Okay, too hot here in Ecotopia for me! July has been about work, but I did manage my annual trip out to Carnation in the Snoqualmie Valley to u-pick raspberries and blueberries, now tucked into zip-lock bags in the freezer.
Raspberries are done for the season, but you can still pick blueberries each weekend well into August at Henna Blueberry Farms on the Fall City-Carnation Road. Tip: For the best frozen berries, take the time to rinse and then freeze them individually on a wax paper-lined cookie sheet before putting your berries in the freezer bags. And here's my "recipe" for one of my favorite ways to use the bounty. Be creative and improvise your own favorite:
Northwest Berry Smoothie
Throw the following into a blender:
1/3 frozen banana
handful mixed frozen local raspberries
blueberries
strawberries
or maybe blackberries!
1/3 cup lowfat plain yogurt (I like Nancy's)
1/2 cup organic apple juice
1T ground flax seeds
Blend until smooth and creamy. Enjoy!
(I personally like my smoothies thick enough to need a spoon.)
Check back in the next couple days for my next post about sea kayaking to Lummi Island. In the meantime, keep cool!
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6 comments:
Hey Jill, forgot to mention--have you tried Greek yogurt yet? Oikos is local brand, but there are others...low fat is available, and it is creamy and wonderful--and the best for you!--
Carol Owens Oak Island, NC
We had ran a fascinating, if unintended, experiment with raspberries last week. They sat out on the kitchen counter as the temperature inside the house spiraled toward 90 degrees for two straight days. The berries melted into berry-mush, much to the delight of the fruit flies!
I love berry smoothies! I do a variation with banana, berries, white grape juice and ice (and I often freeze the banana earlier to much a thicker smoothie.)
My kids love frozen berries year round just for snacking, so we often freeze bags of extras and try to make them last as long as possible. Right now I just got back in the house from picking both red and golden raspberries in our garden. Can't be beat!
YUMM! I need to go get berries, think I missed out on the raspberries. I love vanilla yogurt and orange juice.
I like your recipe Auntie Jill, but I would add some OJ, and include blackberries, strawberries, blueberries, and rasberries. MMmmmmm!
Raspberries are one of my four main food groups. So is chocolate. So herewith is my favorite smoothie. Chocolate frozen yogurt (can be nonfat!), a chopped up kiwi fruit and plenty of raspberries. Eat with a spoon.
Here is another good one, a cup of frozen strawberries but I think fresh would be fine too. 3/4 cup yogurt, I use vanilla or raspberry. one cup oj and 2/3 cup uncooked quaker oats. Blend up and drink, this recipe makes two cups. By the way...I use more than a cup of strawberries. Look at all of the healthy things in there!
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