The Cranberry Experience

This post should have been written over a month ago, but better late than never?

Reading my profile info it states that we try new things.  So in keeping with that, I tried harvesting tame cranberries.  Much different than picking the wild ones.

There's a cranberry farm just 50 miles from here and I had the opportunity to help harvest in exchange for fresh cranberries.  I felt like I was in an Ocean Spray commercial.  Standing in water with hip waders and a rake, guiding the little guys to the suction hose which took them to the top of a semi trailer and poured them in.

I was paid with almost 20 gallons of cranberries.  What a blessing!  The sink was full, the pots were full, juicers full, you get the picture.  I canned cranberry sauce, whole cranberries, cranberry juice, cranberry syrup, and cranberry jelly.  I froze cranberries and I dehydrated cranberries.

I don't think that I'll harvest cranberries again, but I'm thankful for the experience and thankful for my good friend who talked me into it.

Blessings from Glory Farm.

Fruitful Day

Got a baking bug today. Asked honey what he wanted me to bake and he said Peach Upside Down Cake. So, okay, down to the cellar and I did have a jar of peaches left.

It's a cup of brown sugar, 1/2 cup of melted butter, peaches and I mixed up a yellow cake and poured over it. I use the Dinette Cake from the Betty Crocker cookbook and just doubled it. ************* As long as the oven's going I thought I should do all my baking for the week. Save on propane. So I looked in the freezer and pulled out some cranberries and some strawberries. ******************** Made these cranberry cookies:

1 12 oz. bag of cranberries** 2/3 cup powdered sugar** 3 1/2 cups flour** 1 t. cinnamon** 1 t. baking powder** 1 t. soda** 1/2 t. salt** 1 egg** 1 cup sugar** 3/4 cup brown sugar** 1/2 cup butter** 3 T. orange juice************ Slice cranberries in half and put in bowl sprinkle with powdered sugar. Let set 10 minutes. Cream butter, sugars, orange juice, and add beaten egg. Sift and add flour, cinnamon, baking soda, baking powder, salt, gradually. This gets a bit dry and I usually only put in 3 cups of flour. Add cranberries and stir gently. Drop onto greased cookie sheet and bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes.****************** Now some strawberry bread...

3 cups strawberries, mashed and drained** (I put some of the juice into the batter)** 1 1/4 cup oil (lard)** 4 eggs beaten** Mix all this together and add to the dry ingredients which are:** 3 cups flour** 2 cups sugar** 1 1/4 t. cinnamon** 1 t. salt** 1 t. baking soda** Mix everything together will and pour into two greased loaf pans. Bake at 350 for an hour.******************************* Last-I threw some homemade mac and cheese in the oven with some ham for supper tonight. Now everything is done except the dishes. Help.

Wild Highbush Cranberries

The cranberries are done.  It's a good year for them.  I usually make cranberry jelly because it's my mom's favorite.  This time I'm going to make something called "vispipuuro"-Finnish Air Pudding.  My neighbor told me how she used to make it in the winter and use the snow to cool it.  I think I'll make it inside and just  use icecubes.

Finnish Air Pudding-Vispipuuro
2 cups fresh cranberries
3 cups water
1 cup sugar-more or less to taste
1/3 cup Malt-O-Meal

Put cranberries and water in a saucepan and boil until juice is very red in color.  Strain juice off of berries.  Add 1 cup sugar, 1/3 cup Malt-O-Meal and cook over low heat until the mixture has thickened.  Cool to room temp and place pan in a larger pan of cold water and ice.  Beat with mixer until pink and fluffy.  Serve with whipped cream or milk.

I'm juicing the berries right now in my Mehu-Liisa (Finnish Juicer).

I'm learning a lot from my Finnish neighbor.
Here's one more picture.  This one is just thrown in because I thought it was so doggone cute...

This is my daughter's new puppy, a little English Cocker.

Have a pleasant, blessed evening.