First U-pick experience

[taxguykarl]

Mrs. TGK & I went to one of those farm where you do the harvesting. The one we selected was a blueberry farm in southwest Michigan about 2 hours from our home.

We picked a little over 20 pounds (9 kilos) of blueberries before DW called it quits. The price was a steal compared to megamarts (how much of their price is labor, packaging and shipping passed on?).

We drove home that day and I was too tired to do much more than prep work. The night before I had picked some blackberries (we have several plants) and the peaches I salvaged from a large branch broken by a storm had ripened enough to use....who knew the banana-in-a-bag trick would work for peaches as well.

Well, I just finished canning all that fruit and the final tall for today is:
26 jars of blueberry jam
5 jars of blackberry jam
9 jars of peach jam
8 jars of blueberry pie filling

And still I cucumbers to deal with--they like heatwaves.

[Aethian]

I think I know which one you went too (since I'm in that area)...it rocks.

[MoonCat]

Yummmmm, I'm coming over to your house!

[PhiSigGirl1988]

Hey! One of my friends used to live in Benton Harbor. I'll have to check that place out sometime. I'm on the other side of the state from it, but it's not too far.

[sms001]

Nice work TGK! mmmmmmm.......homemade blueberry jam on buttered scone........

[Eireann]

Taxguykarl, I'll send you my address so you can send me some blueberry goodness. Not to mention blackberry and peach.

Seriously, one of the best things about summer is that the fruits I like the most are in season - but in this country, either they don't grow, or they grow in small sizes.

[AccountingDrone]

Nice.

A cheap and creative dessert if you need one in a hurry is to get the already pie crusts [couple packages] a package of instant no cook french vanilla pudding and the jar of preserves of your choice.

Thaw and flatten out the pie crusts, cut into rounds that will fit into a muffin pan [I frequently use a wine glass with the rim dipped in flour] and blind bake as cups formed by gently putting them into the holes in the muffin pan. Some people prefer to flip it and form them over the bottoms but I find they tend to look sloppy and break.

Mix up the vanilla pudding, add in a few drops of almond flavoring. divide evenly between the little tart crusts.

Put a dollop of preserves on the vanilla pudding, try to make it neat so you can see a little rim of vanilla around hte preserves.

If you have the fresh berries to do so, you can decorate with a berry on top, though I have made decorative swirlies of white chocolate for the top.