Triple Berry Muffins

I had the most prolific boysenberry and blackberry bushes this year. We made jam, syrup, pies, sorbet and we ate a ton of berries right off the bush. It was my garden's crowning achievement this year. 

But we are finally winding down. And I am not pulling these jeweled babies off by the bowl full anymore. So it was time for some muffins. A nice surprise for my kiddos (I never make breakfast in the morning.) I also had some raspberries from the roadside fruit stand. I wanted something with a little lemon twist and so I googled blackberry muffins and found this tasty recipe from Southern With A Twist. 

I made a few twists of my own. I wanted three berries in my muffins and I needed them lactose free (for the lactose intolerant kiddo). So we changed out the milk and margarine. We have discovered that muffins and cookies are often the culprit of her flare ups when we eat out or travel.

• MUFFINS:
• 1-1/2 c all-purpose flour
• 3/4 c granulated sugar
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp baking powder
• Zest of 1/2 lemon
• 1/3 c vegetable oil
• 1 egg
• 1/3 c soy milk
• Juice from half a lemon
• 1 1/2 c fresh blackberries, boysenberries and raspberries.
• 
  
• TOPPING:
• 1/2 c granulated sugar
• 1/3 c all-purpose flour
• 1/4 c butter, room temp (I used a lactose free margarine)
• 
  

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease 8 muffin cups or line with muffin liners and set aside.
2. Combine flour, sugar, salt, lemon zest and baking powder in a medium bowl.
3. In another bowl, combine vegetable oil, egg and milk, and mix with a fork. Add lemon juice. Pour into the flour mixture and mix well. Fold in blackberries. Mixture will be quite sticky, so use caution not to mash the berries when folding in. Fill muffin cups to the top.
4. To make crumb topping, mix together sugar, flour and butter (margarine). Mix with fork and sprinkle over muffins before baking.
5. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

Peach & Boysenberry Mini Pies

My goodness these mini pies were delicious. 

One morning this week, this was my fruit harvest. Happiness in a bowl. 

Pie, berries and peaches. These are a few of my favorite things.

So of course I had to combine them all together. 5 little pies for our family. I love individual pies. There is more crust per serving. It is less messy. My pie is all mine. Love them. I used the tin foil mini pie tins you can find at the grocery store in the baking section.

I decided on using a crumb topping because I love crumb toppings and I knew that the pie tins were not overflowing with fruit which meant the top pie crust would cave in. The pie crust came from the the homemade pie crusts frozen in my freezer. My bulk pie recipe.

One more sidenote: I used brown sugar instead of granulated sugar in the filling. Brown sugar and peaches is one of those food matches made in heaven. Plus, I just love brown sugar. Raise your hand if you used to sneak brown sugar clumps out of the bag when your mom wasn't looking when you were a kid.

Was that just me?

Pie Crust - use your favorite or try this bulk recipe

Pie Filling

7-8 ripe peaches, peeled and sliced (about 5 cups or 670 g)
1 cup (135 g) boysenberries or blackberries
1/2 cup (80 g) brown sugar
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 pinch of cinnamon

4 tbsp corn starch

Crumb Topping

1/2 Cup of brown sugar

1/2 Cup of flour

2 TB of butter or margarine

Directions for 5 mini pies

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Take chilled pie crust dough and roll into a circle. Cut pie crusts measuring about two inches larger than the tin. Re roll the remaining dough until you have 5 pie crusts.

To make filling: Combine pie filling ingredients in a bowl and let sit for 15 minutes. 

Spoon filling into pie crust to the rims. 

To make crumb topping: Combine flour and sugar and cut in butter cubes with a fork or pastry cutter until it resembles course crumbs. 

Pour about 2 TB of topping onto each pie.

Place pies on foil lined baking sheet. Pies may bubble over. 

Cook for approximately 30 minutes or until fruit is bubbling and crust is golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to cool.

Blackberry and Bratwurst Salad

Blackberries are one of my favorite things about August. During the last two weeks, my blackberry and boysenberry bushes are ripe. Every day for a few weeks I have between a half pint and a pint of my little black beauties. I look forward to foraging for a good 5 to 10 minutes each day in my berry patch. Which means every day I am eating them. I am also saving them. Whatever I don't eat each day I flash freeze and then add to a ziploc bag. I almost have enough for jam.

What are you harvesting every day? How are you gobbling up your fresh produce from your living pantry? This week my favorite blackberry idea came when I found a leftover grilled bratwurst. I always try to use my leftovers in new ways. This is how we use our food wisely. Turns out bratwurst and blackberries make a beautiful, savory/sour combo with the tender leaves of spinach.

Blackberry and Bratwurst Salad.

For 1 large meal serving. Increase ingredients as needed per person.

1 to 1 1/2 Cups of Spinach leaves

1 grilled bratwurst sliced

1/2 Cup Blackberries or boysenberries



sliced cucumber
2 TB craisins
1 oz of torn white cheese such as meunster, swiss or fresh mozzarella
A few splashes of balsamic vinegraitte