Every couple of days I pick raspberries. It's a bumper crop and there are more to come. We eat them with yogurt for breakfast, with ice cream for dessert, and I've frozen eight containers for the winter. This week I made a Raspberry Shrub, a concentrate of berries, sugar, and apple cider vinegar. It's sweet and tart and very refreshing mixed with water or club soda.
Every time I pick berries I am reminded of several summers in my teenage years. My grandfather had a raspberry farm and my sister and I would come from our home in the interior to pick berries and earn a little money. One year my sister and I, maybe 15 and 14 years of age, picked berries for another farmer. We lived in a small abandoned house and took care of ourselves - cooking simple meals and spending the evenings reading or talking. On the weekends we went to our grandparents' home.
It was important to pick the bushes clean, not leaving any ripe berries behind. We picked the outside berries, then spread the canes apart and stepped into the rows to find all the hidden juicy berries. The scent of sun-warmed berries in my own canes takes me right back to those days.
For Canada Day on Saturday, we enjoyed dinner with friends. I brought the dessert, seen above, and I have to say, it was delicious. It's a combination of several recipes, and I plan to write down what I did so that I can reproduce it.
Two little summer nighties were stitched up this week. The little girls took a bath and put them on before going to their own home for the night. Cora's favourite colour is orange (subject to change at any moment), and I found this bright orange print for her nightgown. Iris was thrilled with the puffed sleeves. Her delight reminded me of Anne of Green Gables delight with the puffed sleeve dress Matthew gave to her. It's the little things!
A friend is anticipating the birth of her first grandchild and I made a stuffed elephant as a gift, along with some fun board books. The pattern is from Tilda. I so enjoy spending time in my sewing room, creating this and that.
On Sunday afternoon we went downtown and walked along the Inner Harbour. It's definitely tourist season as the path was quite busy, as were the restaurants. We enjoyed fish tacos at Fisherman's Wharf, deliciously prepared by a Mexican family. The water shimmered, the sun shone, and we watched the comings and goings on water and on shore. A lovely way to be a tourist in our home town.
The dessert you created looks so good. It looks almost like a Pavlova.
ReplyDeleteIris and Cora look so sweet in their cute nighties.
The stuffed elephant with her lovely overalls will be a much appreciated gift. You make very nice creations 👍👍
Granny M
Lorrie, your dessert deserves to be in a very high end cookery book, it looks beautiful!
ReplyDeleteCute picture. Dearest. so nice to see The kids are so pleased and happy with their new nightgowns.
ReplyDeleteThe puff sleeves are great, I like them too :-)))
The elephant with the cute trousers and the funny ears is absolutely wonderful, a great gift.
Well done... keep having fun in the sewing room, in the garden and with all the things you love.
Hug
The nighties are beautiful, matched by the sweeties in them! The dessert looks delicious and so pretty!
ReplyDeleteBeautiful week! Your sewing and baking skills shine brightly!
ReplyDeleteLeslie
Hostess of the Humble Bungalow
Growing, picking, eating strawberries is a wonderful process!
ReplyDeleteThe two girls are adorablle; so are their nighties made by you!
It's the little things! Oh, that is so so true. Of course, it is the little things made with lashings of love that make the real difference and bring the greatest joy.
ReplyDeleteYour Canada Day dessert looks amazing. Those sweet grandgirlies in their nighties...so precious. You are a talented lady. Happy July to you!
ReplyDeleteIt is the little things that make for a sweet life!
ReplyDeleteThose girls! They're just the cutest and I love their sweet nighties. Those smiles could melt chocolate! I've never had a shrub but it sounds very good. And my mouth is watering at your pavlova. Your story of the raspberry picking reminded me of childhood memories picking berries at my grandparents' farm. Unforgettable.
ReplyDeleteGlad you had a good Canada Day!
ReplyDeleteLovely memory, picking berries is a what summer is about.
Your granddaughters are so sweet...in the new summer nightgowns! I miss having raspberries in my garden (they were too old so had had to pull them out). I have been stopping by the raspberry farm nearby regularly as we love all things raspberry. Your dessert looks delicious! yes, please share the recipe. I also grew up picking raspberries every summer and then we grew them commercially for many years when we were first married. One would think I would have had my fill!
ReplyDeleteHello Lorrie, your lovely photos made me smile, your berry-picking memories made me remember picking lots of black currants when we were children... and all the things you had prepared made me dream I was as skilful as you are.
ReplyDeleteThe memories of you and your sister living by yourselves and spending evenings reading is like from an enchanting book, from the good old days.
The night gowns look great! The puffy sleeves are back in style.
ReplyDeleteThe cake looks great and so is your sewing. ( I try to be quick because each time my comment disappear)
ReplyDeleteLove, love, love this post.
ReplyDeleteThe girls look adorable in their nighties.
Your dessert is divine!
Hugs and blessings, Lorrie
I hadn't thought of making a Shrub with raspberries, yummmm! The pavlova looks amazing. We had quite a few raspberries this year, but they were tiny and hard to pick. Maybe next year! Love fish tacos. You are making me hungry.
ReplyDeleteStaying/working on a real raspberry farm!!! Goodness, that must have been heavenly.
ReplyDeleteThe pic of the sweet girlies in their nighties is so adorable - you are the best grandma Lorrie.
The photo of the smiley girls in their new nighties made by Nana is priceless! I love fish tacos and I hope you can let us know when you have the recipe for that cake down. 🤍Is is pavlova layered with whipped cream?
ReplyDelete