Pick-Your-Own is NOW OPEN with 4 varieties for picking; Blueberries, Peaches, Raspberries and Apples! It has been an incredible year for our blueberry crop, never having lasted this long into August. By the end of this week picking will come to an end, but for the meantime, there are plenty of berries to be picked! Peaches opened up mid-August and have been maintaining sporadic hours up at our Main Orchard. Peaches are huge and super sweet… we couldn’t ask for anything more! Peach picking is a favorite on the shoreline, so you want to make sure you are handling and storing them correctly when you take them home. Make sure to spread them out as much as possible and check daily for final ripening. Peaches are perishable and need to be handled gently and kept from sunlight. They will not all necessarily ripen at once so keep your eye on them.
Raspberries have just opened up within the past week! Our raspberries are considered fall berries, becoming ripe in the late summer/early fall timeframe. Raspberry picking generally lasts until late October, with September being its peak time. There are many ways to use raspberries in salads, yogurt, juices, sauces and desserts! If storing fresh, we recommend using them within days of them being picked. For optimal freshness, keep raspberries dirty. If you introduce moisture to the berries, it will cause them to go downhill quickly. Only wash the amount of berries you plan to eat at the moment. Make sure to store raspberries dry and in a container in the fridge. Avoid keeping them in the coldest part of your fridge or in the crisper. The best place is where you will see them best, as to not forget them. Frozen raspberries will keep from 10-12 months!! If freezing, you can wash ahead of time, and then dry them laid out on paper towels to remove excess moisture. Place them on a cookie sheet and pop them into your freezer to freeze until frozen. Once they are frozen, store in an airtight plastic zip bag or in a freezer-proof container. They will be great in smoothies, baked goods or on top of your morning yogurt or oatmeal.
Right now we only have one variety available for pick-your-own apples, Zestars. This is an early variety, with Ginger Gold and Paula Red two others not quite ready for pick-your-own, but available in the farm market. Shortly after Labor Day, more varieties will come available, including McIntosh, Gala, Crimson Crisp and everyone’s favorite… Macouns!! Always check out our Bishop’s Cookbook, featuring recipes that highlight our in season crops. Here are a few favorites:
Peach Sorbet
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 pounds peaches
- 1 ½ cups syrup
- 1 lemon
DIRECTIONS:
Score bottom of peaches with an X and boil about 10 seconds in boiling water and peal off skin. Remove peach pits and puree peaches in a food processor or blender. Pour puree into a bowl and stir in simple syrup and lemon juice. Taste and adjust syrup or lemon juice to taste. Freeze in an ice cream maker using manufacturers instructions.
Raspberry Cobler
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 cup brown sugar
- ½ cup water
- 4 teaspoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
- 6 cups raspberries
- cooking spray
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 5 tablespoons butter
- ½ cup buttermilk
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine the first 6 ingredients in a large bowl, and set mixture aside. Add raspberries, and toss gently to coat. Spoon raspberry mixture into a shallow 2 quart baking dish coated with cooking spray. Combine 1 cup flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a bowl; cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add low fat buttermilk, tossing with a fork just until mixture forms a soft dough. Spoon dough into 8 mounds on top of raspberry mixture. Bake at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, or until topping is lightly browned and filling is bubbly. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Raspberry Apple Pie
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 package of 2 pie crusts
- 2 cups raspberries
- 2 cups Zestar apples
- ⅔ cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
DIRECTIONS:
Peel and cut apples into thin slices. Layer apple slices on bottom crust, then raspberries. Mix sugar and flour or cornstarch and sprinkle over fruit. Cover with top crust. Seal edges by fluting, then brush the top of crust with milk or water. Bake for 10 minutes at 425º then reduce to 350º for approximately 40 minutes. Cool on rack-serve cool.