fruit Archives - Fresh From Oregon

Spring in Finally here in Oregon

April 9, 2017 · by Carrie Trax ·

It has been a very rainy spring this year in Oregon, so with a peek of blue skies today I headed to the Beaverton Winter Market. I live in the foothills of Mt Hood and this is a little over an hour drive for me but I just had to see what was Fresh from Oregon at the Market. From blue skies to sprinkles of rain and dark clouds I arrived at the market to a few light rain drops, but hey this is Oregon. During the Winter Market there are about half as many booths as you would find in the summer market but there was plenty of goodies to choose from. The first booth I stopped in had a huge display of rhubarb, WOW I did not know that you could get fresh rhubarb Fresh from Oregon in April, I wish the strawberries were ready and I could bake a pie. The colorful bouquets of daffodils and tulips made it feel even more like spring. If you are at the market and you want the best selection of apples this time of the year then you have to stop by the Kiyokawa Family Orchard booth. Boxes and boxes overflow with apples picked last fall and they were still nice and firm. They had at least 15 different varieties and I filled a bag with my two favorite apples, Gala great for eating and Honey Crisp perfect for baking. There are several seafood vendors at the market with fresh Dungeness crab, oysters, ling cod, and rockfish just to name a few. Down the aisle I saw a line of people at one of the booths and had to see what everyone was buying. As I got close I could see a nice selection of different fresh mushrooms, dried mushrooms and mushroom powders. The Mushroomery a certified organic family-owned mushroom farm that grows gourmet and medicinal mushrooms was here at the market. After pondering over the different types I bought a basket of Shiitake mushrooms that will be perfect on a white pizza I plan to make for dinner tomorrow. I will have to check out the different mushroom powders they had another time. It is a little early but there were some potted herbs and vegetable starters if you are ready to plant in your garden. There are many food artisans at the market and I stopped by Olympia Provisions to try a sample. I tried slice of their Salami Nola (NO-lah) which is a coarse-ground Italian salami with black pepper, chili flake & allspice. It had a nice mild taste and with a touch of the spices and just what I was looking for to add to a cheese plate. Olympia Provisions is Oregon’s first USDA-approved salumeria and the art of curing meat the old-fashioned way is what you will find with all their products. Being made here in Oregon is a bonus for me but they are sold all across the country, check out their website to see where you can enjoy their Old World taste. I was ready for something sweet and as I started down the next aisle the first booth was Nola Doughnuts. There were so many different gourmet doughnuts, an apple fritter and mini bites to choose from. What makes these doughnuts so different than others are the layers. They are handcrafted over a three-day process using a layering technique commonly found in French pastry making. Which flavor to pick Cajun Maple Bacon, Lemon Poppyseed, Raspberry, Chocolate Ganache or maybe the Apple fritter. I decided to stick to may favorite Chocolate Ganache and added a few mini bites also to the bag. For the past few years the market has been home to many craft hard ciders and spirits and I normally do not stop and try a sample but with a road trip planned next week in the new RV I thought I would find something to take on the road. Bull Run Cider had a nice selection and I stopped to try a few samples. They had three different dry hard ciders but I like mine sweet so I tried the Trespass Apple and it was perfect. They produce their craft hard cider in the foothills of the Oregon Coast Range and have a tap room open Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights. I have already filled my first bag and have a second to get some fresh produce. The last booth in the aisle I could see the piles of fresh produce. Sweet potatoes, white & purple potatoes, leeks, radishes, greens, onions and more. My bag was filled with a few onions, white potatoes that I can pan roast for dinner, a few sweet potatoes that will make a nice filling in some homemade pasta and a few leeks that will go on my pizza or maybe a nice potato leek soup. With both my bags filled I headed to the car, glad I made this trip to the Beaverton Winter Market today. Winter Market is only open 10:00-1:30 through April on Saturdays and then the Summer Market opens starting in May and is open 8:00-1:30.

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Over the Top Blueberry Muffins

July 27, 2016 · by Carrie Trax ·

Fresh from Oregon, blueberries have a long season and you can still find plenty at the local farmers markets and stores. Here on the mountain (Mt Hood) I have been picking the blueberries from my bushes for about a week. With the higher elevation we are about 4 weeks later than the farms in Portland, Oregon. With Blueberry Muffins on the menu for breakfast today I was out early in the morning to pick 2 cups of fresh blueberries. The recipe below will make a nice tall muffin if using tall paper muffin cups in your muffin tins or if you want a more shorter muffin with a large top bake directly in the muffin tin. To me a muffin is best with a little crumb topping but if you prefer you can just leave plain or sprinkle with some coarse sugar.

Over the Top Blueberry Muffins
4 3/4 cups all-purpose flour (22 ounces)
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar (8 ounces)
1 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
16 ounces plain whole fat yogurt or plain Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon orange zest
2 cups fresh blueberries

Crumb Topping:
In medium size bowl mix 1/4 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar, 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoon flour and 1/4 cup of room temperature butter. Mix until you get small crumbs, set aside.

Heat the oven to 375 degrees and coat a standard 12-cup muffin pan with non-stick spray or place tall muffin paper cups in muffin pan.
Whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. In second bowl whisk together the sugar, oil, eggs, yolks, yogurt and orange zest until smooth. Make a crater in the middle of the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into it. Stir with a rubber spatula until just barely combined. Resist the urge to over-mix – there should be a some lumps of flour in the batter. Fold in the blueberries, mixing just to combine. Drop about a cup of batter in each of the muffin tin’s wells or paper cup. You may have extra batter to make a few more muffins. The cups should be quite full. Sprinkle the muffins with crumb topping and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the bottom of a muffin comes out clean. Remove from oven and turn out onto a wire rack to cool. Serve immediately or store in an airtight container for up to a week.

Recipe ~ Alton Brown’s Over the Top Muffins

Homemade Strawberry Lemon Jam

May 26, 2016 · by Carrie Trax ·

Once you taste your own homemade strawberry jam, you’ll never want store-bought again! With the strawberries coming into season here in Oregon I need to get my water bath canner out and jars washed to make my strawberry lemon jam. The last few years I have been using the recipe for strawberry lemon jam from the Ball® Blue Book. The lemon peel gives this jam just another layer of flavor. When I first got married I wanted to make jam and the first one I made was strawberry. It is easy and simple to make and when you taste it you will feel like you are eating fresh strawberries. Make sure you make enough to last throughout the year since strawberries season is usually about a month long depending on your weather.

Homemade Strawberry Lemon Jam
1/4 cup thinly sliced lemon peel (about 2 large)*
4 cups crushed strawberries (about 4 pints)
1 tablespoon lemon juice
6 tablespoons Ball^® RealFruit™ Classic Pectin
6 cups sugar
7 (8oz) half pint glass preserving jars with lids and bands

Prepare boiling water canner. Heat jars in simmering water until ready for use. Do not boil. Wash lids in warm soapy water and set bands aside.
Combine lemon peel and water to cover in a 6- or 8-quart saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and boil for 5 minutes, until peel is softened. Drain and discard liquid. Return peel to pan.
Add strawberries and lemon juice to peel and mix well. Gradually stir in pectin. Bring mixture to a full rolling that can not be stirred down, over high heat, stirring constantly.
Add entire measure of sugar, stirring to dissolve. Return mixture to a full rolling boil. Boil hard for 1 minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Skim off foam if necessary.
Ladle hot jam into hot jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rim. Center lid on jar. Apply band until fit is fingertip tight.
Process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes, adjusting for altitude. Remove jars and cool. Check lids for seal after 24 hours. Lid should not flex up and down when center is pressed.
* How to make lemon peel with Crisp™ “Tools for Healthy Eating”.

Recipe from ~ Fresh Preserving ~ Ball®

Homemade Strawberry Sauce

May 15, 2016 · by Carrie Trax ·

The smell of ripe, juicy strawberries fresh from the field is what I wait for every spring here in Oregon. Strawberry season is different depending on where you live, but here in Oregon it can start as early as the first week in May. During my visit this weekend at the local farmers market I found several farm stands with crates of strawberries just waiting to come home with me. Fresh strawberries should be refrigerated and eaten within a few days. One way I found to get some extra time with fresh strawberries is to make a sauce. It will keep for about a week in the refrigerator and can be used to top ice cream, cheesecake, pancakes, yogurt, or filling for a cake or just about anything you like.

Homemade Strawberry Sauce
1 pint strawberries, chopped
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Place the chopped strawberries in a sauce pan and begin to cook over medium heat. Mix sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl; add to the sauce pan of strawberries. Add lemon juice and cook on low heat for about 10 minutes or until mixture thickens. Remove from heat. Set aside and cool. Refrigerate once cooled. Makes 2 cups of sauce.

Apricot Coffee Cake with Crumb Topping

January 9, 2016 · by Carrie Trax ·

It is the middle of winter in Oregon and the snow is falling here on the mountain today. I had been sorting through some items my mom sent me last year and came across several old cookbooks. I see they are not only from my hometown Finleyville, Pennsylvania, but also published the year I was born 1962. As I was going through the book looking at the recipes I discovered old advertising ads and still remember some of the stores we shopped at as I was growing up. It brings back a lot of memories of shopping at “Rosenberg’s Department Store” where we bought all of our clothes (No big shopping malls back then), if my mom did not make them. Also one of our treats for the week was going to “Boyka Tavern” to have a Hot Hamburger sandwich, a meaty hamburger sandwiched between two pieces of thick white bread then covered with the “BEST” gravy and homemade french fries. Old cookbooks have so much history and great memories. As I was looking at many of the recipes the Apricot Coffee Cake caught my eye. Today is “National Apricot Day” and what a great recipe to try from this vintage cookbook. I did have to do a few adjustments. It said to use a 6″x10″ pan but that is not a size I have ever seen. I also wanted to bake this so I could display it out of the pan so I choose to used a 9-inch springform pan. If you just want to leave it in the pan you can also use a 13×9 baking pan. Since this pan is larger than the original size I multiplied the recipe by 1 1/2 times and added more time for baking. Apricots are not fresh this time of the year in Oregon but I had several jars I canned last summer and they were perfect for this recipe. I also increased the amount of apricots since this was a large cake and wanted a little more apricots in the center of the coffee cake. This was an easy recipe to make and the batter was so silky and it tasted amazing. With recipes all over the internet these cookbooks are long forgotten but have such amazing recipes. So if you have some old cookbooks packed away in the basement or attic get them out and discover some of the recipes long lost and maybe they will bring back some memories for you!

Apricot Coffee Cake
2 1/4 cups flour
1 cup sugar
4 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup shortening
3/4 cup milk
2 eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups canned apricots

Topping:
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons flour
2 teaspoons cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degree. Spray a 9-inch springform pan or 13×9-inch baking pan with non-stick spray, set aside. In a mixer bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt and mix to combine. Add shortening and with a pastry blender or fork cut into the flour mixture. Add the milk, eggs, and vanilla and beat until the batter is smooth, about 2 minutes. Spread 1/2 the batter into the prepared pan. You can mash up the apricots and spread over the batter or lay the apricot pieces over the batter. Top with the remaining batter. Combine all the topping ingredients and sprinkle over the batter. Bake for 30-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Dutch Apple Pie ~ Just the right bite!

September 15, 2015 · by Carrie Trax ·

The apples here in Oregon are 2-3 weeks early this year which means 2-3 more weeks of fresh apple pies in my house. Some of my favorite apples that are ready now are Jonagold and Honeycrisp, both these apples make a great apple pie, especially a Dutch Apple Pie! To make the recipe below you will need to get 4-5 medium apples but looking at this years crop they are so much bigger 4 apples might do the job. So what is this Dutch apple pie? It is an apple pie with a traditional dough bottom crust but topped with a crumb topping of oats and cinnamon. I added some extra flavor to my topping and used one of Bob’s Red Mill NEW Oatmeal cups in my topping. One oatmeal cup contains the perfect amount I needed for my topping. The Oatmeal cup I used also has maple added giving these pies an extra layer of flavor and the addition of flax and chia seeds makes it even more nutritious and filling. Check your local market for these new cups available in 4 flavors or order online direct from Bob’s Red Mill.

Dutch Apple Pie
Topping:
1 cup Bob’s Red Mill all-purpose flour
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 Bob’s Red Mill GF Brown Sugar and Maple Oatmeal cup
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
8 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:
2/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1-1/4 cups cold water
5 cups apples, diced & peeled
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Pie crust, 1/2 recipe needed, (make the full recipe and place extra half in freezer to use later)
8 – 1/2 pint wide mouth canning jars or 4 mini pie plates or 1 – 9-inch pie plate

Prepare pie crust and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, Bob’s Red Mill GF Brown Sugar and Maple Oatmeal cup and butter; set aside.

For filling, combine the sugar, cornstarch and water in a large saucepan until smooth; bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Remove from the heat; stir in apples and vanilla.

To assemble spray each glass jar lightly with cooking spray. Take the pie crust (you only need half of the full recipe) and divide into 8 equal pieces. Roll each piece into about a 6-inch circle. Place each piece into the prepared glass canning jar and press into the sides and bottom of the jars up to the top edge of each jar. If you want to make one big pie just roll the dough out to fit an 9-inch pie plate. Spoon apple pie filling into each crust; top with the crumb topping mixture. Bake at 350° for 1 hour. At 30-45 minutes check to see if the topping is brown if so, lightly lay a piece of foil over the top of the pies the last 15-30 minutes. Cool on a wire rack. Yield: 8 servings.

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Strawberry Rhubarb Sauce

April 27, 2015 · by Carrie Trax ·

This year in Oregon we have had an early spring and the fresh strawberries and rhubarb are already starting to be harvested. These two make the best combination for pies, cobbler and YES a sweet sauce. In about 30 minutes I had a warm sweet sauce ready to serve on my homemade buttermilk pancakes!

Strawberry Rhubarb Sauce
4 cups diced strawberries
4 cups diced rhubarb
1 lemon, juiced
¾ cup sugar
¼ cup water

Combine the strawberries, rhubarb, lemon juice, sugar and water in a medium sized sauce pan. Bring it to a boil and let it cook on low to medium heat for about 30 minutes, cook less or longer depending on how thick you want it. The sauce can be served cold or warm. Keep refrigerated.

Recipe from ~ Laylita’s recipes

Fresh Cranberries

November 22, 2014 · by Carrie Trax ·

This Thanksgiving or any holiday enjoy the sweet and tart taste of cranberries 3 ways. Enjoy homemade jellied orange cranberry sauce that tastes better than the one from a can and so easy to do. You can combine the fresh flavors of cranberries, oranges and apples with a little sugar and in a few minutes you will have a crisp relish your family will be asking for seconds of! Cranberry glaze for your turkey (works good with ham too) will give you another depth of flavor to your holiday dinner. Fresh cranberries are always a perfect addition to the holiday table.

Cranberry Relish
1 (12 oz) bag whole fresh cranberries
2 tart green apples (I used Granny Smith), peeled, cored and cut into thick pieces
1 large seedless orange (peel on), cut into 12 pieces
1 cup sugar

In the bowl of a food processor add the cranberries, apples and orange pieces. Pulse 12-14 times, do not over pulse or the relish will be mushy. I used a Ninja Food Processor and it gave me the perfect relish with 12 pulses. Place mixture in a bowl and mix in the sugar. Let set for 45 minutes at room temperature. It is ready to serve or place in a container and refrigerate for later. Quick and easy and can be made the night before.
Recipe from ~ Simple Recipes

Jellied Orange Cranberry Sauce
2 (12 oz) bags whole fresh cranberries
2 oranges
1 3/4 cups water
2 cups sugar

Wash cranberries and add to a medium pot. Squeeze juice from orange into the pot and add the orange halves and the 1 3/4 cups water. Boil until the cranberries skins burst, about 20-25 minutes. Remove orange halves and over a bowl place a sieve or food mill and press through the cranberry mixture. You will get juice in the bowl, discard the pulp left in the food mill. Add juice to a medium saucepan and mix in the sugar. Boil to almost jelly point (see below spoon test)* or 220 degrees. Pour into glass canning jars (I use 8 oz short jars). If you are not processing the jars you can let set on your counter until cooled then add the lid and ring and place in refrigerator. If you what to process the jars leave a 1/4-inch head space, add the lid and ring and process in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. These jars can now be left on your shelf.
*Spoon test ~ Dip a cool metal spoon into the boiling cranberry mixture. Raise the spoon out of the steam, about 12 inches above the pan. Turn the spoon so the liquid runs off the side. The cranberry sauce is done when the syrup forms two drops that flow together and form a sheet that hangs off the edge of the spoon.
Recipe adapted from ~ Ball Blue Book

Cranberry Glaze

1 (12 oz) bag fresh whole cranberries
1 cup water
1 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon orange zest
2 tablespoons ginger, minced
2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

In a medium saucepan combine the cranberries, water, sugar, salt, orange zest, ginger and apple cider vinegar. Simmer over a medium heat until the cranberries burst, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the cayenne pepper. I do not like it too hot but if you want more of a kick add more cayenne to taste. Place a mesh strainer over a saucepan and pour in cranberry mixture. With a wooden spoon or rubber spatula push the cranberries around to help the mixture get through the strainer. There will be nice thick cranberry pulp in your saucepan. Over medium heat cook until glaze thickens, about 10 minutes. With a basting brush coat the outside of your turkey 30 minutes before it is ready to come out of the oven. Leave turkey uncovered after adding the glaze . This glaze is also great tossed with meatballs as an appetizer or perfect to brush on a whole ham.
Recipe from ~ Brave Apron

Rustic Peach Pie

August 19, 2014 · by Carrie Trax ·

Rustic Peach Pie made from fresh Red Haven peaches.

Peaches are at the peak of their season here in Oregon. Here is a quick and easy Rustic Peach Pie that you can make in no time. My favorite peach pie variety is “Red Haven” and I picked up some nice ripe ones at my local farm market Schedeens in Gresham, Oregon. Look for ripe peaches at your local market and change varieties as they come into season and then go out.

Rustic Peach Pie
Makes 2 pies

Crust:
3 cups Bob’s Red Mill flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups shortening
1 egg
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
5 tablespoons cold water

Filling:
6 cups fresh peaches, peeled and sliced
½ cups sugar
3 tablespoons Bob’s Red Mill flour
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup butter, melted

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In large bowl combine the flour and salt. Add shortening
and cut into flour until it resemble coarse meal. In small bowl combine the egg, vinegar,
and water and quickly mix into mixture until combined. Divide dough in half and flatten
into a disk, wrap in plastic and let set for 30 minutes in refrigerator.
Filling: In medium size bowl combine peaches, sugar, flour, cinnamon, vanilla and
melted butter. Set aside for 10 minutes.
Once dough is ready take one piece and roll out to a 12” circle. Place ½ the peach
mixture around in a circular pattern staying 2” from the edge. Carefully fold the 2” border
of dough just up over the peaches. Place on parchment lined baking sheet and bake in
425 degree oven for 15 minutes, reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake 30 minutes or
until crust is slightly brown and peaches are soft. Set on rack to cool.
Once cooled sprinkle the pie crust edge with powdered sugar.

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Homemade Apricot Jam

July 15, 2013 · by Carrie Trax ·

Fresh apricots can be found in our local farmers markets this week in Oregon. This small orange golf ball size fruit is perfect eaten fresh or if you want that delicious flavor all year it makes some of the best jam. You only need a few ingredient to turn this Fresh From Oregon fruit into a sweet jam you can enjoy throughout the year. My husband enjoys this apricot jam on his toast but it can be added to so many other things. It is perfect for using as a filling in your cookies like thumbprints, and apricot bars. You can even heat apricot jam in a small saucepan and use as a glaze for grilled chicken and salmon. So add this to your canning list this year and see what you can use it for and please share in the comments below.

Homemade Apricot Jam
8 cups apricots, crushed
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 box powdered pectin
6 cups sugar

To crush the apricots cut them into small pieces and with a potato masher crush into small pieces. I find it easier to place in a food processor on pulse only to get the small size pieces I need. Place the crushed apricots, lemon juice and powdered pectin into a large pot. Stir until the pectin is mixed in thoroughly. Bring to a gentle boil, add the sugar all at once. Stir for at least 2 minutes to make sure all the sugar is mixed in. Bring the mix back to a boil that can not be stirred down and boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and skim off any foam from the surface. Ladle hot jam into hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch headspace. Adjust two-piece cap and process for 15 minutes in a boiling water bath. Remove and sit on a towel to cool.

Source ~ Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving

Spring in Finally here in Oregon

Over the Top Blueberry Muffins

Homemade Strawberry Lemon Jam

Homemade Strawberry Sauce

Apricot Coffee Cake with Crumb Topping

Dutch Apple Pie ~ Just the right bite!

Strawberry Rhubarb Sauce

Fresh Cranberries

Rustic Peach Pie

Homemade Apricot Jam

Experience fresh food from Oregon!

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