Heathpack 

Totally bored. I did a little too much climbing last week, decided to take a few days off the bike. Now have a sinus thing, so probably a few more days still. Don't know what to do with all this extra time on my hands.

So yesterday I swung by our local farmers market (instead of sending Mr. H). I had posted in the organic food thread about my serious berry addiction. Totally stoked to find the first Gaviota strawberries of the season. Not as good as in the summer but still pretty swell. Picked up some extra raspberries as well, having decided to make up a little jam.





I'm sure y'all are imagining that making jam is a lot of work, but it's not if you're making freezer jam. What's that? It's mashed berries, mixed with a little sugar, and a product called freezer jam pectin (I use Ball brand). Pectin is what makes jams and jellies thick, and there's all different kinds. Most are activated by a combination of the crystalline structure of sugar and heat. Freezer jam pectin does not require heat and therein lies the deliciousness of the finished product- uncooked berries taste delicious and fresh vs the sad cooked taste of regular jam.

My basic formula I use is about 1.75 cups mashed berries, 2T sugar (you might want more, I like it tart), and 2 T Ball freezer jam pectin (I get it in my supermarket or WalMart). Mix the ingredients together for 3 min, then pour into two 8-oz jelly jars. Let set 30 min at room temp, then label & store in fridge for a few weeks or freezer for months.

It never lasts too long in our house because I use it on a daily basis as a mix-in to Greek yogurt, about 2T jam to 6oz yogurt. Delicious refreshing slightly-but-not-too-sweet berry yogurt without the cloying sugary-ness of commercially sweetened yogurt which I cannot eat any more. I put away 7 jars of this stuff over the weekend, which should last me about 6 weeks.

Also came across the first blood oranges of the season, 30cents per pound. I love these things in a citrus salad or cut up and eaten in little chunks. A berry ish orange flavor, and by now y'all know that I really like berries. Also found a new thing to me- the MeloGold pomelo. Think of it as the sweetest grapefruit you can imagine. Sectioned MeloGold plus cut up blood oranges make a wicked delicious citrus salad.





Yeah, I got some other things there- peanuts, carrots, butternut squash, potatoes, cukes, tomatoes and a nice pork tenderloin. But none of that is pretty enough to photograph. Ok I know most of you are buried in snow right now and nothing is growing. Springs not that far off though, hang tough.

Eat something good. It will improve your cycling.

H

ftwelder

Thanks for the luscious photos! We inherited an untended berry patch and an apple tree from a neighbor and have to try to contain the vines and tidy up a bit when spring comes. I am sure I am going to be bleeding head to toe after that day of yard work. Looking at your gems has given me courage!

BigAura

Yummy photography.

Heathpack 

Very lucky on the tree, but the berry patch- that's a different thing altogether!

We bought our house 5 years ago. "Oh what a nice attractive large shrub in the backyard". NOT a shrub, super-bonanza, it's a highly productive pomegranate tree. I get hundreds of softball sized pomegranates off this thing every fall. We eat what we can, I make pomegranate molasses and grenadine, I give pomegranates away to anyone who will have them including strangers on the train, and then pack up what's left for the food pantry because in the end there's only so many pomegranates one can eat. The growing itself takes literally zero work, the tree grows and we provide it no assistance whatsoever. Pomegranate prep is another matter altogether, that is slave labor.

Im sure I have photos somewhere I can post, if I find em I'll update this thread.

H

Heathpack 

Here's some pom arils:



Out of season now & somewhat irrelevant, but still they're pretty.

GeorgeBMac

Thank Heathpack.

It's kind of hard to believe that there even is such a thing as S U M M E R T I M E ! ! !

Thanks for the reminder...

rumrunn6

fruit is a good source of fiber especially raspberries and pears

Dave Cutter

Most of the fruits shipped-in [here in the Midwest] look somewhat sorry. Your fruits look nice and pretty! I still manage some [somewhat] fresh fruit everyday.... a banana, apple, or orange. At least the veggies [in the stores] look pretty good here. I've gotten in the habit of a salad for lunch... maybe 4 out of 5 days. Most days I have a midafternoon snack of a tiny handful of mixed nuts (no peanuts) and seeds.

Dinner always includes meat. Not just because I think meat is particularly healthy.... I like the taste... and it's easy protein.

There was too many pies and cake-like treats over the holidays and long winter here. So.... I am back to watching what I eat a little closer. I'd like to be ready for the long rides...... just in case we ever have a spring here. Thanks for sharing the images.

MEversbergII

I was going to make tonight a low-cal protein shake night but I might just fry up a steak and some sweet potatoes tonight.

M.

Heathpack 

Something good came in the mail today:



What is this? It's a secret ingredient. Adds deliciousness without calories, helps you achieve your ideal climbing weight. I like it rubbed on chicken breasts which I then grill. Last weekend, I finished off my supply rubbed onto the pork tenderloin along with some salt, pepper & chopped rosemary- seared then roasted. Also makes a mean pork sausage. To top your homemade pizza of course.

H

GeorgeBMac

May as well go back to cakes and pies -- God cancelled spring and summer -- and probably fall too. It looks like winter is here forever.

Machka 

It's summer here! It's been a generally cooler summer than usual, but most of the days have been up in the low to mid 20s.


And regarding fruit ...

When I lived in Canada, there wasn't much selection (mostly just apples, bananas, oranges), and most fruit was hard as a rock. I thought that mangos, for example, were meant to be like eating a piece of wood, with sort of a sour flavour ... and I didn't like them very much.

Then I moved to Australia ... and what a difference!! There's variety ... and the fruit is ripe. I love the sweet, juicy delicious mangos, for example. The apricots are wonderful. Cherry picking season just ended, and we've been eating quite a few of those ... Rowan's orchard (the one he supervises) specialises in big sweet cherries.

Fruit is so much more appealing here. It's just a bit hard to eat sometimes because it is so juicy ... it drips everywhere.

Heathpack 

Dont even get me started on cherries. Yes, I eat berries every day and I really like them. But cherries are tied with pomelos (or pomelo-grapefruit hybrids) -ie Oroblanco or MeloGold- for my favorite foods. I eat a lot of California cherries come June/July.

And I totally agree, @Machka, appealing fruit is just, well, more appealing. There's lots of things that are just plain wrong about LA but the food, weather and access to ocean (we're also sailors) can't be beat.

H

Dave Cutter

Lots of Midwesterners share that thought with you. I remember when I was a child... maybe 1956 I don't know.... we had a very cold year. Including a very cool summer. Seems like we wore jackets even in July (mornings and evenings). I've been thinking about becoming a snowbird a bit lately.

bigfred 

Oh, how sadly, our summer is coming to a close. The strawberry stands have disappeared from the sides of the roads and the local fruit and veg recently had a "get the last of this season's cheeries" special. We're moving through the watermelons and soon it'll be squash season.

Only 10 months 'til next spring.

ModeratedUser150120149

Really looks good. Thanks to the jet airplane and better transport technology fresh fruits can be had even in Arctic country pretty much year around. Veggies are another matter. It is really hard to beat the no-salt canned or frozen in the off season. They are typically processed within hours of picking. During the growing season thankfully the Eat Local movement is starting to show results and many places can get produce within a day or so of picking.

BUT, generally, most places I've been fresh produce is more expensive than the stuff that is preserved and has flavor enhancers added. Still well worth the money.

Heathpack 

@bigfred, well here's something of a consolation for the lost cherries of summer: halved or quartered roasted winter squash with a little butter & brown sugar spooned over the top, a tiny sprinkle of coarse salt, run under the broiler for 2-3 min. If Time-Crunched, you can also microwave the squash until tender, apply butter-brown sugar-salt-broiler treatment as above.

If you like to cook, I will give you my recipe for lamb stew with roasted root vegetables. Not too good for the climbing weight, but good for the soul.

H

MEversbergII

It's ok, we'll take good care of summer for you up here a while until you're ready to have it back.

M.

Heathpack 

Blood orange & grapefruit citrus salad with breakfast this am. The blood oranges are so pretty when cut up that I just had to share the pic with y'all.

H

PS Tasty too

MEversbergII

I don't think I've ever had a blood orange.

I haven't had citrus fruits in some time, next time I'm down at the market I'll see if I can find one.

M.

Heathpack 

Blood oranges seem to be a California thing. If you're in MD now, I wouldn't bother. They will be overpriced. But if you are in CA, hit your local certified Farmers Mkt, where they will be cheap & abundant. A blood orange is a slightly nuanced orange. If they are cheap, I eat them. If they are pricey, just get the regular oranges.

H

MEversbergII

Haha, I'm in Maryland year-round. There's a place called "California" here in MD (St. Mary's County) where I lived when I first signed up. Down the road a little bit now, though...thanks for reminding me to update it.

M.

Heathpack 

Well, go eat a crab then.

H

GeorgeBMac

Yes, there is fruit and even crabs... But you want something really good...
https://www.thedailyshow.com/watch/th..._022114_tds_46

Machka 

Canned veggies???

As for the expense, it depends where you are ... we've got some good markets in our area and there isn't much difference in price between fresh and frozen.