Weekend Yummies

The Babe and I have been talking about picking raspberries all summer, and we finally made it out yesterday to two local farms to pick some apples and raspberries. It was a gorgeous day, and we had a wonderful time.

And behold some of the fruits of our labor





Yum.

We froze a bunch of raspberries, and we'll freeze some apples.

But first I made a DELICIOUS apple raspberry cobbler.



Just look at that yummy goodness.

Here's the recipe - adapted from my mama's peach cobber recipe.

Quick note - the babe has some dietary restrictions, so there may be some ingredients in here that you're not familiar with. If you're feeling bold, you can try them out. But if not, you can stick with the old standards.

Ingredients:

3 large apples or 5 small apples
1 pint raspberries
1 cup xylitol (or 1 cup sugar)
3/4 cup spelt flour (or 3/4 cup all-purpose flour)
3/4 cup soymilk (or 1 cup regular milk)
1 stick butter or margarine
2 tsp baking powder

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.

Peel and core the apple and cut into chunks. I used an apple corer for mine and then just cut each piece into 3 pieces. Put the chunks into a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for about 6-7 minutes or until the apples are somewhat soft and some juice has developed in the bottom of the bowl. Set aside.

Melt the butter/margarine in a 9 x 9 baking dish in the microwave. In a separate bowl, mix the flour, xylitol, soymilk, and baking powder. Pour into the melted butter. DO NOT STIR. Next pour in the apples and then the raspberries. Again, do not stir.

Bake uncovered for approximately one hour. Yummy when served with ice cream or soy ice cream!

Tribute to local growers

On a good Sunday morning, you can find me at the farmers market, buying yummy fruits and vegies and occasionally treating myself to some sumptuous baked goodness or a jar of fresh-made preserves. Mmmm....

I was listening to All Things Considered the other day, and they were interviewing a couple who runs an organic farm in Missouri. They have 4 acres, where they grow organic vegetables, and they bring those to farmers markets to sell to folks like me.

But this couple is barely breaking even. In fact, they're not breaking even. They're still in debt from purchasing the farm. They have no health insurance. Their two children get health insurance through Medicaid. They're renovating an old mobile home to live in.

Perhaps they've made poor business decisions. Perhaps they're not cut out to be farmers. But, whatever the reason for their current struggles, my heart went out to them. I thought about them today as I walked around the market and shelled out money (disclosure: it was the babe's money today) for produce that makes me feel healthy and good about the food that I put in my mouth.

I hope they've made enough money this weekend to cover their costs. I hope they're going to dine on a delicious meal this evening. And I hope the people who bought food from them were thankful that there are farmers out there committed to growing healthy, organic food for all of us to enjoy.

Hope you enjoyed the photos from today's market trip.