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Have an Outing at Your Local You-Pick Farm

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I do love this time of year when I can simply go out my back door to pick flowers and vegetables from my garden. There are so many aspects to enjoy – picking the perfect tomato, pairing flowers with wildflowers for my kitchen table, the scents of the dirt and vegetables, finding the perfect recipe for each cucumber…I also love to plan an outing to a local you-pick farm and make a day of it with family and friends. Last weekend we went to a local farm out by our farm (that’s a mouthful!) and picked sweet corn and berries.

Depending on where you live, there are many you-pick farms that post on-line their crops schedules, current crops, conditions and pricing. Some of the larger, established farms will also have tips and recipes for your produce – which is fantastic for people like me who like to, try “tried and true” recipes. This is a wonderful advantage to have so you can plan ahead not only your visit, but what you plan to do with your produce – jams, canning, pies, freezing, or even a dinner party.

Like the you-pick farms I frequent out by my farm, you get to know the owners and they keep me advised on when and what to pick. I do love this personal connection to both the people and their crops. Like I always say about picking from your own garden “it all tastes better” applies to my local you-pick farms too. And I do not want to leave out the many local Farmer’s Markets that are stocked with fresh fruit and vegetables. You get the best of both worlds; wonderful produce supporting local farms and already picked for you!

Here is what I did with some of our bounties last weekend:

Fresh White Corn:

My farm friends gave me great advice on freezing my favorite “Silver Queen” corn so we can enjoy it well after the summer harvest time:

-Have two large pots (I use lobster pots) ready; one filled ¾ full with water to boil, the other to be filled ¾ with ice water (I like to have a bag or two of ice on hand so there is plenty).

-Keep the corn in the refrigerator until you are ready to shuck it (the cold temperature will keep the sugar from breaking down.) Shuck the corn and use a soft brush to get as much of the silk off as you can.

-In batches, blanch the corn in rapidly boiling water for approximately 4-6 minutes. Remove from the cobs from the pot (do not throw out the water, keep it boiling for more batches) and place directly into the ice bath for the same time as blanching, 4-6 minutes to stop the “cooking” process.

-Once your batches are complete, cut the corn from the cobs. There are many ways to do this, but I prefer the old hold the cob and cut with a serrated knife way. Once the kernels have been cut, place batches in small freezer bags that are labeled with a sharpie pen with the date and contents. Be sure to get out as much of the air in the bag before sealing it.

-When you want to use a batch from your freezer, you simply have to microwave the corn to warm it as it has already been “cooked” during the blanching process.

Mixed Berry Pie:

A friend gave me this recipe which she adapted from a recipe given to her. She made it very simple and delicious.

Pie Crust:

-Store bought frozen pie crust (use directions for fruit pies by baking the pie crust, letting cool and then fill with filling)

Filling:

-2 cups strawberries

-2 cups blueberries

-1 cup blackberries

-1 cup raspberries

-1 cup frozen cherries (this gives the same taste without the process of pitting which can be stain-filled and arduous)

-1/2 cup flour

-1 cup sugar

-1 ½ tablespoons butter

-1 tablespoon lemon juice

(Combine all ingredients in a large bowl, mix together gently and let sit in room temperature for 10 minutes or more)

Topping:

8 ounces snicker doodle cookies or sugar cookies

1 stick frozen butter

(Using a food processer, blend cookies and butter until it becomes “crumbly.”)

Fill the pie crust with the filling and top with the cookie topping and bake in preheated over 350 degrees for 45 minutes. I keep an eye about mid-way through baking in case I want to put a foil top on so not to overcook the top layer. Set aside and let cool before serving.