The Raspberry Patch

Our Fall Bucket List continues...
#4 Pick Your Own Berries

This morning we got up early (really early for us since Andrew's work alarm went off!) and headed down to Payson with Lisa, Devin, Katherine, Clara, Kelani and Lily to a pick-you-own-berries farm.  It's called The Raspberry Patch and we heard about it from Mike & Melissa Summers last weekend when they stopped by. 

It's about the most casual operation around.  There are no signs to the place and the directions they give on their website--while entertaining--are a little vague especially towards the end:

They have a table out with a scale on it to weigh your berries and then you drop off your money in a little mailbox (exact change or check).  That's it.  Like I said, casual operation.  But it was awesome.  And at $2.50 a pound you can't beat the price!

I love this photo of Lil because it reminds me of the book Blueberries For Sal.

It was actually a lot of work to find the raspberries.  You kind of had to get down and look underneath the leaves.  Some people would get the teensiest bit territorial when they found a good cluster.

We had a great time at The Raspberry Patch.  As our bags and buckets started to get a little heavy, we called the search off and went to weigh our haul of berries.  And suddenly it turned into a competition for who collected the most raspberries.  None of us knew we were competing until the weigh-in began.  Thankfully, I beat Andrew.  He knows how to bring out my competitive side sometimes.

Ignore my scaley dragon hands, please.  We were working in a garden and my hands look trashy.



P.S.--How dang cute is my sister, Lisa?  She is adorable and rocking such a trendy lass look at the berry patch.  Holla!

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Oh and before I forget here is a little tip on freezing raspberries: 

We washed and sorted them when we got home.  Inevitably, some will get smashed along the way.  We saved the smashed one to make a yummy Fresh Peach and Raspberry Crumble that was to die for (recipe follows).  The whole ones we laid out flat on a jelly roll sheet lined with wax paper.  Make sure none of them are touching.  Freeze for about 20-30 minutes and then pop them in a freezer bag to freeze the rest of the way.  So easy!

For our Fresh Peach and Raspberry Crumble, we used the following recipe but swapped out the blackberries for 1 pint fresh raspberries and 2 extra-large fresh peaches.  It was so good!

BLACKBERRY CRUMBLE

1 quart blackberries                                                     ¾ c. sugar

1 T. vanilla                                                                  ½ c. oats

½ c. flour                                                                     ½ c. brown sugar

2 t. cinnamon                                                              ½ c. butter, cut into squares

Slightly mash the blackberries in a bowl.  Add the sugar and vanilla and coat evenly.  In a separate bowl mix oats, flour, brown sugar and cinnamon.  Cut the butter in with a pastry cutter to create a crumble topping.  Pour the berry mixture into a shallow, greased, baking dish.  Sprinkle the crumble topping over the berries.  Bake at 350° for 35-40 minutes.  Topping and berries will firm up as the dessert cools.