A Bucket of Berries

Jul
15

Check it out.
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It’s berry time! This weekend, my neighbor and his wife asked me if I wanted to go berry picking with them. We went around the hill to a dirt road lined with berries. The raspberries are mostly done, though I got a few. Mostly, I got blackberries. A gallon of them.
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And many more still coming on, so I’ll be back sometime this week to pick again. Meanwhile, I took them home and got out my food strainer. (See ALL about my food strainer here.) I had told my neighbor about my food strainer and they were fascinated and amazed so I brought them up to the studio to demonstrate. They wanted to get the seeds out of their berries, and there is nothing that makes that easier than a really good food strainer.

Cleaned berries:
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Food strainer, using a berry screen:
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(I processed the raspberries and blackberries together for a berry mix.) Just put the berries in the hopper….
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Push down with the plunger while cranking the strainer and the seeds and heavier pulp come out one side and the seedless berry pulp comes out the other.
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It’s so easy. To get more, I take the seeded pulp and push it through a second time.
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In the end, I got about a gallon of pulpy seedless berry juice to play with.
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This bag was already frozen when I remembered to take a picture. I put it in the freezer because I don’t have time this week to make anything. I can make jam, straight from the bag, or I can process it further in a jelly bag to get out all the pulp if I wanted to make jelly or syrup. Probably, I’ll make jam, but I’ll decide that later.

My neighbors were impressed and amazed. I let them borrow my Squeezo to take home and do their berries and they’re planning to buy one. Because no one can see a Squeezo make nothing out of something that is otherwise hard work and not want to buy one.

It was hot, hot, HOT, but a fun day. Berry picking is the best kind of afternoon in the country–taking the time to do something productive, in the woods, in the peace, harvesting free food that Nature is just throwing in our faces at this time of year. Who needs air conditioning and TV? It’s BERRY TIME! Are you picking?





Comments

  1. Ag Adventure says:

    We had wild black raspberries ripe a few weeks ago. I managed to just barely save enough from myself to make a cobbler. I saw on my morning jog that the blackberries along the road are finally ripe and thought to myself that it was time to go pick them this evening! Now I’m gonna have to try out my food strainer too! Thanks for the inspiration!

  2. zshawn says:

    WV has the best blackberries! The only kind of seedless jam to eat! You are making my mouth water.

  3. kyriemykala says:

    I have a Squeezo and love it. We do our tomato’s to make juice and tomato paste. It is such a wonderful invention.

  4. joykenn says:

    OK, berries for jam/jelly, tomatoes for juice and tomato paste. What else can a Squeezo be used for?

  5. PK says:

    We have already picked over 150 pounds of blackberries on our property this year – a record for us. I have put up 106 jars of jelly and have lots in the freezer for cobbler. I was so excited to see your post about the Squeezo. My birthday just happens to be next week, so I showed your post to my husband and he has ordered me one!! Thank you!!

  6. Joell says:

    :happyflower:
    Nothing nicer than a gift of berries from Mother Nature, the jam will bring back memories of a summer day when spread on a nice biscuit on the coldest Winter day.

  7. Journey11 says:

    I bought a Roma brand food strainer after reading your post on applesauce about a year or so ago. I already knew I needed one to make canning less insanely labor intensive, but you gave me the push I needed. 😉 Best decision ever! I love that thing. I’m looking forward to doing up some seedless blackberry jam this week. I love not having to blanch and peel tomatoes too. :shimmy:

  8. starmartin says:

    Years ago I purchased what they called a Victoria Strainer. I love that thing!
    It looks exactly like your picture.
    It’s great doing applesauce.

    Enjoy your berries!!

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