Kefir Blueberry Coconut Cake & Picking Too

The blueberries are out! After a really BAD season last year due to a late spring frost, this years wild blueberry crop is amazing!! Check out these clumps of berries, they almost look like high bush.

Not a great photo because it was taken with my phone but after only 2 hours of picking we came away with over 25 cups of berries! You can see the amount of berries still left on the bushes in the blurry background.

What to do with so many blues?

Eat them of-coarse!

Kefir Coconut Blueberry Cake

• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup sugar
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cup shredded coconut
  
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/4 cup milk kefir
  
• 1/2 cup coconut oil
• 2 cups fresh (or frozen) blueberries

Lemon Glaze:

• 1 cup powdered sugar
• 2-4 tablespoons lemon juice (or enough to make a smooth glaze)
  

1. In a bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and 1/2 cup coconut. In another bowl beat the eggs, kefir and oil; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in blueberries.
2. Spread in a greased and floured 13x9 baking dish. Sprinkle with the rest of the coconut. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until done. Cool on a wire rack.
3. In a small bowl combine powdered sugar and lemon juice. When cooled slightly drizzle the glaze over the cake and serve!

Emmalie's Birthday #5

Our little girl turned 5 the other day! How grown up she is! Loosing teeth, riding bikes, and just wanting to hang with the big kids all the time some days makes her seem even older! If anyone has a recipe to make kids stop growing up so fast please let me know!!!

Emmy was blessed by Nana and Bumpa with a special sleepover for her and her sis at the campground where they spend the summer. She was even was able to catch some fireworks in town! The next day we had a little party and she was blessed with some nice clothes, toys and a bike (that came a few weeks ago).

Emmy (along with her Mimi) really like hello kitty and got this cute little shirt which is now her favorite.

Mollie's favorite gift...

Happy 5th Birthday Emmy! We Love YOU!!

Citrus Rhu-berry Jam and Roadside Foraging

The kids and I set out to walk "the loop" the other day and ended up with 2 cups of wild berries! We just happened to come upon this small patch of blueberries on the side of the road and so we stopped for some spur of the moment picking!

Then to our surprise, we also came upon a nice patch of wild raspberries!! What a treat! With the cost of berries so high we picked all we could. This patch popped up in the past year or two in a new development down the road from us. A great place to look for berries because they are usually found in areas that have recently been cut or cleared.

The kids we so HOT but helped mama pic anyway! I think James is eating one in this pic instead of plopping them into our empty water bottles!! Caught!!!
We did have to improvise to come up with berry picking containers since we did not think to bring one along. We guzzled these two waters down to make room for the berries.

I had made plans to make rhubarb jam with a friend later that week. After searching for just the right recipe and realizing I did not have the right ingredients for any of them I came up with this recipe. It came out sooooooooo good that I am planning on making another batch very soon!

Citrus Rhu-berry Jam

6 c. fresh or frozen rhubarb, chopped
4 c. sugar
1 clementine (or a small orange), juiced and rind chopped into very thin small slices
1 c. fresh raspberries
1 c. fresh blueberries
3 oz. pkg. strawberry gelatin

In large kettle combine rhubarb, sugar, juice, and rind. Let stand 15 to 20 minutes or till sugar is moistened. Bring to a boil and continue to boil uncovered for 10 minutes, stirring often. Add raspberries and blueberries; return to boiling. Boil hard 5 to 6 minutes or till thick, stirring often. Remove from heat. Add gelatin; stir till dissolved. Ladle into hot, clean jars, leaving 1/4 inch head space. Wipe jar rims; adjust lids. Process in boiling water bath for 15 minutes. (Start timing when water boils.) Or if you're brave like me tip the jars over for 5 minutes then return them to the upright position instead of a water bath. Makes 5 to 6 half pints.