Farm Life Fridays: Raspberry Delight

I love walking back on Forsythe Farms 2009 Inc. to check out the raspberry bushes; lots of tasty red splashes of colour hiding among the green leaves. The raspberries are here in full force right now, as are Niagara fruits. Look forward to some juicy peaches, plums, and cherries! This is probably the most delicious time of year as blueberries are looking good right now too.

A raspberry bush can yield several hundred berries a year! Some people enjoy more than just the berries, though, as raspberry leaves can be used fresh or dried in herbal teas. They are also used in some remedies in traditional and herbal medicine. The flowers are enjoyed by honey bees and other pollinators as a major nectar source.

Farm market Wonder Woman, Linda, showed me the kitchen where last Saturday she made 163 jars of small batch Raspberry Peach jam.

The peach/raspberry combination is a wonderful flavour, and gives the jam a beautiful lighter colour than regular raspberry jam. My only occasional complaint about raspberry jam is that sometimes I find there are far too many seeds. This is why raspberry peach jam is just about perfect: it tastes great, and also has about half the amount of seeds in it!

Linda said the jam is always a big seller and it’s not unusual to see a customer come in looking for some veggies, and leave with their produce as well as one or two or even four jars of jam!

Stop by and pick up some jam at the Farm Market today! There is also a limited supply of peas and Pick Your Own beans still available.

If you're looking for a cool summertime treat, I came across this mouthwatering cream tart dessert recipe - a great flavourful way to enjoy your fresh raspberries!

This pretty (and easy) dessert has a crust made of refrigerated sugar cookie dough.

 

 

Ingredients

• 1 16 1/2 - ounce roll refrigerated sugar cookie dough, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
• 2 3 - ounce packages cream cheese, softened
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups fresh red raspberries
• 2 teaspoons granulated sugar
• Powdered sugar

Directions

1. Press cookie dough slices into bottom and fluted sides of a greased 11-inch tart pan with removable bottom. Do not prick. (Or, press onto bottom of greased 12-inch pizza pan.) Bake in a 350 degrees oven 20 minutes or until light brown. Remove from oven; set aside.
2. In a small bowl, beat cream cheese with an electric mixer on medium-high speed for 30 seconds. Add 1/4 cup sugar, the egg, lemon zest, lemon juice and vanilla. Beat until combined. Pour cheese mixture over warm crust and spread evenly.
3. Arrange the raspberries in a single layer on top of cheese mixture. Sprinkle raspberries with 2 teaspoons sugar. Bake for 15 to 17 minutes more or until or until cheese mixture is set. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool for 30 minutes before serving.
4. Just before serving, sprinkle with powdered sugar.