Saturday, September 22, 2012

Alaskan Harvest

All of us Alaskans are getting ready for winter. Time to harvest what we can!

Most of us have salmon &/or other fish in the freezer. (When we had our recent windstorms, most of my friends and family were most concerned with how long the freezer could go without power--can’t let all that good fish go to mush!) In our house, we have 22 red salmon from the Copper River, thanks to my husband’s hard work dip-netting this summer.

Our freezer also has 2/12 cups of blueberries we picked at Hatcher Pass. (We ate fresh or cooked the rest but saved enough for a pie or crisp when we need a taste of summer.) And there are 2 quarts of rhubarb from the huge plant we share with our next-door neighbors. I’ve dried and bagged herbs tucked away in the pantry. (My marjoram was prolific this summer; the oregano did okay.)

I love to eat Alaska broccoli and carrots. I find they’re sweeter than the ones in the grocery store. Those I don’t grow in my own garden, but I buy as often as possible at farmers’ markets. I have 6 baggies of broccoli in the freezer that I cut up and blanched. There’s a bag of carrots in the refrigerator I plan to add to next weekend.

In the dead of winter, when the sun’s only up for four hours and I can barely remember what the summer sun feels like, it feels great to eat the salmon or berries or veggies and bring a piece of summer back. Plus, this is all-natural food I am proud to feed to my family.

Here’s a recipe for berry crisp that you can try with your own berries wherever you live. (Any kind of berries will do. If they’re frozen, just thaw them first.) I usually make this without measuring, so you have permission to “eyeball” things and add or subtract as needed for your own taste. :-)

Place 2-3 cups of berries at the bottom of a 2-quart casserole.
Sprinkle a little lemon juice on them if you like.
In a separate bowl, mix 1 cup oats, 1/4 to 1/2 cup flour, 1/3 to 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1 tsp. of cinnamon, 1/2 tsp.nutmeg and allspice.
(Optional: add 1/2 cup nuts or granola.)
Mix together and cut in 2 tbl. butter or margarine.
Spoon oat mixture on top of berries.
Cook in 375 degrees oven for 30 minutes or until berries are bubbling and crisp is golden brown.

 --- Lynn Lovegreen
 
 

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

That sounds yummy! I will have to give it a whirl.
Carmen

Tiffinie Helmer said...

I love recipes like this. Thank you for sharing. I will be sure to make it, like tomorrow.

LizbethSelvig said...

What a wonderful post! Our gardens in Minnesota did not do well this year -- we had early (April) heat and then a big frost and then rain and then no rain and four weeks of 95+ degrees. Needless to say things struggled, even Minnesota staples like rhubarb and tomatoes. Our tastes of summer in the winter will be green beans, squash and a few raspberries. AND your wonderful crisp recipe--sounds yummy even today!

Lynn Lovegreen said...

Thanks Carmen, Tiffinie and Liz! It is a good berry crisp, hope you enjoy it. :-)

Liz, I've heard you all had a bad year when it comes to weather. I wish you lots of good summer memories with the veggies and raspberries you were able to harvest.

Tam Linsey said...

Oh, delicious! I love wild berry recipes. I canned rhubarb for the first time this year - but am not sure exactly how to use it. Guess that will be part of the adventures in cooking this winter!

Lynn Lovegreen said...

Thanks, Tam. Enjoy the rhubarb! :-)