Suvir

Bigger is Better!

I am usually very suspicious of "bigger is better" when it comes to fruit. But I must say with Chandler Blueberries it rings true. The berries are sweet, they are flavorful and they are gorgeous. There is nothing left for the imagination. Black Lab Farm is our source for these berries. We are grateful to them for having brought them into our lives a couple of years ago.

Black Lab Farm - Brian and Christina Talmadge's Gift to Washington County

Christina Talmadge is a teacher in the Hartford school in Washington County. Brian teaches 6th grade in Salem. Cara his sister teaches biology in Stillwater. But what they also teach all of us that make home in Washington County is being closer to nature, and to appreciate the many gifts nature sends forth through its babies - fruits and vegetables.

Sour Cherries In Verjus - preserved for the months ahead

Last year we had hoped to can in jars whole pitted sour cherries to serve with pound cake, over ice cream or layered into black forest cake. It never happened. We made jam out of almost all of them. And the rest we devoured greedily. This year we bought over 30 pounds of sour cherries. And 10 pounds were preserved in jars. They look just as beautiful as they taste. We cannot wait to share them with friends and family.

Preserving away the flavors of summer

We barely made it back to the farm from the airport and Charlie had me at Gardenworks, where Meg and Rob Southerland were busy with the hustle and bustle of the summer. Their blueberries are special and we always make large batches of jam using them. I do love the Chandler berries from Brian Talmadge of the Black Lab Farm, but he had them ready whilst I was in San Jose, and sold before we were back home. Not one to lose another opportunity, jet lag and fatigue at my side, I bought home 22 pounds of blueberries and got to work early the next morning.

Tis' the season of Jam

You know there is no reason to be lazy when nature is busy gifting us edible treasures that deserve our labor, care, kitchen-wizardry and ought to be preserved for the year ahead. When Brian Talmadge of Black Lab Fruits and Vegetables out of Greenwich, NY emailed me with news that he had black raspberries waiting to be picked, it took me no hesitation to say that I wanted at least 20 pounds. That led him to say he would pick what he had and that I come the next morning. That was Wednesday and today it is Friday morning. Between then and now, we have preserved about 34 pounds of fruit and are now awaiting 30 pounds of sour cherries, and then raspberries, blueberries and blackberries and peaches, plums and apricots. Granite●Ware always comes to my rescue. America's favorite porcelain on steel cookware, it is an essential for those into canning and preserving. Better still, it is affordable and makes preserving easy on the pocket and so much better for the body than preservative-laden jars from a market. I could go on... and I shall.....The joys of summer!