raspberries

Love That Taste of Buttermilk
FarmPlate Jul 14, 2010 raspberries 0 comments
Do you ever wonder about buttermilk? Most people know that buttermilk is--at least it used to be--the liquid leftover from churning butter. The solid butter got all the fat, leaving the liquid buttermilk nearly fat-free. But what's the story behind buttermilk's sour tang? In the early 1930s, American farmers were literally in the dark. Nine out of ten farms had no electricity. By the time fresh cream arrived at the dairy for processing, it had fermented or soured, giving the buttermilk and the butter a distinctive tang. The Rural Electricity Administration brought power to the countryside and by the time of WWII, nine out of ten American farms were electrified. The cream could be quickly...
Pretty in Pink Raspberry Cupcakes
FarmPlate Jul 07, 2010 raspberries 1 comments
from the FarmPlate Kitchen Back in 1986, Pretty in Pink star Molly Ringwald revealed to fans that her favorite pig-out food was raspberries. We hope that hasn't changed—and these easy cupcakes are the perfect nosh to enjoy while watching the John Hughes' film classic. We use Charlotte's Nitty Gritty cornmeal here. It's well worth making the effort to seek it out. The corn is grown and ground in the Champlain Valley, and the flavor is round and almost sweet. You can buy cornmeal and cornbread mix directly from the producer online or at the Waitsfield Farmers Market on Saturdays. You can also find it at select area food stores. 1 stick (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened ¾ cup...
Raspberries! Now!
FarmPlate Jul 07, 2010 raspberries 0 comments
It's brutally hot all over the Northeast from now to the weekend. How are area raspberry lovers dealing with the heat? Berry fanatics are simply setting the alarm a little earlier so they can get up and pick a flat or two of perfect, juicy red berries before the sun gets too high in the sky. Luckily there's no rain in the forecast since wet weather wreaks havoc on raspberries, causing an icky white fungus to spread through the thicket. Fresh raspberries are very, very perishable. When picking in hot weather, you need to cool berries as quickly as possible. Drive straight home from the farm: Fragile berries are like pets—you should never leave them in a hot car. Once you're home: • Spread...
A Summer of Fruit Tarts
FarmPlate Jun 02, 2010 raspberries 1 comments
The shutters are off the camp windows, the lightning bugs will soon be out in full force and the lake temperature is already 58 degrees. The long days of summer are here. This is no time to be fussing with tricky or sticky pie dough. Yet there's a whole progression of summer fruits and berries to be picked, each one begging to be baked into pie. Right now there's rhubarb in the garden, and once that gets too woody the strawberries and cherries will be ripe and ready. Then raspberries, blueberries, blackberries and gooseberries come into play before the plums show up. A free-form tart, sometimes called crostata or galette, is the perfect way to show off summer's best, and it's quick to mix...