Hello, berry season

It seems to rush upon us every year ... berry season. After a rather chilly spring and wet past few weeks, there are berries galore in the area. Honeyberries came first at Farm LoLa in Wrenshall and now the strawberries are going at places like Spectrum Farm in Carlton.

Raspberries and blueberries are coming in what is expected to be a bumper crop compared to those during last year's drought.

We received some recipes to try from Spectrum and LoLa. If you have one you'd like to share, send it along to [email protected] with or without a photo.

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Local berry farms

Here is a listing of berry places in Carlton County. Call to see what is in season. And don't forget about farmers markets and places where you can get berries and vegetables as well. If you have a favorite you-pick site we should mention, send the information along at news@

PineKnotNews.com.

Leaning Barn Farm

218-349-7696

176 Thomson Road

Esko

Blackbirds & Blueberries

3601 Crosby Road

Cloquet

218-879-8193

Spectrum Farm

Strawberries

2332 County Road 4

Carlton

218-389-6265

Farm LoLa

852 Cemetery Road

Wrenshall

218-203-5995

Sweet Land Farm

264 Prevost Road

Cloquet

218-260-9448

Chub Lake Blueberries

2001 Kiehl Road

Carlton

218-384-4577

Uff-da Organics

2583 County Road 102

Wrenshall

218-724-3304

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Fresh Berry Cream Pie

Lucie Amundsen of Farm LoLa added honeyberries from her farm in Wrenshall to this berry recipe from Land o' Lakes.

Crust

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup cold butter, cut into chunks

2 to 3 tablespoons cold water

FILLING

3 (6-ounce) packages fresh honeyberries

1 (6-ounce) package fresh raspberries

2/3 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

2 tablespoons cornstarch

Topping

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1/3 cup sour cream

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

How to make

1.Heat oven to 475°F.

2.Combine flour and salt in bowl; cut in butter with pastry blender or fork until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Stir in enough water with fork just until flour is moistened. Shape dough into a ball; flatten slightly.

3.Roll out dough on lightly floured surface into 12-inch circle. Fold into quarters; place into ungreased 9-inch glass pie plate. Unfold dough, pressing firmly against bottom and sides. Trim crust to 1/2 inch from edge of pan. Crimp or flute edge. Prick crust all over with fork. Bake 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool completely.

4.Place berries, sugar and water in bowl; mix lightly. Let stand 20 minutes.

5.Strain berry mixture; add water, if necessary, to make 1 1/4 cups juice. Combine juice mixture and cornstarch in medium saucepan; mix well. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, 4-6 minutes or until mixture boils. Cool 10 minutes.

6.Spoon berry mixture into pie shell; pour cornstarch mixture over berries. Cover; refrigerate 4 hours or until set.

7.Beat whipping cream and powdered sugar in chilled bowl until soft peaks form. Add sour cream and vanilla. Beat until stiff peaks form.

8.Cut pie into wedges; dollop with topping. Garnish with additional berries, if desired.

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Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

Strawberry farmers Steve Schulstrom and Rita Vavrosky shared this recipe involving strawberries. They run Spectrum Farm in Carlton.

Crust

1 cup cold butter, cut into ½" cubes

2 ¼ cups flour

½ cup water

2 teaspoons cider vinegar

½ teaspoon salt

Cut butter into flour.

Mix water, vinegar, and salt together.

Pour slowly into a bowl while mixing.

When the dough comes together into a ball, turn it onto the counter and

press into 2 discs. Refrigerate at least

1 hour or up to three days.

Filling

3 cups strawberries 1 cup sugar, 1/4 cup corn starch

3 cups rhubarb pieces, 1 teaspoon vanilla, ¾ teaspoon cinnamon

Cook until bubbly.

Put it together

Roll crust to fit pie pan. Fill with filling. To make lattice crust, roll out second crust to a 10-inch circle.

Cut into ½" strips (use a scalloped edge pastry cutter for a prettier crust). Moisten the rim of

the filled bottom crust with a bit of water, and lay the two longest strips in a cross in the

middle of the pie. Working from the next longest down to the shortest strips, alternate

horizontal and vertical strips, weaving the strips as you go. Tuck the lattice strips under the

bottom crust edge to seal. Add a cute motif cut from the scraps of dough. Beat an egg with 1

teaspoon of water in a small bowl, and brush the entire lattice top with the beaten egg white.

Sprinkle with turbinado sugar. Wrap aluminum foil strips around the edges of the pie. Bake at

375 degrees for 45 minutes.