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Published on July 14, 2007 By dharmagrl In Cooking

I wish that the internet had a smell feature, because the smell wafting out of my kitchen right now is just divine.  I'm baking blackberry and peach crumbles (separate ones, not blackberry and peach mixed together) and they smell good enough to make my tummy rumble.

We went to Brautigum's orchard this morning and picked our berries right off the bush.  Brautigum's is smaller and makes the other local 'country' orchard look like an industrial conglomerate.  Mr Brautigum let us wander around his farm (it's a working farm; he's not a 'gentleman farmer') and Dave and I got some good tips for when we finally set up our own little homestead.  I particularly liked the henhouse - Dave, being the man that he is, made various comments about how we'd need a big cock, three or four big cocks, that may be the biggest cock he ever saw and so on, snickering the whole time. *sigh*   We decided that we'd like a blackberry bush in addition to an apple and a cherry tree. 

This homestead idea has been a dream of ours for quite some time now.  We want to move back to South Dakota, find ourselves a little place - a dilapidated place, a trailer, a camper, anything - and start our quest to be semi-self sufficient.  We're sure that we want some chickens (Dad raised chickens, so I've got some good experience with hens, roosters - cocks, tee hee -and eggs), a vegetable garden, a couple of fruit trees and now a blackberry bush.  We toyed with the idea of having a pig, but decided against it.  I doubt that I'd be able to send it off to slaughter and we'd end up with a 400lb pet, so that idea got nixed.  I want a sheep - for obvious reasons - and I'd love to have an alpaca, but they're pretty spendy animals ($20,000).  I've been trying to sell him on a couple of pygmy goats, and whilst he's not saying 'hell no' anymore he's not saying 'heck yes' either.  We've also researched bee keeping and, depending on the size and location of the place we end up in, we might be able to do that too.  

I wish that my dad had lived long enough to see me put into practice the skills I learned watching him when I was a child.  He had an extensive vegetable garden and raised crops year-round - in fact, I can't recall mum ever buying fresh vegetables from the store.  Fruit, yes - apart from apples - but vegetables, no.  He taught me that there's a certain freedom that comes from not having to depend on an outside source to feed yourself; that there's a great deal of satisfaction in eating something that you grew from a seed.  I know, however, that he still sees me - he knows what I'm doing, what my plans are.  I know that he'd approve, and I hope that he'd be proud.

I just took the blackberry crumble out of the oven and put the peach ones in.  Man, do they look good, and I'll bet they're going to taste good too.  Maybe I'll make some custard to pour over them, or perhaps a scoop of vanilla ice-cream would be better.  I'll let you know how they taste.

I'm going to go eat. 

 


Comments
on Jul 14, 2007

I just made some English custard and the peach crumble(s) just came out of the oven.  I'm probably going to gain another 5lbs tonight!

I realized that some of you American's may not know what a crumble is, so I'll tell you: it's a topping made out of sugar, all purpose flour, butter and a little dash of salt.  I use about 2 cups of flour, one cup of sugar, a stick of butter and a tsp of salt in mine - mix the dry ingredients first, then rub the butter into the flour mix until it resembles breadcrumbs.  Sprinkle it over the top of the fruit, much like you would a cobbler mix, and bake at 350 degrees for 40 - 45 minutes.  I also like to sprinkle a little white sugar over the top so that it forms a nice carmelized crust on the top of the whole thing. 

Fruit crumbles were a staple in my house when I was a kid.  It's good ol' stick-to-your-ribs comfort food!

on Jul 14, 2007

I'm probably going to gain another 5lbs tonight!

I am going to gain a couple just reading your blog!  Ah!  The taste!

on Jul 14, 2007
Makes me hungry just reading about it.
on Jul 14, 2007
I get it now! If we lived closer together then I could have some crumble!
on Jul 14, 2007
And I could ask you in person to delete my double-post.
on Jul 15, 2007
And tasty on the bbq, or so i'm told.


If'n you contact Geezer (and can travel on short notice), you might find out.
on Jul 15, 2007
Yum and double yum is right.

My tastebuds are tantalized and scandalized by the description of such tasty food . . . oh, man, I need some.
on Jul 16, 2007

I am going to gain a couple just reading your blog

I know, me too!  I only have to read about food to gain weight!

Makes me hungry just reading about it.

Good!  I have some in the freezer; the next time you're around my neck of the wods, stop by and we'll eat some peach crumble and custard!

I get it now! If we lived closer together then I could have some crumble!

Bingo.  It took you long enough to get it!

Warm peach crumble with a scoop of good quality vanilla ice cream....oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah bring it on!

I've always wanted some little goats. Goats are cool. And funny. And good grass cutters.

I want to try my hand at homemade ice-cream, too.  As it is, I have some home-made vanilla that is very, very tasty.

Goats ARE good grass cutters, and that's part of the reason I want some....the other part of the reason being that they're cute and cool little animals to have, and if we get a nanny and a billy we'll have milk on supply that I can use for soaps and lotions, etc.  The more I think about it, the more I want some.  However, I'm not sure that I'd be able to eat them.  They'd prolly end up being pets - but at least they won't weigh 400lbs and get as big as a pig would.

If'n you contact Geezer (and can travel on short notice), you might find out

I dunno 'bout that.  I'd try it, though.

My tastebuds are tantalized and scandalized by the description of such tasty food . . . oh, man, I need some

Come on over!  Like I told Mason, I have some in the freezer, so any time you're in the area, stop by and we'll have some of my peach crumble!

on Jul 19, 2007
I've been out of pocket for awhile so I didn't see this right away, but this is just eerie........since my grandfather passed away last month and my mom inherited the farm, my brother and his wife are planning to move up there now, and we were talking about the possibility of NBS and myself (if I can convince him) joining them once he's out of uniform to run it......with ideas of sheep and possibly goats (for milk and cashmere fiber), vegetables, re-establishing the defunct orchard and bee hives........there's already a plentiful blackberry thicket

it's a very tempting possibility, and I wish you well with South Dakota
on Jul 20, 2007
I'll be there in a few! ;~D
on Jul 20, 2007
One of the things I miss most about my childhood is the berries. We used to have so many huge, lucious blackberries and raspberries. My mom and Grandma made the best cobbler around. I could smell it as I read this. My grandpa also made some wicked home brewed brandy.

thanks for the walk down memory lane. I guess it's the next best thing to being there sharing some with you.
on Jul 20, 2007

this is just eerie

Yeah, it is!  Then again, I've also felt like you and yours have more in common with me and mine than we realize - and this just reinforces those feelings!

I am glad to 'see' you, though!

it's a very tempting possibility, and I wish you well with South Dakota

Thank you.  I hope that you and NBS end up working that farm; I think that it's where you're supposed to be.  Can I come and visit if it does happen?

 

I'll be there in a few! ;~D

I'll keep an eye out for you!

 

We used to have so many huge, lucious blackberries and raspberries. My mom and Grandma made the best cobbler around. I could smell it as I read this. My grandpa also made some wicked home brewed brandy.

My dad made wine from any and everything he could get his hands on, blackberries and peaches included.  I used to tease him and say that he could send the recipe to NASA so's they could use it as rocket fuel, but most of it was pretty tasty.  I've been thinking about picking up his torch and carrying on that tradition....

 

thanks for the walk down memory lane. I guess it's the next best thing to being there sharing some with you

You know, I have hope that one day all of us JU-ers will get to meet.  In the meantime, you and yours are welcome in our humble abode any time you'd care to visit!

on Jul 22, 2007
It would be great if everyone started to become more self sufficient.. sometimes i wish i was a little older when my grandparents were alive so that I could have learnt some of the old traditions.. oh well never too late to start now!

I can picture you D as a farmer!