Homemade Blackberry Bread

Homemade Blackberry Bread

One of the fondest memories I have from my childhood is picking fresh blackberries. It is my favorite jam and certainly my favorite cobbler. Nothing says "July" for me quite like blackberry picking. We are lucky that we can pick them on our own land, but I do keep my eye out for them as we travel through the back roads on the mountain. I found this recipe a few years back and this is one of my favorite breads. I know it will become one of yours, too! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup crushed blackberries

3 eggs

1 cup corn oil
2 cups sugar
1 cup apple sauce
3/4 cup chopped apples
2 T. vanilla extract
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1-1/2 tsp. baking soda
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder


Directions:

Cream together the first 7 ingredients until well mixed. Add the dry ingredients and mix well. Divide between 3 well-greased medium loaf pans. Bake for 40-50 minutes at 350 degrees. Let cool on wire rack for about 15 minutes before taking out of pans. Also makes great blackberry muffins.

Presented by: The Creamery

Delicious Daylilies

Delicious Daylilies

As we continue to homestead, we are becoming more adventurous. Part of that spirit is understanding the food sources around you. The more time you spend gardening and farming, it becomes clear that the food can be abundant if you know what to look for. One of the many blessings in Appalachia is the wild daylily. Around the middle of June, you will find these bright and vibrant wild daylilies painting the landscape all throughout this region. We have hundreds of them of our property! Not only are they striking and exotic in their bright orange appearance, but they also make a scrumptious appetizer or side item to any main course. You read that right. You can EAT daylilies. You can actually eat the buds and blossoms! There are many different ways to enjoys these treats but, I am always looking for the simplest way to try something because I want experience the actual flavor of the main item itself. It was so exciting and delicious to pick and cook them. The whole family was involved and loved every second!

Here is what we did:

After selecting what daylilies we wanted, we simply brought them in and gently washed them several times and removed the stems. We dried them with a paper towel.

Once the blooms were prepped, I mixed these items in a bowl:

- 2 heaping Tablespoons Ricotta cheese
- Sprinkle of fresh Parmesan cheese (about 1 Tablespoon)
- Dash of sea salt
- Dash of black pepper

I then took a teaspoon and gently placed the cheese mix into each bloom, twisting the ends together to simply enclose it. It wasn't perfect seals, but I didn't mind. We were on new ground here...

I then placed a tablespoon (or so) of my homemade butter into a large cast iron skillet and drizzled olive oil. Next, I carefully placed each stuffed bloom.

I cooked each side for about 30-60 seconds on a medium heat or until I noticed tenderness in the petals. A little bit of cheese seeped into the pan. It's ok. Trust me. It smelled divine!

And... that's IT! 

If you are serving these as a side item, I recommend prepping them in advance because they cook very fast. I think these would be fantastic served with a type of meat, asparagus, and perhaps even with a type of marinara sauce of top. The possibilites are endless. My children loved them and now we have a whole new appreciation for those gorgeous blooms that grace the landscape of our homestead!

xoxo

Patara