Sweet Local Honey on a Hot Day

We recently spent a few hours one Saturday morning touring a local farm and learning how honey is made.  While I believe that like any sweetener, you should use honey in moderation, there are some health benefits to using raw honey. 

 

 

We came home with a few jars.  I serve it over homemade yogurt and in my no-bake granola bars.  It is also wonderful to use as a facial cleanser!

 



The farm was so beautiful and quiet.

 

 

She was getting a little tired of posing at this point . . . .

 

What a wonderful way to spend a few hours learning about and enjoying the beauty of local real food!

 

 

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Homemade Fruit Roll-ups

I was recently told by a parent of little ones that their kids love fruit roll-ups.  They often have a few a day because they consider them to be "healthy," unlike chips, cookies or candy.  I even think I saw them on the preschool "healthy snack list." Have you ever had the opportunity to look at the ingredients of fruit roll-ups?  You know the ones with the {ick} tongue tattoos? Check this out:

Strawberry Ingredients: Pears From Concentrate, Corn Syrup, Dried Corn Syrup, Sugar, Partially Hydrogenated Cottonseed Oil, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Acetylated Mono And Diglycerides, Pectin, Malic Acid, Natural Flavor, Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid), Color (Red 40, Yellows 5 % 6, Blue 1). Berry Berry Cool Ingredients: Pears From Concentrate, Corn Syrup, Dried Corn Syrup, Sugar, Partially Hydrogenated Cottonseed Oil, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Acetylated Mono And Diglycerides, Pectin, Malic Acid, Vitamin C (Ascorbic Acid), Natural And Artificial Flavor, Color (Red 40, Yellow 5, Blue 1).

As a disclaimer, I did not buy a box to find the ingredients. They were listed on the Wal-Mart website.  The funny thing is, homemade fruit roll-ups are so incredibly easy to make as a treat for your family.  They stay fresh a long time in an air-tight container.  They typically don't last too long in my house so that isn't an issue around here.

On a recent trip to a local farm, we picked quite a few strawberries. You can make fruit roll-ups with almost any type of fruit.   I washed and removed the stems of approximately 2 pounds of berries. Add them to your blender, food processor, or my personal favorite, a Vitamix.  I added about 3 teaspoons of homemade vanilla.  I think it sweetens the fruit leather up a bit without having to add sugar.  If you are using bottled vanilla, make sure it is pure vanilla extract.  Never use imitation vanilla. 

Smooth a thinnish layer of the puree on your dehydrator sheet making sure to use the non-stick dehydrator sheets or the plastic fruit leather sheets that come with your dehydrator .  You can also use parchment paper.

 If drying in your oven, put parchment paper on a cookie sheet or bar pan. Bake at your oven's lowest temperature, typically 170 degrees for 4 + hours (sometimes up to 12 hours).  You know when it is done if you can peel it off the parchment paper in one piece and it is no longer sticky.  The length of baking time will depend on how thick the puree is and your oven's temperature. Check it every so often.

I set the dehydrator temperature to 135 degrees to dry for about 4-6 hours.  Check on it after 4 hours.  Again, the time will depend on how thin your puree spread is.

When the leather is done, peel it off and place it on two sheets of plastic wrap, placed side by side.  If you are using parchment paper, you can probably just leave it on there, roll it, and cut it.

Roll up your leather, cut off excess plastic wrap, and cut into individual pieces.

Could it get any easier??  If my kids want these healthy treats every day, I think I will let them!

Enjoy!

What are you doing with your local strawberries this season?  Feel free to leave your recipes and strawberry links in the comments!

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This post is linked to GNOWFGLINS Strawberries: Seasonal Recipe Round-up and Life As Mom's Make the Most of Summer Produce Ulitmate Recipe Swap!

Our Summer of Fun List

Well, summer is finally here in our neck of the woods.  And there truly is no place like home.  We are so happy to be done with school and have lots of time to spend at home. But, we do have many things we would love to do this summer.  We may not be taking a true vacation this year, but there are plenty of things we can to close to home.  This is our summer of fun list:

Lots of time at the library, vacation bible school, summer recreation program and the pool . . .

A trip to our favorite amusement park . . . Idlewild

Many trips to the local farmers' markets

Fishing with Poppy

A trip to the Springhouse

A trip to Round Hill Farm

A few date nights at home and in the city we love.  And yes, sometimes date nights include a baby :)

Plenty of canning, dehydrating and freezing all the goodness of our local fruits and vegetables.

My big girls would like to learn to cross-stitch, so I may try to learn with them.

I also have a few things I would like to accomplish around the house including sorting and donating clothing, streamlining my kitchen and pantry, and organizing our favorite family recipes.

I would like to create some new goodies in my kitchen including homemade pasta and mozzarella cheese.  My kids would love to try homemade soft pretzels.  I am also considering taking the Cultured Dairy e-course at GNOWFGLINS.

But most of all, we want to spend a lot of time resting, finding a few bugs, and discovering a fairy house or two!

What are your plans for summer?

Sweet Summer Strawberries

This weekend, we drove to Triple B Farms to pick strawberries.  If you live in Southwestern Pennsylvania, it is well worth the trip.  They have a strawberry festival, a raspberry festival, and an awesome fall festival along with u-pick fruits, a playground, animals, and an amazing country market.  While this is the end of the strawberry season, we worked hard and managed to pick enough strawberries to make lots of goodies.

For a little under $35, this is what we picked:

And this is what we made:

Strawberry jam, strawberry vanilla fruit roll-ups, strawberry vanilla syrup, dehydrated strawberries, and lots of frozen strawberries for smoothies.   They taste particularly wonderful in the middle of January!

To dehydrate strawberries, I wash and slice them.

 I pop them in the dehydrator for 4-6 hours at 135 degrees.  These are great for snacking, in trail mix, over cereal and oatmeal, and in granola bars.

 

In the coming days, I will post about how to make super simple jam, fruit leather and strawberry syrup!

Have you ever picked your own fruits? What have you created in your kitchen with them?  Please feel free to share your recipes and links!

A Bountiful Summer : Zucchini Casserole

Here is a quick six ingredient recipe using the bountiful vegetables from your garden, local farmers market or CSA box. This recipe freezes and reheats well. It is always a big hit at parties and picnics.

HEATHER'S ZUCCHINI CASSEROLE

• 2 to 3 large zucchini, peeled and sliced
• 2 to 3 large tomatoes, sliced
• 1 to 2 large onions, sliced
• 1 to 2 cups shredded cheddar
• 1/4 to 1/3 cup bread crumbs
• 1/2 to 1 stick butter, cut into squares

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Place layer of zucchini on bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Add a layer of tomatoes and onions followed by 1/2 of the amount of cheese. Repeat.

Top with bread crumbs and butter. Cover and bake for about an hour. Remove cover and bake until brown and bubbly.

Enjoy!

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This post is linked to Kelly the Kitchen Kop’s Real Food Wednesday blog carnival, Life As Mom's Make The Most of Summer Produce Ultimate Recipe Swap, Heavenly Homemaker's Homemaking Hints, Little House on the Prairie Living's Old Fashioned Recipe Exchange, This Chick Cooks Whole Foods Wednesday, and GNOWFGLINS Squash and Zucchini Seasonal Recipe Round-up.