Things To Do in NH This Weekend
A lot of things happening this weekend and the snow doesn’t start until Saturday night so get out there and have fun! Seacoast Eat Local farmers’ market takes place Saturday at Wentworth Greenhouse in Rollinsford, NH from 10 until 2. Lots of great farms and food plus it’s CSA day. For more information about CSAs, check out Seacoast Eat Local’s website.
If you’re already in Rollinsford, head over to downtown Dover to support some great local shops. Just the Thing at 451 Central Avenue is having some great sales and check out the photo below of the cool architectural greenhouse. Start your seeds in something stylish!
If you’re closer to Concord, visit the Winter Farmer’s Market at Cole Gardens at 430 Loudon Rd in Concord starting at 10am. They have over 32 vendors selling vegetables, baked goods, chocolate and maple syrup…yum.
NH kids are starting vacation this week so head over to NH Fish and Game and print off the pocket guide to animal tracks. Then head outside for something fun to do in the snow! Have a great weekend!
Warm Apple Pie
I recently took a day trip to the King Arthur Flour company located in Norwich, Vermont. Their beautiful building is located just over the Connecticut River from Hanover, NH and boasts a state-of-the-art cooking school, an amazing bakery and store. The day I visited, I lucked out and was able to snag the last seat in the Winter Pies and Tarts class which was a four hour class on making the perfect pie crust and an elegant chocolate tart. I learned a few tips and tricks to help make my pie crusts flakier and walked out with a 9 inch apple pie and chocolate tart. Dinner for us that night was warm apple pie followed by a slice of chocolate tart!
I managed to take time to snap a picture of the pie before it disappeared! By the way, the yummy pie is sitting on top of one of Matt Mead’s lovely European style table runners. My mom, sister and I attended Matt’s Holiday Open House in Concord and purchased some beautiful items from his personal collection as well as the table runner. Stop by his blog for inspiration, great recipes, and to pre-order his new book, Recycled Style. Shop local when you can!
King Arthur Apple Pie
Ingredients:
5 firm medium apples
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon(King Arthur used a Vietnamese Cinnamon)
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt
Pastry for one 9-inch double crust pie
Directions:
Peel, core and slice apples and place them in a medium bowl.
Sprinkle the sugars, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt over the apples and toss lightly until the apples are completely coated.
Roll out half the pastry dough and place in a 9-inch pie plate.
Spoon filling into pastry shell
Roll out the remaining dough and place it over the apples. Seal and crimp the crust and vent the top of the pie.
Bake the pie in a pre-heated 375 degree oven, until it is golden brown and bubbly, about an hour.
Pie Pastry Recipe
2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, chilled and divided in half
1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water
Directions:
Combine flour and salt in a mixing bowl
Cut in half the chilled butter using a pastry blender or your fingers. For a tender result, the fat particles should be worked in quickly and remain about the size of currants.
Cut in the remaining butter, this time leaving larger shards, about the size of dried cranberries
Sprinkle about three tablespoons of the ice water over the flour/fat mixture and mix just until the dough begins to mass. You may need to add the additional tablespoon of ice water for this to occur
Remove the dough mass to a work surface, divide into two equal portions and press into flattened rounds about six inches in diameter. Wrap each in plastic wrap and chill for at least 1/2 hour.
Tips:
Try a 50/50 ratio of all-purpose flour and pastry flour for a softer crust
Roll dough from center out and use the plastic wrap on top of dough so it will not stick to the roller
To add sweetness to the dough, add 4 tablespoons of confectioner’s sugar to dry ingredients and 1 teaspoon of vanilla with the water
Happy New Year
I hope the first few weeks of 2013 have been healthy and happy for everyone. We have been busy at the farm clearing brush, pruning out the old blackberry canes and planning events for the upcoming year. First on the list will be some upcoming cooking classes which we hope to announce soon for the months of February and March. In addition, we are excited to announce a blueberry pruning workshop to be held on April 13 at 10am at the farm. Please check our home page of the website for further information about these events.
Knowing that most everyone has probably made the resolution to eat healthier for the new year, I have included a recipe for a hearty salad that includes…what else?…blueberries! Enjoy
Fresh Blueberry Kiwi Salad
4 cups mixed greens
½ cup to 1 cup fresh blueberries
3 kiwis, peeled and chopped in bite size pieces
¼ cup crumbled blue cheese or goat cheese
Combine greens, blueberries, kiwi and tomatoes. Sprinkle with cheese. Add cut up roasted chicken for a heartier meal and top with blueberry balsamic dressing.
Blueberry Balsamic Dressing
1 1/2 cups blueberries
3 Tbl. sugar
1/4 cup good balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon water
1/3 cup walnut oil
Combine all ingredients in sauce pan and cook over medium heat on stove until blueberries have cooked down. Let mixture cool and process to a smooth consistency in blender or magic bullet. Mix with good quality walnut oil.
In the photo below, I used a combination of romaine and kale for the greens and blue cheese for the topping. We made this salad in the Easy Summer Entertaining Cooking Class and used goat cheese from a local farm…yummy.
Happy Holidays!
Santa’s elves are working overtime at the farm this week baking, decorating and pruning blueberry bushes (ugh!) Join us Saturday, December 1 from 9 to 4 for a day of shopping at our farmhouse and also in the town of Strafford for artisan wares at Christmas in Strafford. Below are a few photos of the items for sale on Saturday and check out this easy easy recipe at the end of the post for a quick holiday treat using fresh local honey and goat cheese.
Fresh Figs With Goat Cheese and Honey
Fresh Figs
Goat Cheese
Honey
Pre-heat broiler. Halve the figs and place on cookie sheet. Place a small dollop of goat cheese on each fig and drizzle with honey. Place in oven and broil for 2 to 3 minutes or until the cheese starts to melt…yummy!
Good News!
We are happy to announce that Berrybogg Farm will hold a Holiday Open House at the farm on December 1 from 9am to 4pm. The Farmhouse will be decorated for the holidays and filled to the brim with jams, honey and delicious baked goods. Sip hot mulled cider while shopping for charming gifts of antiques, handcrafted quilts, holiday decorations and scrumptious gift baskets. In addition, we will have gift certificates for purchase to use towards the 2013 Blueberry Season.
During this same weekend, the town of Strafford will be holding their 23rd Annual Christmas in Strafford Craft Fair with over 20 homes of artisans open for holiday shopping. Visit christmasinstraffordnh.com for maps and more information.
We also wanted to add that our ship’s bell was returned to the farm last week in good condition. Thanks to everyone who spread the word and hung up posters for us.
For Whom the Bell Tolls
****UPDATE**** The bell was mysteriously returned this week to the farm and is in good condition. Thanks to everyone who spread the word, hung up flyers and sent good thoughts our way!
Apparently, not for us anymore. Between October 1 and October 5, someone went up into our blueberry field and stole our ship’s bell. The bell was a gift from my grandfather 40 years ago and my parents first mounted it outside the farmhouse to ring the bell to gather the kids for dinner time. Years later, they installed it up in the field to ring when the day was done or a thunderstorm was approaching. Many pictures have been taken in front of the bell with families and friends showing off the pounds of blueberries just picked. Nothing else was taken…just the bell…post and all! I have contacted salvage yards, pawn shops and antique stores in hopes that it might turn up. We are offering a $500 reward for information leading to the recovery of the bell. Keep your fingers crossed and spread the word!
Jam It!
In yesterday’s post I mentioned that we now had time to visit some other farms for fresh fruit and produce. One of the best farms around our area for fruit throughout the growing season is Butternut Farm in Farmington, NH which my husband and I recently visited for some awesome peaches and early apples. We definitely have “farm envy” when we visit the lovely farm owned by Giff and Mae Burnap. Lots of peach trees loaded with fruit greeted us the day we picked.
We hauled our bounty home and I created a new jam recipe with the peaches and blueberries (of course)!
Ginger Peachy Blueberry Jam
4 Cups Chopped Peaches
4 Cups Blueberries (frozen is ok)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup water
5 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon ginger (or 2 if you love ginger)
1 package of powdered pectin for jams and jellies
Peel and remove pits of peaches. Chop peaches. Sort and wash blueberries or thaw frozen blueberries. Measure fruits into a kettle; add lemon juice and water; add pectin. Bring mixture to a rolling boil and add sugar. Return mixture to a rolling boil and continue stirring for 1 minute. Remove from heat and skim any foam off top.
Fill hot jam immediately into hot, sterile jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace. Wipe rims of jars with a damp cloth; add canning lids. Process in a boiling water canner for 10 minutes. Enjoy!
It’s not too late to get some great late season peaches at Butternut or the farmer’s markets. Check out Seacoast Eat Local for a list of area farms and farmer’s markets and preserve your bounty with some easy to make jam. Have fun!
Gone But Not Forgotten
We have wrapped up another season of blueberry and blackberry picking at Berrybogg Farm which was an early one this year. The crop was almost two weeks earlier opening than in years past and the hot summer weather brought the fruit to ripeness fast and furious. Hopefully you were able to get all the blueberries and blackberries you needed this year for freezing and preserving. The cooking classes were a big success and we decided to continue with some fall classes so check out our website soon for a list of future classes.
The only good thing about closing early is enjoying the last few weeks of summer and having time to visit some other farms. My next post will be a tasty recipe using some great peaches I picked at a local farm and blueberries of course! Until then, enjoy some pictures of this year’s season.
This young gentleman brought his parents on the 4th of July for a fun afternoon of picking his first blueberries. He also picked some mighty fine rocks!
This photo is of our friend Carolyn’s new puppy…he’s adorable and he likes to pick blueberries!
The men of Berrybogg Farm! So cute!
A lovely brunch!
Fabulous Blueberry Rhubarb Galette taught at the brunch class by Chef Beverly
Chef Beverly at the end of a great cooking class!
Farm to Table Fun
The beginning of blueberry season is days away and with the new season comes the addition of cooking classes at Berrybogg Farm. Beverly Nemitz, local chef and food writer will be teaching a Summer Brunch class and a Fruits of the Season class. Randy Brisson, owner of the local catering firm Dining By Design will be teaching a From Farm to Table class which will focus on local foods. Farm owners, Anne Lake and Julie Butterfield will be teaching a Pies and Muffins class and Outdoor Summer Entertaining class. We will be updating our website soon with more information on the classes (dates and prices) with all classes limited to 10 people so everyone will be comfortable watching (and eating!) in the farm kitchen. Stay tuned for more information.
It has been a great strawberry season this year and one of the easiest recipes to make comes from Barbara Kingsolver’s book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle. I made a few changes to the original recipe substituting walnut oil for the butter which is a great heart healthy oil to use in place of butter and has a great taste.
3 cups strawberries, halved
3 cups rhubarb, chopped
1/2 cup honey (I used our own honey from Mike’s bees!)
Mix together thoroughly and place in an 8×8 ungreased pan.
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup brown sugar (or a bit more, to taste)
3/4 tsp cinnamon
1.2 tsp allspice
1/3 cup walnut oil
Mix until crumbly and sprinkle over fruit mixture, and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or so or until golden brown. I placed a dollop of plain Greek yogurt on top but a little scoop of vanilla ice cream would be perfectly acceptable!
The Real Hunger Games!
Not the movie…the new cookbook recently written by Fifi O’Neill titled The Romantic Prairie Cookbook
which features many great farms and their recipes including two recipes from Berrybogg Farm. Fifi and Mark Lohman came to the farm back in June of 2011 and we had a great time watching a photo shoot evolve during a 90 degree day which culminated with a huge thunderstorm and a power outage! Despite the obstacles, the results are fantastic and the entire book is a work of art. I can’t wait to try the Dark Chocolate Chip Raspberry cookies from Raspberry Fields Farm, the Blueberry Sour Cream Coffee Cake from Lizzie McGraw, and Fifi’s own Tourtiere recipe which is a staple at the holidays in our neck of the woods.
March has been a busy month of pruning at the farm in temperatures sometimes 40 degrees above the norm for this time of year. Time will tell what the increased temperatures will do to the plants this season but when we had a similar warm spring two years ago it pushed up our opening date by 10 days. However, warm temperatures or not, we will still hold our annual plant sale on May 5 and May 6 with lots of blueberry, raspberry, blackberry plants and peach trees for sale. Stay tuned for more information.
This year we are planning on holding cooking classes in the new farm kitchen during the summer and fall with help from local caterer extraordinaire Chef Randy Brisson. We will be updating the website with more information on these events but we hope to offer a wide range of classes using local ingredients and of course blueberries!
Happy New Year
Most of us start the new year with resolutions to eat healthy but a yummy, warm dessert also helps to brighten those cold days of winter! The above picture is a blueberry gingerbread cake warm from the oven with a dollop of cold vanilla ice cream. My mom makes the recipe in an 9 inch square pan but this version was made in an 8 inch cake pan to look more like a traditional cake. Either way, it’s a great way to use your frozen bluberries.
Blueberry Gingerbread
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup sugar
1 egg
2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon ginger
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour milk (to 1 cup milk add 1 tablespoon vinegar)
1 teaspoon baking soda (added to milk)
3 tablespoons molasses
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 cup blueberries
Cream shortening and sugar; add beaten egg. Combine dry ingredients and alternate with sour milk in which soda has been dissolved. Add molasses and blueberries; mix well. Sprinkle sugar and cinnamon mixture on top. Bake in 9 X 9 pan in 350 degree oven for 50 minutes. Delicious served warm!
Having a Good Time, Wish You Were Here!
2011 has been a great year for blueberries. We are in the midst of our 5th week of picking so make sure you come out soon for the best berries. We anticipate having fruit through the end of August but will probably have to close near the end of the month to wait for ripening of our late variety. Blackberries have been slow to ripen but we have many of them and hope to be picking those yummy berries until the end of August.
Our hats have arrived and are for sale at the screen house for $12 along with canvas bags with our logo on them for $10. Below is a picture of Matt who has been our super blueberry picker for the farm this year. He was gracious enough to model his hat!
We have had so many great customers come out this year but we were so pleased to see Bud and Eli last week who have been coming to the farm from Dover for many years. They have been married for over 70 years and love to pick blueberries.
Thanks to everyone who has come out to pick their blueberries and blackberries this year at the farm…don’t delay if you haven’t come to pick yet…the season won’t last much longer!
Below are some pictures of our redesigned Screen House which our friend Dennis organized and pulled together. So many people have commented on it and thought we had built it new this year…nope! It was just an ugly old building that no one would enter…now it houses a freezer with frozen goodies, our jams and jellies, fresh produce and cookbooks all on a lovely antique farm table. Check it out!
Fantastic Opening Day!
Thanks to everyone who came out today to start the blueberry season with a bang! Lots of great blueberries and lots of great people! The fruit is coming in fast with the heat of the past few days so we expect all three fields to be open and going strong by the beginning of next week. The early fruit crop is the best we have seen in years and we’re sure you’ll be happy with the picking conditions. Here are a few pictures of opening day.
Happy 4th of July!
Yummy strawberries! New Hampshire is nearing the end of the strawberry season but there is still time to grab some of these before your 4th of July celebration. Check out your local farmer’s market or head to a local farm to pick your own. I picked these at the Monahan Farm in East Kingston and made delicious strawberry and strawberry rhubarb jam for the farm this summer. Check out the website Pick Your Own. Org for a listing of farms by county or head over to Seacoast Eat Local for additional farm and farmer’s market listings.
The blueberry crop for the coming season is looking great and there are tons of berries forming on the bushes but they are still green. Hopefully we will be open for picking around the second week in July but in the meantime we are busy trying to keep up with the maintenance of the fields. One of the new projects we have been working on is to update our screen house adjacent to the check out shack. When we added the screen house six years ago, out plan was to sell the jams, baked goods, veggies and honey from here as our check out shack was too small to add these items. However, it was never very inviting and most customers were puzzled as to its purpose. So we have enlisted the help of our good friend Dennis Johnson who has owned and operated a successful florist business in Boston and is the current owner of Zinnia Cottage and an Etsy storefront specializing in antique and home decor. Dennis has a great merchandising background and with his help and guidance we are slowly transforming the screen house into the new fabulous farm store. Here are some of the before and in transition photos. I’ll post the grand reveal soon.
Finally, we had a special guest who visited us at the farm a few weeks ago. The fabulous Fifi O’Neill and photographer extraordinaire, Mark Lohman were here taking photos for a future project. We managed to provide a spectacular thunderstorm complete with power outages and 90 degree temperatures but Mark and Fifi persevered and the results were spectacular. That’s all I can say about their visit but if you get a chance, check out Fifi and Mark’s latest book, the lovely Romantic Prairie Style. 
Fun at the Plant Sale and A New Farm to Visit
We had a great turnout for the plant sale this weekend and sold out of everything except a few blueberry plants. We plan on having more plants for sale this summer during the picking season. As a result, we will not be open for the plant sale this Saturday, May 7. Thank you to everyone who came out Saturday and Sunday and braved the black flies!
Last week we paid a visit to a local Alpaca farm in Strafford. Sometimes you don’t even realize what you have happening in your own town and this was true of our visit to the Green Alpaca located in Crown Point. The owner, Val and her daughter Annie were so accommodating to our surprise visit and gave us the royal tour. 84 Alpacas and counting, chickens galore, 3 turkeys and 2 sweet donkeys! Who knew all of this was only 15 minutes away. Val and her family hope to encourage others to take up Alpaca farming…they even have a yurt on a hill overlooking the farm where you can vacation any time of the year…check them out and check out the Seacoast Eat Local calendar for more fun farm things to do in our area!
Annual Plant Sale and Pruning Tips
We have finally completed pruning all three blueberry fields (almost 6000 plants!) and now we are busy in preparation for the annual blueberry plant sale to be held this Saturday, April 30 ; Sunday, May 1 and if we still have plants May 7. Hours are 9am to 2pm all three days. This year we will be offering the blueberry plant varieties Blueray, Patriot and the so-so-sweet Jersey. We will also have Boyne raspberries and Fall Gold raspberries for sale as well as a small selection of peach trees and rhubarb.
It is still not too late for you to prune your own blueberry bushes. At the farm, we try to complete pruning before the blossoms come out and also before the “dreaded” black fly appears. We have included two videos below of pruning both small and large bushes which should help you get your own bushes into top shape for blueberry production. Keep in mind that it is always helpful to give your plants a dose of fertilizer which can be done after the blossoms drop off. Blueberries are an acid loving plant so an application of 7-7-7 can be sprinkled around the drip line of your bush. Unfortunately, the birds will be your number 1 pest when the berries ripen so you need to learn to share or purchase a netting system from a garden center. Don’t forget that blueberry plants are shallow rooted and love water so try and mulch around your plants with sawdust, bark mulch or even pine needles.
Finally, Anne is in the process of putting together a second cookbook for the farm and she would love to hear from any of you that would like to include your own special blueberry recipes. You can send them through email (info@berryboggfarm.com) or drop a copy of your recipe with your name on it to Berrybogg Farm, 650 Province Rd. , Strafford, NH 03884. We look forward to hearing from you!
97 Days Until Summer!
The sun was out today, the temperature pushing 45 and there is only about a foot of snow left in the blueberry fields so why not think about summer! We hope the weather cooperates and we will be able to start pruning the blueberries within the week but you know spring in New England. In honor of making it through a LONG winter and in anticipation of a great summer, we would like to pass along one of our favorite summer drink recipes : The Blueberry Daiquiri! The above photo was taken last year around the 4th of July and pictures my mom, our friend Jim Cooney and myself sipping a cool daiquiri….cheers!
Blueberry Daiquiri
1 cup blueberries
1/2 cup rum
1/2 to 3/4 cup of simple syrup or 1/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons of fresh lime juice or 3 tablespoons of limeade
1 to 2 cups of crushed ice
Blend all ingredients in blender until smooth. Should provide 4 large servings or 5 smaller ones.
If you choose to use frozen blueberries then lessen the amount of ice to use. If you use limeade instead of lime juice, you may want to lessen the amount of sugar you use…this is definitely a taste test recipe for the “bartender”. Experiment with your ingredients until you reach perfection!
Simple Syrup Recipe
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan, bring to a boil, stir until sugar has dissolved, allow to cool before using.
Happy New Year!
Happy New Year from Berrybogg Farm! Today was another great day for being outside so we managed to burn one of our largest piles of old canes. We were able to accomplish a lot of pruning during November and part of December. The rest of the fields will be pruned starting in March. If we don’t receive a lot of snow we’ll be back to burn the other cane piles and to trim the trees around the blueberry fields.
Don’t forget to check out the Winter Farmer’s Market this Saturday at Exeter High School from 10 to 2. Check out the Seacoast Eat Local website http://www.seacoasteatlocal.org/winterfarmersmarkets/ for the winter market dates and list of vendors.
The Blueberry Season is Almost Over
It’s hard to believe that the blueberry picking season is just about over. We opened 2 weeks early this year due to the warm spring and the warmer than usual summer has pushed our season to the end. We are anxiously waiting for the Late Blues to ripen which we expect will be near the end of this week and then we will reopen and pick until it’s over!
Thanks to all of our customers who braved the 90 degree plus days to get their blueberries and thanks to Chris and Ben for helping us out again this season. We wish you good luck in your sophomore year at college! Below are a few shots of this year’s great customers and employees!
Fantastic Picking Conditions
We have great picking conditions in all three blueberry fields and have started picking some wonderful blackberries from the blackberry patch. Blackberries are ripening each day so call ahead for best picking times.
The following pictures are some of our favorite customers! Be sure to come out soon for best picking conditions. We are running 10 days ahead of our usual picking schedule because of the very warm spring and summer so we are unsure when our season will end. The crop looks spectacular this year!
Much Welcomed Rain
Yesterday we finally had a little rain which unfortunately chose to come at 11am when we are the busiest on Saturday. Although we only received about 1/4 inch of rain, it was very welcome. Sunday looks to be a dry and cloudy day…perfect for picking blueberries! Here are some shots of Friday and Saturday’s pickers.
We Are Open For the Season
The blueberry picking season is upon us and so far the early crop has been spectacular despite the late frost in May. This family was out at the farm picking yesterday and we’re pretty sure the baby mom is carrying is the youngest picker this year. The weather has been quite warm and many people have been coming early to beat the heat. Today will be our first Thursday with late hours (open until 7pm) and should be a little cooler for picking after 5pm.
New this year is our fan page on Facebook so be sure to click on the Facebook icon to become a fan of Berrybogg Farm!
Planting Time
We just received our shipment of two year old plants and they are ready to plant! In the above picture, our dog Mac is checking out the new blueberry plants for a brief moment and then he was off on a search for tennis balls.
This year we are offering the varieties Patriot and Blue Ray which are cold hardy plants to zone 3. We grow about 600 Blue Rays in our second field and they have always been very successful producing large, sweet berries. The Patriot variety is also a large, sweet berry but the plant itself does not grow as large as the Blue Ray. We recommend two varieties for cross-pollination.
This year we have 3 sale dates for the blueberries and we will also be selling a limited number of raspberry plants. Come visit us on Saturday, May 1 and Sunday, May 2 from 9am to 1pm and again on Saturday, May 8 from 9am to 1pm. The blueberry plants will be selling for $14.95 and raspberry plants will be sold for $5 each. Blueberry plants make a nice Mother’s Day gift and are a great native species to use in your landscaping. Unfortunately, we will not be taking phone orders this year so it is first come, first serve.
If you are a member of Facebook, be sure to check out our new Facebook fan page created by my daughter. We hope to post some of the customer pictures here during the season.
Pruning Time Again
Once again we are out in the fields pruning the blueberries and in the above picture, Mike is pruning dead canes from the blackberries. The bushes look good and most of the snow has disappeared from the fields which has allowed us to start pruning sooner. On Monday, March 22 we will be hosting a pruning workshop for highbush blueberries which will take place from 4:30 to 7:30. The workshop is sponsored by the UNH Cooperative Extension folks who will have several speakers talking about diseases and pests common to blueberries, pollination of blueberry plants and a pruning demonstration. Please wear appropriate clothing and footwear as you never know what the weather can bring.
BERRYBOGG FARM'S BLOG 