Rasbperry Sloosh

I finally got around to trying my hand at making raspberry juice, like my grandmother (Mema) used to make. The first batch was good, but didn't really taste like Mema's. It was clear and a little watery, even though I didn't add to much water. The second batch came out excellent! The key, as I remember, is to use over ripe raspberries, the one's that are deep red, almost dark purple and about to fall off the bush. They are the juiciest and seem to have the most pulp. The second batch cooked down nice and was cloudy, pulpy and thick, just like I remembered!

This is the recipe I used:

• Thoroughly rinse the berries and place them in a heavy pot with just enough water to make them float. Less water is better for a thick concentrate.
• Bring to a boil, mash down the raspberries with a potato masher and then bring back to a boil.
• Line a strainer with several layers of cheese cloth and pour the mixture through collecting the juice into a bowl. Let the strained mixture sit for a bit as the juice will continue to drain.
• When most of the juice has drained and the mixture has cooled, fold up the cheesecloth into a bag and gently squeeze to get the remaining juice and pulp. 
• Put collected juice back into pot and add sugar to taste. I used only a 1/4 cup of sugar, you can add more later if needed. Bring back to a slight boil to make the mixture thicken up.  
• When the mixture cooled a bit I poured into mason jars to store in the refrigerator. You can put into a canning bath to preserve the juice for later use, but I know it won't last long in my house so I just put it in the refrigerator.

The mixture you end up with is sort of a thick concentrate. To make juice I diluted it in 3 parts water. Add a fresh lemon slice and enjoy!

There is nothing more refreshing that a nice cool glass of raspberry juice on a hot summer day!

Vegan Raspberry / Blueberry Cheescake

Vegan Raspberry / Blueberry Cheesecake

We have been looking for recipes to use with all the raspberries that we have been getting this year. This recipe comes form Alicia Silverstone's book The Kind Diet. I have modified the recipe slightly after making it a few times. This is a vegan recipe that doesn't contain dairy. It is absolutely delicious!

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Earth Balance Butter
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 (12 oz) package silken tofu
1 cup nondairy cream cheese
1 tablespoon safflower oil
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup soy milk
2 teaspoons arrowroot
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Fresh raspberries and blueberries for topping

Preheat oven to 350 deg.
Oil an 8" or 9" spring form pan.
Melt the butter in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and stir in graham cracker crumbs. Press the mixture into bottom and slightly up sides of spring form pan. Bake for 5 minutes and then let cool on baking rack.

Combine tofu, cream cheese, oil, syrup, soy milk, arrowroot and vanilla extract in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Pour the mixture into the graham cracker crust and smooth the top with a spatula.

Bake the cheesecake for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Let the cheesecake cool to room temperature. Toss fresh raspberries and blueberries with 1 to 2 teaspoons of maple syrup to create a slight glaze. Top the cheesecake with the berries and chill until ready to serve.

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Our Neck of the Woods: Sweet Saturday Blog Hop

Bursting with Berries!

The raspberries are just about up to their peak yield. They should be producing consistently throughout the summer and into the fall. The bushes are so loaded with ripening berries they are starting to lean over from all the weight. The birds seem to be leaving them alone, although I have caught the occasional squirrel sitting on the edge of the deck snacking in the afternoon.

We have been picking about 4 to 6 pints daily (plus 1 to 2 pints consumed while picking!) and have been enjoying them for dessert after dinner. Tonight we are having raspberry / peach cobbler! This weekend (for fourth of July) I am making a vegan raspberry cheescake.

This year there is definitely a greater yield than last. There is a bunch of new growth and new plants starting. I am going to try and weed some out to start another patch. The canes for the 2nd crop are staring to grow tall. They will end up being over 8' tall when they start producing in August. We are going to try making raspberry jam this year with all the extra raspberries we are getting.

Ripening Raspberries

The raspberries are loaded and are starting to ripen! This year looks like a higher yield than last. I have 2 varieties planted, one yields end of June - beginning of July and the second variety yields in end of June, end of August and again in beginning of October. I was amazed to get three harvests last year. I think we picked raspberries almost every day from the end of June to the beginning of October. I thinned out some of the runners from the main plants so more energy would go into producing berries (and it looks like it it is working). I have a ton of new plants starting all over the place, some are quite thick and large and I am going to try to pot them up to give away,(I don't like to just throwing them away). The main plants are about 5' tall and they will go into another growth spurt after the first harvest. Last year they grew to over 8' tall. The second and last harvest yields berries the size of your thumb - so sweet and juicy! Now if I could only remember Mema's recipe for raspberry juice!

Raspberries

The raspberries are coming in nice again this year. I can't wait to taste that first berry of the season! I put in 12 raspberry plants several years ago. They were located on the southern side of my property, next to the garage. The plants grew spindly, never got very tall and produced only a handful of small, sweet raspberries. Three years ago I decided to move the plants to a small space next to the deck. After planting them I cut the canes to waist height and mulched them heavily in the fall with shredded leaves from our maple trees. That first year after moving them, the plants produced raspberries like crazy. I have two varieties planted, one produces in early and late summer, the other produces in mid summer and early fall so we get a steady supply of raspberries. The plants grew to about 5' tall with 1/2" to 3/4" canes. The raspberries were about the size of my thumb and were delicious! I was picking close to 3 pints a day! The first year after moving them I thought it would be a good idea to cover them with mesh to keep the birds out, seeing that it was only a small patch. I put stakes at the corners and covered the entire patch with the bird netting. The plants grew huge and went right through the netting, getting all tangled. It was a nightmare trying to get in to pick the berries. The next year I decided to not use the netting. I didn't really need it as there were so many berries that the few the birds did eat didn't really make a difference, except for the fact that I now have raspberry plants popping up all over the yard from the dropped seeds! The raspberry patch has since grown to about 40 plants!