope you experience the joy of  picking your own berries this summer...nothing is more satisfying to me than gathering fruit.  Find 'em wild or at a pick your own farm.

Sending some fun summertime lovin' your way!