maybe we should just call this food friday? today’s post accomplishes many goals:  first, it deals with beautiful red and blue berries perfect for 4th of july. 2nd, it’s in line with out eat local and in season initiative. 3rd, it’s the first post in a new series i’m kicking off called simple living!

berries are one of my biggest indulgences, there’s just not much that makes me happier than a fresh berry bursting in my mouth! as we’ve been talking about the importance (and fun!) of eating local and in season foods, today i want to touch on the importance of preserving some of those foods for enjoyment all year.  berries of all kinds are in season right now, and by preserving them, we can enjoy them for the rest of the year!  eating berries in winter not only come with less taste, but always leaves me feeling terribly guilty.  flown in from thousands of miles away, eating berries during winter comes with a huge environmental cost, plus it just doesn’t feel right.  so today we’ll talk about how to take advantage of your in season berries by freezing them, and how you can still be snacking on them come january- guilt free.

first things first, wash your berries!  i find it easiest to just plug up one side of my sink and rinse them till the water runs clear.

next, lay them out on a towel to dry.  you can blot them to help, or just let the water drain, but in the end you want them relatively dry before the next step.

next, lay your berries flat on a baking sheet in a single layer.  by spreading them out in single layer, you’ll prevent them from freezing in (hard to break) big berry clumps.

you can lay them flat on the pan, or on wax paper, and can even build them up by placing wax paper in between layers of berries.

place the pans of layered berries in your freezer.  you’ll want to leave them overnight (or for about 8 hours) before you take them out to bag them.

next step is removing them from the freezer and bagging them up for long term storage!  since you froze them in a single layer, they’ll remain loose in the bags for easy use.  they’ll last a long time so you’ll still be snacking on local berries even when february rolls around.

frozen berries have tons of uses, they’re great for snacking, pies, dessert toppings and especially smoothies (recipe coming soon!). they won’t be in season long, so don’t miss them at your farmer’s market!

{photos: bonnie forkner}

wrap up: {berries} {eat local} {food} {freeze} {preserve} {recipe} {simple living}

hi lovelies! today, i am honored to introduce to do you the newest members of our family!

my little box of 7 healthy peeping chicks (all girls) arrived at the post office yesterday from my pet chicken!

“well hello, sista!”

this is paulie the buff laced polish – her fluffy head will turn into a big tuft of feathers one day, you can what she’ll look like here!

this is pearl the plymouth rock- she’ll be especially friendly.

say hello to clover the blue cochin! do you see her feathered feet? she’ll have beautiful feathered legs when she grows up.

this is joby the jersey giant- jersey giants are good natured and supersized!

meet olina the orpington! i already have one orpington (odessa) and she’s the smartest chicken i’ve ever met (i promise!) so i couldn’t say no to getting another one.

elloise the easter egger will one day give me beautiful blue eggs.

this here is daisy the dominique, her breed is endangered so i’m doing what i can to keep their name alive!

these next few shots are of elloise and paulie, they are so cute together!

her beautiful eyes take my breath away.  i’m such a proud momma!  they are all in my kitchen for the next week or so, then i’ll move them to the laundry room before they make their way to the outside coop where they’ll meet my other 7 hens!

wrap up: {chickens} {chicks} {coop} {eggs} {hens} {simple living}