Non-knitting Fun

Lately I've been baking. Something happens this time of year. The kids scatter to various camps and to Grandmother's and the house quiets. It's also the season for many of my favorite fruits, so I go picking. One day I will have my own fruits to harvest, but until then, I go to the local farms and orchards and pick. This year I picked strawberries, blueberries, black raspberries and sour cherries. And as soon as they were picked, but not pitted or otherwise prepared, the kids scattered, leaving me with 12 pints of blueberries and 5 pounds of cherries to do something with.

I started by making a blueberry pound cake that I took to work. It was wonderful. I got the recipe from All Cakes Considered (yes, related to All Things Considered on NPR) and it worked beautifully. I love this cookbook enough that if it does not turn up as a belated birthday gift, I will be giving it to myself. The berries were on the big side, so they tended to sink to the top of the cake despite being tossed in flour first. (Yes, the top, it was baked in a Bundt pan.) Next time I will either add a bit more than the 1 cup called for or I will pick through to find smaller berries.

The local kitchen gadget shop missed the boat on placing a timely order for cherry pitters, so it looks like I may be back to using either my DPNs or a new hairpin to pit them again this year. It worked well last time, but I had my short help assisting me. We'll just have to see how that works out this time. The cherries are destined for possibly some sort of pie or maybe just preserves. Both options worked pretty well in the past. The blueberries will be preserves, sauce, pies and/or frozen. I love having them available when the weather has cooled and I crave fruit that is neither imported nor an apple. There are plenty of possibilities to choose from. I think I'll contemplate them in the orchard as I pick some more summer days to sustain us through the winter.