Blueberry Picking: Blueberry Pie

If you're a long time reader of the blog you know that we love fruit picking around here.  If you're a new reader of the blog,  Hi!  We love to pick fruit!

Blueberry season started a little later here than usual, but the payoff was incredible.  It lasted for a long long time.  Which gave us enough time to head to the blueberry farm, a month later than we usually do.

The thing that I really like about blueberry picking is that it's the easiest one for the kids to do.  There aren't any thorns like blackberries, and there's no twisting and pulling like strawberries.  

The berries literally just roll right off into your hands.

It's also really easy for the kids to figure out which berries are ripe - dark blue berries only!  Don't pick them if they're purple, red, or green.  

It wasn't long before we had buckets of berries.

The other thing I like about blueberries, is that they last a very short time in our house.  The kids devoured a pint before we even left the farm.  And then the remaining pints were gone so quickly I almost didn't have time to make anything with them.  I had to commandeer enough to make this pie.  Because berry pie is a necessity in the summer.  Don't you think?  And it really doesn't get any easier than blueberry pie.  No cooking the berries, no parbaking the crust.  Really it's a dump and bake kind of dish, which is what you want on those hot days.  We brought this over to a friend's house for dinner and there were no leftovers.  Out of berries.  Out of pie.  That's a successful berry picking adventure.

Blueberry Pie

4 cups blueberries

3/4 cup sugar

5 Tbsp flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 Tbsp butter

pie dough

1. Preheat oven to 450.  Roll out half of the pie dough and line the pie pan with it.
2. Combine blueberries, sugar, flour, and salt.  
3. Place berries in the pie pan.
4. Dot the berries with butter.
5. Roll out the remaining half of the dough and place over the berries, crimping the bottom and top edges together.  Cut slits in the top dough for steam.  
6. Sprinkle the top pastry with sugar and bake for 15 minutes.
7. Lower the heat to 350 and bake for an additional 15-30 minutes, until golden brown.  Cool on a rack before serving.

Easter-ing: Strawberry Orangeade

For the first time in years we didn't travel to the inlaws for Easter.  It was a combination of a bunch of things.  Typically the week before Easter we're bouncing between Arizona, LA, and the Bay Area.  Basically unpacking suitcases, running from airport to airport, and generally being exhausted by the time the week is over.  Add to that the fact that Thatboy's family makes no accommodation for us as we do all that running around and traveling to them while keeping Passover and we're all pretty hungry, crabby, and hurt by the time Easter is over.

So this year, we cut out 2 flights, the inability to eat for 3 days, and stayed home.  It was marvelous.  We started the weekend by dying eggs. 

And we combined our traditions by eating matzah brei as we did it.  Passover AND Easter!  Together at last.  

While our eggs dried, we headed over to Kenny's Strawberry Farm, where they were having their own Easter celebration.

Plus, I mean - strawberry picking!

It was such a mellow way to spend the morning and a great way to ring in Easter.  While Thatboy waited in line to pay for our haul, the kids were entertained with balloon animals.

And while we couldn't partake in the strawberry doughnuts, because of Passover, we could definitely indulge in strawberry milkshakes.

The next morning, the boys did a little Easter egg hunting in our yard.

Then we headed over to do another hunt with friends.

But the best part for us was the fact that we could actually eat an Easter meal!  No matter how many years (19) we've been spending with the inlaws, they refuse to acknowledge that Passover occurs at the same time, and so they don't make any food we can eat.  Thatboy even got into a huge fight with his brother last year when he asked if we could please have something to eat other than the pizza and lasagna they serve every year.   They make it seem like it's a huge deal to serve anything that doesn't contain bread or noodles, so let me show you just how hard it is.  With the reminder that we were out of town for almost the entire week before.

I purchased a Passover-friendly frozen pie crust and created a brie and apple tart.

Passover plum muffins

Crustless quiche

Passover pancakes (made in a sheet so I didn't have to stand over the stove that morning flipping pancakes)

Passover raspberry rolls

Goat cheese and beet salad

And of course, the easiest Passover friendly food - fruit salad.  With out fresh picked strawberries of course!

But that fruit salad isn't the only thing we used our strawberries for.  We have an orange tree in our backyard that is dying.  But with all the rain this year, we still got oranges!  So with a huge crate of oranges and a huge carton of strawberries, I tried to think of a good way to use them both.  Strawberry orangeade it was.  Perfect for the summer, and even more perfect to freeze into popsicles.  It's the gift that keeps on giving. 

Strawberry Orangeade

3 cups strawberries

3 cups freshly squeezed orange juice

3 Tbsp sugar (if not using fresh oranges, reduce or eliminate the sugar)

1. Puree strawberries in the food processor.
2. Using a fine mesh sieve, press the strawberry puree through, discarding the seeds.
3. Stir together the strained puree, the orange juice, and the sugar. 

Flower Fields: Strawberry Rolls

I love that spring is so full of flowers.  And we take complete advantage of it.  Trips to the desert to see the super bloom, and of course, the flowers a little closer to home.

I look forward to our yearly trips to the Flower Fields.  Who wouldn't?  There's something about the bright colors and beautiful flowers that just puts you in a good mood.

How can you not be happy when you're looking out over fields of flowers?

This year, because of the rain, it seemed as though the ranunculus were even more full and even more bright.

It's also a really easy family field trip.  One of these days these boys are not going to be up visiting a field of flowers.  So I'm soaking in these moments they still get excited about.

Of course, it helps that the Flower Fields has a lot that is interesting to these kids.  Like ice cream.

And playgrounds.

And gem mining.

And when it's all over, we grab a flat of strawberries to take home.  Or eat in the car.  A lot were eaten in the car.  But enough were left to fold into strawberry rolls.  And begin our foray into San Diego's strawberry season - always early, always delicious.

These strawberry rolls are a twist on cinnamon rolls.  I actually made these before Passover, but didn't want to share them, because the last thing I want to think about during Passover is doughy rolls, covered in cream cheese icing.  But we're back to eating bread in this house, so it only seemed fair to share with you.  Hurry - they go fast!

 Strawberry Rolls

1/2 cup milk

1 tsp instant yeast

1 egg

1/2 cup sugar, divided

7 Tbsp butter, divided

2 cups flour

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup strawberries

1 cup strawberry jam

1/2 cup cream cheese

1 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar

1. Sprinkle yeast over milk and let it sit for 5 minutes.
2. Combine egg, 1/4 cup sugar, 4 Tbsp butter, flour, and salt in an electric mixer. Mix until the mixture resembles small peas.
3. Add in the milk/yeast and mix for an additional 5 minutes.  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let rise until the dough has doubled in size.
4.  Combine the strawberries with remaining 1/4 cup of sugar and let sit for 20 minutes while you prepare the rolls.
5. Spray a pie pan with baking spray.  Roll out the dough on a floured surface into a 12 x 18 rectangle.
6. Spread the jam over the rolled out dough, leaving about 1/4 inch border. 
7. Scatter the strawberries over the jam.
8. Roll up the dough like a carpet, starting with the side farthest away from you.  Press the seam into the dough roll to seal.
9. Slice the roll into 8 pieces and place each piece into the pie plate.  Cover with plastic wrap and let rise until doubled in size. Preheat oven to 350.
10. Bake for 30 minutes, or until the rolls are golden brown.  Let cool.
11. While the rolls are cooling, combine the remaining butter, cream cheese, vanilla, and confectioners sugar in an electric mixer.  Mix until the desired frosting consistency is achieved.  Spread the frosting over the cooled rolls.