Strawberry Black Pepper Sorbet

Strawberry Sorbet | Photo: Kelly Hunt Maybe you still have some strawberries in your freezer because you went a little crazy buying them up at the market last year and maybe you did not eat them all up by the time the next strawberry season came in. It”s just a guess, but maybe you want to use up those berries so you can buy fresh berries before the season is over for this year. Okay, you caught me, it”s me! I bought way too many berries last year and I needed to justify buying some fresh ones, so I hauled these out of the freezer and make this lovely creature (look at that hue!). A bit sweet, a bit puckery” and a whole lot refreshing, all rolled into one fantastic strawberry sorbet. It is very hot today, actually it is very hot these past few days and this is the perfect treat for a little July cool down. Do not be afraid of the pepper (I actually think it could use some more) but the pepper taste is there –  so slight, you only taste it after two spoonfulls, it just lingers there on the tongue. Lovely. I doubled this recipe and it turned out just great. Of course it is probably even better with fresh strawberries which only have about one more week until they are gone. You can find them at Heemans, Trails End Market, Masonville Farmer”s Market, Western Fair Market, Covent Garden Farmer”s Market, O”Sheas Farm Market and many other places, but only for a short time. Spiced Strawberry Sorbet from Gourmet Magazine, August, 1995 full recipe found here For the sorbet: 2/3 cup sugar 2/3 cup water 3 tablespoons black peppercorns, crushed coarse 1 quart strawberries (preferably local), hulled 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, or to taste To make the spiced strawberry sorbet: In a saucepan combine sugar and water and bring to a boil, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Stir in peppercorns and remove pan from heat. Cover pan and let syrup stand 1 hour. Strain syrup through a fine sieve into a food processor or blender and discard peppercorns. Purée hulled strawberries with syrup until very smooth and force though sieve into a bowl, discarding seeds and other solids. Stir in vinegar and chill, covered, until cold. Freeze mixture in an ice-cream maker.  Read More

Black Raspberries at Heemans

Have you ever heard of a black raspberry? I have not, until this past weekend. After I hit Trails End Market, I stopped in at Heemans to see if they had strawberries available still and to my summer delight they did, but as a double and triple bonus they also had ripe raspberries and cherries! In case you are wondering, Heemans only grows the strawberries on site, but they also ship in a variety of berries from other parts of Ontario. Well, I was eyeing up the raspberries and noticed what I thought were blackberries stacked beside them. I inquired if they were indeed blackberries and the girl at the counter informed me that no, instead they were indeed Black Raspberries! I am sure you know what happened next – of course, I could not resist a new fruity treat and I bought a pint of them. I popped one of the little black lovelies into my mouth as soon as they were set in front of me and let out all sorts of “ommmms and yummmms” and even a “nosh noise”. You have to try them, trust me – they are so good! They are slightly smaller and much sweeter, it seems – no tartness. They also feel a little “tighter” than the red variety, like the berry goodness is more concentrated or something. Before I started to write this post,I thought I would look up these black raspberries to make sure they are ”legit” and to see if there is anything extra special about them and well… there is.. something really special. There are studies being conducted right now at the Ohio State Comprehensive Cancer Centre that suggest that the anthocyanins (a type of flavonoid) that are found particularly in black raspberries inhibited growth of esophageal carcinogens and stimulated apoptosis (cell death) in rats that were injected with an esophageal carcinogen (cancer causing). How cool is that?! As if we needed a reason to eat more raspberries,surely not – but it just goes to show you all of the secret benefits that are hiding right there in our food. I have been eating these on my granola and yogurt each morning, I am not sure what good they are doing me on the inside, but I know they put a smile on my face every time I open the fridge and see there are still some left! Heemans Greenhouse and Strawberry Farm http://www.heeman.ca/  Read More

Saturday Strawberry Pancakes

Even the rain cannot suck away my happy spirit today, for today is a good day! You see, this morning I got up and whipped some pancakes together and then topped them off with strawberries that I picked up last night at Heemans. The only thing that would have made me happier is if I rolled out of bed and someone else had made me the pancakes! Oh well, one thing at a time :,,) Just in case you have not seen them out yet, Ontario strawberries are definitely in right now – you need to get out there and get some! Right about now they are kind of small, which makes them sweet and delicious! I think most of the berries out there at the moment are the Veestra variety. The veestra is a small, sweet berry with the earliest ripening time. Keep in mind strawberry season is short – way too short, so you really should have them everyday until they are gone for good! Strawberries are low in calories (who cares!) and they are also packed full of fiber and vitamin C. My strawberries are from Heemans, but they also grow in the wild. In 1535 several thousand miles across the Atlantic Ocean, French explorer Jacques Cartier was noting “vast patches of strawberries” along the St. Lawrence River in Canada. Cartier was on a voyage to find gold, as well as chart territories unfamiliar to the French. - www.foodmuseum.com Go on all you “Locavore Cartiers”, get out and get your strawberries!  Read More

A Delicious End of Winter Treat

Dear Readers, This post will do nothing for you except make you drool. Or, it may achieve what I really would like it to do – and that is, inspire you to try out a little preserving next summer. Maybe some of you already do? Feel free to drop a little inspiration to myself and other readers in the comments. What you see (I wish there was smell-o-net) is the very last of my strawberry preserves, drizzled atop some vanilla ice cream. Delicious! I purchased the berries to make these preserves back in June at Heemans. I love this so much I will be making it again in June. Stay tuned until then for a super easy recipe! Hang in there and remember spring is on the 21st! xo  Read More

Heeman Greenhouse and Strawberry Farm

photo: Kelly Hunt There really should be a song about strawberries.. they make you get all riled up and flush with excitement. It may be their intense red colour, or maybe the hundreds of little freckly spots all over them, maybe it”s their enticing smell, or perhaps it is their overwhelming deliciousness! Whatever the case may be, local strawberries just make me want to scream and shout…”Hooray for June!” Corny? Yes, am I ashamed? Well no. I grew up in London – and as fellow Londoners reading this may already know, the best place to go for these delicious little bursts of strawberry joy is Heeman Greenhouse and Strawberry Farm. Heeman has been operating since 1963! That is before I was born – go Heeman! Heemans is located at 20422 Nissouri Road, Thorndale Ontario. Basically, you just drive all the way out Huron Street, past the airport until you cannot go any further,and make a right and the farm is about 30 seconds down the road on your left. If you are coming from Dundas,you take it all the way out toward Thamesford and make a left at Nissouri Rd and then it will be on your right. It should be noted that Heeman Greenhouses does not sell only strawberries, they also have all kinds of plants, trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals, and even starter vegetables available. Later on in the summer they get other kinds of local berries in as well. The staff are always super friendly and really helpful!For Additional Crop Information you can call their crop hotline for availability 519-461-0555. For Greenhouse information please call 519-461-1416. There is no surprise here, that I bought a flat of strawberries this afternoon and have almost used them up in a matter of 6 hours. I have made 3 strawberry pies for a father”s day fiesta tomorrow and had the remainder as strawberry syrup drizzled over some ice cream as an afternoon snack. I do have 2 pints left over for pure, no nonsense, straight up strawberry inhaling over the next 2 days, oh… ok…who is kidding who – they”ll all be gone by midnight! Visit Heemans this weekend, stock up, you will not be disappointed.  Read More