I love this time of year so much. Things are starting to ripen in my garden and whatever I’m not growing, I can readily find at the farmer’s market. In my mind, berries are best enjoyed when they’re in season, but if you want to preserve those sweet flavours for the rest of the year, you can freeze them or turn them into preserves—or even popsicles! Here, I’ve gathered a few berry recipes together that will hopefully inspire you to preserve your own harvest.
3 berry recipes
The last couple of years, my gooseberry bush has been especially productive. I had all these plans to make a gooseberry soda, inspired by a Twitter conversation I had (@richardlevangie recommended macerating gooseberries, draining, throwing in some simple syrup and club soda), but I have to admit I ended up just eating them all. There’s always next year. I also saved this Gooseberry and elderflower cordial recipe from The Guardian that I’d like to try.
The one recipe that I consistently make every year is One-Pint Raspberry Jam from the Canadian Living website. It’s so easy I can start the jam, put the kettle on, make tea, throw a piece of bread in the toaster oven and scoop the fresh warm sauce right onto my toast. Okay, maybe it takes a couple of minutes more than that, but that’s how quick it is to make. I usually put one jar in the fridge and any extra into a jar with a screw-top lid to freeze. It’s delicious over ice cream and also makes a great hostess gift.
I recently discovered a new favourite berry recipe. I went to an event hosted by BC Blueberries and came home with a couple of pints and a packet of recipes. The one pint made its way into my yogurt and granola for a few breakfasts, and the other into a pitcher for the Iced Blueberry Green Tea recipe listed below.
Iced Blueberry Green Tea
Ingredients
- 2 cups (300 g) blueberries, fresh or frozen, divided
- ¼ cup (60 ml) honey
- 3 bags (10 g) green tea bags or looseleaf tea
Directions
- In a saucepan, bring 3 cups of water, 1½ cups of blueberries and the honey to a boil for 2 minutes.
- Remove from heat, add the tea bags and steep for 6 to 7 minutes.
- Strain through a sieve and add 1 cup of cold water.
- Serve on ice with remaining blueberries as garnish.
- For a cocktail version, add vodka or amaretto to taste.
Recipe courtesy of the BC Blueberry Council
Share your berry recipes!
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