Posted on by Deb

Olallieberries and Sunflowers

Olallies_5480

The Whisper of Summer

Olallie blossoms

“You aren’t planning to start preserving? Well, why shouldn’t we?

East of Eden, John Steinbeck

Inspiration

Imprints of berry stained fingerprints slide across the first three weeks in June. Ripe Olallies are a vivid purple flourish marking the change in the season. I’ve been picking Olallie’s at Gidzich Ranch since I was a child and no matter how much or little rainfall or sunshine, the berries always ripen right after Memorial Day. I’m convinced it’s all about the Earth’s rotation bringing longer light filled days. I can see the change in the daylight but I wish I could feel it. Like a photograph that soaks up the light and leaves us an image that can never be replicated I want to capture the first whisper of summer.

Olallieberries

Just down the road from Gidzich Ranch was a field of sunflowers in bloom. I stopped to take photos and picky daughter and I bought two dozen. We waited while they were being cut for us. The most amazing serendipity on a berry filled day.

Essentials

I dove into making more than a lot of Olallie jam. Six batches. I ran out of sugar and pectin mid-morning. By lunch time I was scrambling for canning lids. My jam never sets up unless I make it in small batches. I use pectin in my berry jams too. It’s a trade off between using commercial pectin or cooking the jam even longer to achieve the set. The berry flavor changes the longer it is cooked at high heat. At some point the essence of the berry seems to evaporate and is overcome by the intensity of the sugar. Then the jam turns more candy like when I want to capture the first whisper of summer in a jar. I use a berry recipe very similar to this from the Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving. Nothing but berries, sugar, lemon juice, a pat of butter and pectin.

Olallieberry jam

I’m still a novice jam maker but each year the process is more familiar and never losses its’ appeal.There something so deeply satisfying about digging in the pantry and finding a sweet reminder of a past season just waiting for toast or crepes or waffles. And yogurt and pancakes, scones and muffins. What did I forget? I will keep making jam with carefully chosen ingredients voluptuous with seasonal flavor instead of buying expensive jars with a skimpy amount of bland fruit muted with overly sweet high fructose corn syrup.

Olallieberries and yogurt

Hard to imagine but I didn’t bake with any of the Olallies this time. I have made pie, financiers and ice cream before but this time am sharing a simple and easy idea for enjoying the Olallies. After time spent at the U-pick and then making jam just a little bowl of something to enjoy the Olallies easily comes together at the end of a busy day. Don’t forget to make an extra bowl for the next days snack. Then a whisper of summer is only a spoonful away. This is so much better tasting than the store bought yogurt that comes with fruit. Just yogurt, Olallies and a drizzle of honey offers an exceptional burst of berry flavor without much preparation time. Add only enough honey to temper the strength of the yogurt, after all the Olallies are the star.

Ingredients
4C plain unsweetened yogurt (whole milk preferred)
2C Olallieberries, Boysenberries or raspberries
4T honey
  1. To make four generous servings distribute half of the yogurt evenly between four small glasses or bowls. Layer most of the berries on top of the yogurt filled glasses, reserving a few berries for garnish. Drizzle with half the honey. Top the bowls with the rest yogurt and then garnish with the remaining berries. Drizzle the rest of the honey on top of the yogurt and berries.
  2. The yogurt and berries can be made ahead of serving time and kept covered in the refrigerator. Which makes for a superior snack to prepare on the weekend for the always busy Monday and it’s friend the terrific Tuesday.

Sunflowers

Sunflower field

36 Replies to “Olallieberries and Sunflowers”

  1. Pingback: Nectarine Buttermilk Popsicles
  2. Pingback: Old Fashioned Chocolate Cake with Olallie Berries | East of Eden Cooking

  5. Your posts always make me dream of California… love that you cook with such amazing ingredients Deb, and buy freshly picked flowers! Dark berry jam is one of my favorites, and your pictures are wonderful! ‘The most amazing serendipity on a berry filled day’, a perfect description.

  6. This is so lovely, Deb! I haven’t been able to keep up with many blogs lately but I most definitely kept your tab open. I remember that passage from EoE and loved it. So beautiful! And I’m glad you’ve gone on a jamming craze–I miss mine, but it’s been too crazy around here for that lately. Thanks for sharing!

    1. Thank you for the delicious comment Ala! I am very, very busy too, what happened to our lazy summer?

  7. Such beautiful photos Deb. My summer has been beautifully schedule with more travel than time allows in my kitchen. 🙁 Hoping to preserve some late summer fruits. Fresh berries and yogurt make for the perfect breakfast or snack…and always ‘whole milk’.

    1. Thank you for the gracious comment Lynda! Olallies are a cross between loganberries and youngberries. They are a local favorite!

  10. Hi Deb! I went to pick up my CSA box yesterday from The Farm and as I was taking pictures for a blog post (that went up today), a lovely woman asked where I was from. Replying that I was a local food blogger led her to tell me about you, to which I’m now visiting today! Your pictures are beautiful, and oddly enough, I was just picking at Gizdich yesterday! We missed the olallies, but brought home beautiful strawberries. Blessings to you from another local, and I hope you have a great weekend! ~Tiffany

    1. Oh Tiffany, it’s a pleasure it meet you! Let’s meet for coffee and talk about the local berry season!

  12. Beautiful images and lovely simple recipe for summer. Wish we had olallieberries – they sounds fab! I am working with gooseberries just now, the first berries to come through for us, followed by raspberries, loganberries, all of the currants and then the blackberries/brambles from the hedgerows.

    1. Thank you for the tasty comment Kellie! Olallies are a local favorite, but there is nothing like a freshly picked berry to remind us of the simple joys of summertime! Your garden sounds magical!

  13. I really enjoyed this post Deb! Lovely words and photos, and love the look of that jam! I have never had olallieberries, but I know I’d love them with yoghurt and honey – I do the same with raspberries or blueberries sometimes too. 🙂

  16. Beautiful Deb!
    Very inspiring post for Summertime ;). I noticed the small piece of calico fabric in one of your photos is the very same fabric I used in a quilt I made over 20 years ago..how time flies..but I still love that fabric ;). Hope you are having a great Summer!

    1. Thank you for the lovely comment Patty! My mom was an avid quilter and I found the fabric at her house!

  17. On my bucket list is to pick berries and them immediately cook with them. I’ve never done it and think its such a beautiful process. The berries in your images look delicious, and the sunflowers are simply stunning!

  18. Hi Deb,
    What a beautiful post and I just love your dish with yogurt, fruit and honey. It is so simple and yet so delicious. I had it for a snack with raspberries today.

  19. OMG! I love your photos. That first one with the bowl of ollalieberries on the wrinkled linen just grabs me. And how I love Gizdich. Where has the summer gone and I haven’t been down for a visit. Aaah — and the sunflowers remind me of Umbria…

    Lovely post.

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