It's berry season! You know what that means, right? Summer is here!
Last week was the summer solstice, the longest day of the year. We celebrated at Sprouting Farms with several other farmers and local-foods friends and family. Everyone brought a dish, and we enjoyed the rays of the sun, warm weather and company for the evening.
But the tell-tale sign summer has arrived is when berry season is in full swing. And here at Gaea Farm, the berries are plentiful. We had strawberries daily from mid-April and into June. Now we have blueberries and varieties of raspberries (black and red) with golden kiwi raspberries to come in the late summer.
My boys spend many morning and afternoons picking their meals and snacks straight off the canes and bushes. Sometimes they bring enough back to the house to make into summer treats. Some of our favorite ways to enjoy berries are the simplest - with yogurt and granola, mixed into some homemade ice cream, on top of pancakes or straight out of the basket.
This week we had a surplus of blackberries, so we turned them into muffins, a Danish with some homemade cream cheese and the house favorite Blackberry BBQ Sauce. It was enjoyed on chicken and pulled pork for many meals.
I'm going to share three simple recipes so you can deliver this blackberry barbecue sauce and pulled pork to your family this week.
First up, you need ketchup to make BBQ sauce. I'm not a fan of purchasing simple condiments, so we make ketchup every few months (more frequently in the summer for grilling season). Don't run and hide just yet! I promise it's super simple. I've tried a few recipes over the years, and this is our favorite so far.
To learn more about essential oils, aromatherapy, real food preparation, and holistic wellness follow April on Facebook. April Koenig is a registered nurse specializing in integrative healing modalities including clinical aromatherapy, reiki, stress management and nutrition and health coaching. She offers workshops and classes, as well as individualized services for those interested in holistically managing their health. She also maintains a blog at www.holisticheartrn.com and can be reached at nurseapril@holisticheartrn.com.
12 ounces tomato paste
1 ¼ cups water
½ cup vinegar (I prefer Apple Cider Vinegar for the health benefits, but my boys don't care for its tanginess. And since they are the primary ketchup consumers in this house, they get distilled white vinegar.)
½ cup brown sugar (I don't keep a large variety of sugars in the house, so when we need brown sugar, I just add 1 tablespoon molasses to my organic cane sugar and mix with a fork.)
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon allspice
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Combine all ingredients in a bowl and stir until well blended.
Transfer to a quart jar and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before use. This allows the flavors to combine well.
2 cup fresh blackberries
1 cup chicken stock (remember the bone broth recipe I shared last year? Here's another way to use it.)
½ cup homemade ketchup
¼ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar
2 teaspoon chili powder
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon dried mustard powder
1 pinch salt
2 drops lemon vitality essential oil from Young Living (You can juice ½ of a lemon if you have it handy, but consider using essential oils for cooking. You not only get the flavor with less acidity than juice, but you'll also receive the therapeutic benefits of the essential oil. For lemon essential oil that's immune support and gentle cleansing.)
Bring berries and chicken stock to a boil over high heat in a medium pan, then simmer until berries start to break down (6-7 minutes).
Mash berries well in the pan and let cool slightly.
Use an immersion blender or tabletop blender to blend well.
Press the mixture through a mesh strainer to remove seeds.
Return sauce to pot and bring to simmer over medium heat.
Add remaining ingredients except lemon vitality essential oil and simmer until sauce is really thick and coats back of spoon.
Season with salt as needed.
Swirl in your lemon vitality essential oil and brush sauce on chicken while grilling or add to shredded BBQ.
pork butt, shoulder or picnic roast
Place in slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours.
Shred once it is cooked through and then serve with blackberry BBQ sauce. Pork in the slow cooker stays tender and juicy and doesn't need any seasoning to be delicious. The BBQ sauce puts it over the top.
Enjoy.