Grapevine June 17 2007 Market

this week
- What's Coming To The Market This Week?
- Cooking Ideas - Freezing Berries

If it's Father's Day then it must be time for chocolate covered strawberries at the Hillsdale Farmers' Market. A tradition at the market, we'll be handing out chocolate covered strawberries this Sunday. So come on down, enjoy a few berries and the best food the Northwest has to offer.

See you on Sunday!

Eamon Molloy
Market Manager

What's Coming To The Market This Week?
Cherries are here. You'll find Chelans and Brooks this weekend. If you like to make your own jam or freeze strawberries for mid-winter smoothies then this is the weekend for you. Strawberries (Hoods and Totems) are readily available. Raspberries showed up at the market last week. It's still a little early for raspberries but you should find some this weekend too.

Asparagus season is winding down but you should find some this Sunday. Snow peas, sugarpod peas, spinach and lettuce will be readily available. Broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, chard and kohlrabi should be in good supply as well. For the complete list of who's coming this weekend check the availability list.

IN
Ancient Heritage Dairy
Blossom Vinegar
Rick Steffen Farm

OUT
Cherry Country (back July 1)
Little Pots and Pans (back next week)
Packer Orchard/Market Fruit (back next week)
Rose City Delicacies (back next week)
Zbeanz (back next week)
*UPDATE* Salubrious is out this week but will be back next week*

Cooking Ideas - Freezing Berries
June may seem an odd time to think about winter. Yet wasn't there a time in January that you really wanted to taste Hood strawberries or Triple Crown blackberries or marionberries? Making your own jam or preserves is one way. Freezing is another way to save summer fruit for winter eating.

First, wash, hull and halve the berries. At this point, you could simply stick the berries in freezer bags and place in your freezer. But there is a good chance that the fruit will suffer freeze damage and pick up other flavors from the freezer. Packing the fruit in a sugar syrup will protect the color and flavor of the berries. To make sugar syrup pack, heat 4 cups of water and 3 cups of sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir until sugar is dissolved, remove from heat and cool to room temperature.

To freeze with syrup pack, spoon two cups of prepared strawberries into a one quart zipper lock freezer bag. Add 1 1/4 cups of syrup. Seal, removing as much air as possible. Freeze until solid.

If you're interested in freezing and other food preservation methods, visit Oregon State University Extension Service's Food Preservation Publication Page.