strawberries!

on this past saturday, lee and i went to pick strawberries. folks, i'm sorry to say that russell orchards in ipswich is no longer my favorite place to go. they used to feel a lot more homey. these days, they are very commercial feeling and have lost that family friendly attitude that i feel farms need in order to survive. this year, they announced that ALL people 2-years-old and older will be charged $3 just to walk into the fields or orchard. they say that this will count toward what you actually purchase, yet they also say that this will help them recoup what's eaten in the fields. they basically say on their web site that if you eat in the fields it's the same as stealing and they want to put a stop to it. so it felt a little too policed for my taste. i probably won't go back even though they've been my go-to pick-your-own place for apples and strawberries for the past 4 years.

we went to shelburne farms in stow instead. you just purchased your quart container before you went into the field and went away to pick :) it was a cute little farm and you knew it was operated by the people who own it. oh, and when we came out of the fields, we asked in the farm store if the berries were sprayed or fertilized and they said, "no! anything that can be eaten by pickers in the field can't be sprayed. we don't want to poison you!" so they basically said that they know people will eat while they're picking. funny...

full disclosure: i ate 1 berry while picking. i wanted to taste the goodness i was smelling. but then i didn't eat any until i came home. no smorgasbord in the field for me--and i can't be the only honest person out there put off by russell orchard's new policy...

but the picking was great!


and then i came home and had to make things with my new fresh berries, so we had crepes for sunday morning breakfast. these are blueberry and strawberry crepes, with a bit of maple cream, cinnamon and sugar.


and then i made strawberry banana muffins, adapted from a recipe in gluten free baking by rebecca reilly. these were partially made with the gluten free flour blend suggested by the author, which was a mix of brown rice flour, tapioca starch and potato starch. if anyone wants the exact quantities of this blend, let me know. i don't always like the grittiness of brown rice flour, so i mixed this with my preferred gluten free flour, namaste perfect flour blend.


strawberry banana muffins

1 c gluten free flour blend
1/2 c namaste perfect flour blend
3/4 c packed light brown sugar
1 tbsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
pinch salt
1 banana, peeled and mashed
1 dozen strawberries, roughly quartered
1/2 c soy milk
1/3 c vegetable oil
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla
white granulated sugar, for sprinkling

1. preheat oven to 350 and line muffin cups.
2. mix together in a large bowl gluten free flours, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, xanthan gum and salt.
3. whisk together mashed banana, chopped strawberries, soy milk, oil, egg and vanilla. pour into dry ingredients and stir until well blended.
4. scoop into muffin cups (and ice cream scooper works well) and sprinkle with sugar before baking. bake on middle rack for about 25 minutes or until done.