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It has been a topsy-turvy season for the berry crop in Utah.
A February frost killed one-third to one-half of the raspberry canes in some parts of the state, leaving a smaller supply of the juicy, red summer fruit.
But berry-lovers might not notice the shortage until later this fall thanks to the run of triple-digit temperatures in June and July. The heat forced the second, or "fall," crop of berries, which usually peak in mid-to late August, to ripen several weeks ahead of schedule.
That makes August an ideal time for Utahns to make and enjoy fresh berry ice cream, desserts and smoothies.
While the extent of the damage to the first crop of "summer" berries varies around the state, "the Bear Lake folks were hit pretty hard," said Brent Black, the fruit specialist for Utah State University (USU) Extension Services.
Homeowners and smaller farms, which may have been able to protect their plants, are likely to have plenty of raspberries, but fruit coming from open, commercial fields is limited, he said.
"There are still some berries around," said Black. "But they are really not as plentiful this year, unfortunately."
With a smaller supply of Bear Lake raspberries, consumers can expect to pay a little more for the locally-grown fruit, said Black. Depending on the grower, a 6-ounce plastic shell might cost between $2.50 and $3.50.
The 2007 freeze hit the Bear Lake farmers just five years after a virus wiped out Rich County's most famous crop. Many farmers in Laketown and surrounding cities were forced out of business, while others plowed their fields and replanted.
"Everyone is a little disappointed," said Thayne Tagge, who regularly visits to Lake�town to buy the famous raspberries for his roadside stands in Salt Lake County. On a recent weekday morning when he probably would have been transporting 145 flats of berries, he could only get 45.
"I just walked through the fields and there isn't a lot left. Bear Lake raspberries will be hard to get this year."
The frost also killed some of the raspberries in Cache Valley.
"It's not a good year for raspberries," said Jarrod Weeks, of Weeks Berries of Paradise. "We're down at least half from last year."
While the canes haven't produced as many berries this year, the fruit that did survive are slightly bigger and juicier than they might have been otherwise, Weeks said.
The bright side of Utah's berry crop are the fall berries, which are coming on early. The peak of the fall berries is usually mid-to late August but many are ready now.
"The fall crop is not affected by harsh winters, so we have a good crop coming," said Black, with USU Extension.
Market growers can expect to see raspberries and blackberries from around the state. Weeks Berries of Paradise also has a good crop of red, white and black currants.
Craig Preece, who grows organic blackberries near his Bountiful home, said his berries have come on a little earlier this year.
"But the biggest problem is the heat," he said. "A lot of the plants have not produced like they have in the past."
Preece began selling the ripe fruit during the last part of July to neighbors and people who see his sign along 3100 South. He expects to have berries for another three to four weeks.
So get them before September, when they likely will be gone.
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* KATHY STEPHENSON can be contacted at kathys@sltrib .com or 801-257-8612. Send comments about this story to livingeditor@sltrib.com.
* BUYING: Look for firm, plump berries with deep color. Avoid mashed or overripe fruit, which might be moldy. Purchase extra fruit in-season and freeze for later use.
* STORING: Store unwashed berries in the refrigerator for up to three days. Place them in a shallow container on a paper towel to absorb moisture. Leave uncovered. Rinse just before using.
* WASHING: Place berries in a colander over the sink and spray them with cold water. Gently shake the basket to remove excess water.
* FREEZING: Place washed berries in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with a paper towel. Gently pat dry with a second paper towel. Place baking sheet in freezer until fruit is solid. Transfer fruit to a self-sealing plastic bag. Berries will keep in freezer for up to one year.
* USING: Add to salads; use as a filling for pies and cobblers; add to sauces for poultry and meats; purée and serve over ice cream or cakes; make jam.
Currant sorbet
4 cups fresh red, white or black currants, rinsed and drained (or frozen currents thawed with juice)
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
Put currants and orange juice in a food processor and purée. Strain, pushing fruit through a fine-mesh strainer with the back of a spatula or wooden spoon. Stir in sugar and freeze in an ice cream maker according to package directions or follow "still-freeze" method below.
To still-freeze, pour sorbet mixture into an 8-inch-square pan or small metal bowl. Place in the freezer. Every 40 to 50 minutes, scrape around edges of pan to release frozen particles. Stir into purée. Continue the process until it forms a firm slush. Pour mixture into a plastic container, cover tightly and freeze.
If the sorbet has been frozen overnight, let stand at room temperature for about 25 minutes before serving.
Makes about 6 servings.
Source: The Berry Bible
Tuscan-style white bean, tuna and currant salad
Dressing:
5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Kosher or sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Salad:
1 (15-ounce) can small white beans
1 (6-ounce) can Italian tuna packed in olive oil
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
1/3 cup red or white currants
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 small head radicchio, shredded
For dressing, whisk together lemon juice, vinegar and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
For salad, drain beans and rinse in a colander until the water runs clear. Shake colander to remove as much water as possible. Transfer beans to a mixing bowl. Drain tuna; break apart and add to beans. Stir in dressing, red onion, currants and parsley.
Line a bowl or platter with shredded radicchio. Mound salad on top and serve at room temperature.
Makes 6 servings.
Source: http://www.calraisins.org
Boysenberry honey
Any berry will work for this recipe, which makes a great gift when put in a decorative jar.
2 cups mild-flavored honey, such as clover
2 cups fresh boysenberries, rinsed and drained, or frozen boysenberries, thawed with juice
2 (8-ounce) jars with lids, sterilized
Put honey and berries in a small saucepan and mash berries with the back of a spoon. Heat just to boiling. Immediately remove from heat and pour through a fine-mesh strainer into jars. Wipe jars clean and cover. Honey will keep for 1 year at room temperature. Make 2 cups.
Source: The Berry Bible
Watermelon, raspberry and mint salad
4 cups watermelon, seeded and cubed
1/3 cup minced fresh mint, plus 4 springs for garnish
3 cups fresh raspberries
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons lime juice
Divide watermelon cubes among 4 salad bowls. Sprinkle with most of the minced mint. Top with equal amounts of raspberries. Sprinkle with remaining minced mint.
In a small bowl, combine honey and lime juice. Drizzle a little over each salad. Garnish with a sprig of mint.
Makes 4 servings.
Source: Williams-Sonoma Starters: New Healthy Kitchen
Grilled pork tenderloin with berries
1 cup red wine vinegar
1 cup red wine
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
1 (2-inch) piece cinnamon stick, broken
Kosher or sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 cups fresh or frozen blackberries or raspberries
2 (12-ounce) pork tenderloins, trimmed
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 large firm ripe nectarines or mangoes, pitted and halved (or fresh pineapples peeled and cut into spears)
In a medium saucepan over high heat, combine vinegar, wine, sugar, 1 tablespoon olive oil, lemon zest, cinnamon stick, 1 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and berries. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and cool. Store, covered in the refrigerator if not using immediately.
Place pork in cooled berry mixture and marinate, covered in the refrigerator, 2 to 4 hours. Remove pork from marinade. Reserve marinade for sauce.
In a saucepan, combine 2 cups of reserved marinade with broth. Bring to a boil and reduce by half or to a light sauce consistency. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer and discard solids. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Keep warm.
Brush pork and fruit pieces with remaining olive oil. Season pork to taste with salt and pepper. Grill or broil pork and fruit until just done. Pork should be slightly pink in the center and juicy. Fruit should retain its shape.
Spoon sauce onto warm plates. Slice pork against the grain and arrange on top of sauce. Slice and arrange fruit around meat. Serve immediately.
Makes 4 servings.
Source: From the Earth to the Table, by John Ash's Wine Country Cuisine
Bella, a blackberry martini
1 lemon quarter
Superfine sugar
1/4 cup vodka
1/4 ounce triple sec
1/4 ounce fresh lemon juice
1/4 ounce simple syrup*
1/4 ounce blackberry, raspberry or strawberry purée, seeded
Rub cut lemon around the rim of an 9-ounce martini glass. moistening a 1-inch-wide band. Sprinkle sugar on a small plate and dip glass into sugar to coat the rim. Chill glass until serving time.
To serve, fill a martini shaker with ice. Add vodka, triple sec, lemon juice, simple syrup and blackberry purée. Shake robustly for 10 seconds and strain into chilled glass. Serve immediately.
Makes 1 drink.
*To make a simple syrup, heat 2 cups sugar and 2 cups water in a saucepan. Cover and simmer 2 minutes until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat. When syrup is cool pour into a glass jar with a lid. Will keep in the refrigerator up to 6 months.
Source: The Berry Bible
Peach and blackberry shortcakes
with blackberry cream
Shortcakes:
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
8 tablespoons sugar, divided
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
10 tablespoons (1 1/4 sticks) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 -inch cubes
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk
1 tablespoon whipping cream
Filling:
2 pounds ripe peaches, peeled, pitted and sliced
2 (6-ounce) containers blackberries
1/3 cup sugar
Pinch of fine sea salt
Blackberry cream:
2 (6-ounce) containers blackberries
3/4 cup sugar
1 3/4 cups chilled whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For shortcakes, position rack in center of oven and preheat to 400 degrees. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, 7 tablespoons sugar, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Add butter and rub in with fingertips until mixture resembles coarse meal. Gradually add buttermilk, tossing with fork until moist clumps form. (For the most tender shortcakes, don't overwork the dough. Once you add the liquid, stir until just blended.)
Gather dough together; flatten dough on floured work surface to 3/4 - to 1-inch-thick round. Using floured 3-inch round biscuit cutter or cookie cutter, cut out rounds. Gather dough scraps and flatten on work surface to 3/4 - to 1-inch thickness; cut out additional rounds for a total of 6. Transfer shortcakes to prepared baking sheet.
In a small bowl, whisk together cream and remaining 1 tablespoon sugar. Brush cream mixture over tops of shortcakes.
Bake until tops begin to brown and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and transfer to a rack to cool. (Shortcakes can be made 6 hours in advance.) Rewarm in 350-degree oven 5 minutes before assembling.
For filling, in a medium bowl, toss peaches, blackberries, sugar and salt; let stand while preparing blackberry cream.
For blackberry cream, rinse blackberries; moisture will enhance purée. Place in a food processor or blender. Add sugar and purée until smooth. Strain mixture through a fine-mesh sieve set over bowl, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard solids.
Using an electric mixer, in a large bowl, beat cream and vanilla until peaks form. Fold 3/4 cup blackberry purée into whipped cream until incorporated. Reserve remaining blackberry purée for sauce.
To serve, cut shortcakes horizontally in half. Place the bottom half of each shortcake on a plate. Spoon filling over each. Cover with a generous amount of blackberry cream. Drizzle each with reserved blackberry purée. Cover with top halves of shortcakes and serve.
Makes 6 servings.
Source: Bon Appétit, July 2006