Hello, everybody! The Fresh Pioneer is back and I have some pretty pictures from our first picking at the blueberry patch. We usually pick 100 lbs or more a season (which is about a month, so by the time we hit 100 lbs, the kids are protesting yet one more trip). This year, the season will be very short because of a hard freeze in November, so we aren't going to get our usual haul, which means there won't be so many frozen berries in the freezer! Sadness... but it is what it is.
And I'm just glad we have these organic, deer/wildlife friendly, close and cheap (1.75 a lb) options. SO glad. Especially since our cherry season came and went... with nothing. That same hard freeze knocked our cherry orchards to the curb. As locavores (as much as we can), that hits us hard, too. We rely on those fresh fruits and veggies in the summer, and use them to put up stores (canning and freezing) for the winter. Again, it is what it is.
Anyway, I was so proud of my crew! They picked 25 lbs of berries in 20 minutes in 90F+ heat. In and out. BAM. The woman at the weigh station was IMPRESSED. But it was hot and they sure didn't want to linger! Anyway, those 25 lbs are gone. In fact, they were gone in two days! We shared with neighbors, shut-ins, friends, relatives, and ate them by the handful. We also bartered with a friend for the loan of some old movies. Even though I'm sure she would have loaned us the movies for nothing, it was fun to have something to exchange. (That's a whole other story. Our summer project is classical movies. The kids are thrilled. LOL.)
We didn't even get any ticks, haha.
So, now for the dinner part, since we didn't really bake anything with the blueberries. mmmmm, calzones!
OK, simple pizza dough recipe. But if this looks like a lot, IT WAS. I may be a teeny tiny bit distractable and there were a lot of people in the kitchen... which brings me to this bowl of yeast which is not quadrupled... but DECUPLED. Yup... I multiplied the amounts by ten! We had a LOT of pizza dough.
2 tsp dry yeast
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbs olive oil
1/2 cup warm water
Set aside for ten minutes.
Add 1 1/2 cups flour into a bowl, make a well, pour in the yeasty mix and start to combine. When it's all mixed together, knead for about five minutes and then put it in a bowl to rise for about 30 minutes. (I should have taken a picture of our bowl. It was hilarious. SO MUCH DOUGH.)
Roll out as thinly as possible... We didn't do this and the calzones were delicious but pretty thick. The great thing? Everybody could make their own version. This one had sweet peppers, onion, pineapples, two kinds of cheese and sauce.
My math-loving child making a joke.
Fold and press the sides together.
Mark the top so everybody knows which is which. Veggie lovers will not be happy with pepperoni, and vice versa.
This one was supposed to say what was inside but it apparently it's "for Papa's Work". Meaning, one of the kids made this for his lunch the next day. I have no idea what was in it, but he didn't complain, so it must have been good.
Inside shot. Mmmm.
These look gigantic on these tiny plates, but they were actually sort of small. That's the nice thing about a home made calzone- you can adjust the insides AND the size!
And my little guy with his creation that he shared with his brother. They were VERY proud of all the work they did, and it turned out perfectly! I love having kids in the kitchen... as long as someone else does the multiplication, apparently.
Until next time!
Oh, I'm also putting this up approximately 1.5 hours later than normal, just to welcome Mary/Cate to Yankee Belle Cafe. Next time I'll try to upload giant pictures, or make it in a tiny font. We want you to feel at ease in this crazy place, lol!
