Monday, October 19, 2015

BERRIED TREASURES



Cape Gooseberry
Gooseberry

Many a mulberry tree was raided when we were kids, including our own.  When we’d stripped it bare of leaves and berries our relentless scavenging branched off to the rest of the mulberry trees in the neighbourhood.  After we’d feasted on mulberries until we’d had our fill; long after our mouths, lips, tongues and fingers had turned deep purple, almost black from the luscious juice of the berries, not to mention the mess we made of our clothes (but I did make mention of it), we made our way back home again to be greeted by some “tsk-tsking” from Nana or Mum; or both.   

They never really scolded us, though.  To get into a mess was par for the course of being a kid, I guess.

I wonder if the stains ever did come out of our clothes.  Perhaps the tie-dyeing craze of the mid-Sixties/early Seventies originated from the messes caused by mulberry eating.

The reason we kids rid Gympie’s mulberry trees of their leaves was to feed our families of silkworms. Silkworms love mulberry leaves.  Just about every kid had silkworms in those days.  Much trading went on throughout the neighbourhoods. 

Is the keeping of silkworms still popular with today’s kids (yesterday’s and last week’s, too)? 

Not only were silkworms fun to nurture, but good use was made of shoe boxes.  Recycling began right there! Shoe boxes were never thrown away. They became houses and factories for our industrious silkworms.  The busy little Bombyx mori caterpillars needed somewhere safe to spin their silk. 

We weren’t as enterprising. Instead of spinning yarns we should’ve turned the results of their efforts into fabric. Think of all silk blouses, dresses, shirts and ties we could’ve had! A choice opportunity slipped through our fingers.

Silkworms love mulberry leaves; I love mulberries.  I also love gooseberries.

Many years have passed by since I’ve had even a single gooseberry, let alone a gooseberry pie or tart. 

Donkey years ago when my late mother-in-law’s Cape gooseberry bush (not to be confused with “gooseberry” was in full production mode she’d have a Cape gooseberry pie waiting for me each time I paid a visit, even in the years before she became my mother-in-law when Randall was still living and working in New York City.  She knew I loved gooseberry pies.  I’m drooling at the memory of her delicious Cape gooseberry pies.

The Cape Gooseberry isn’t related to the Gooseberry. Cape Gooseberries are native to Peru; associated with the lost Incan Civilization and Machu Picchu.

Gooseberries are native to Europe, north-western Africa, west, south and south-east Asia.

I’ve never played at being a gooseberry, but I was an easy mark a few times in years long gone when someone often played “gooseberry”, ruining what could possibly have turned out fun times; and, maybe, a fine romance or two! 

My brother, Graham was the chief (and only) perpetrator/someone.  Older brothers can be such a pain at times!

Expertly proficient at playing the game of “gooseberry” when I was a teenager, he extracted extreme pleasure from it.

Graham ruined a couple of budding romances.

Be assured, I blew raspberries at him behind his back, and a few more in his face! He didn’t completely get away with his underhand methods.

I often wish I’d be allowed a few “sliding door” moments to see the “what ifs”; but maybe it’s better I don’t know - because I might become berry blue!

We didn’t have strawberry fields forever, however, in a dedicated garden patch our mother grew strawberries.  Down on our haunches, Graham and I regularly feasted upon the berries straight from the plants. Our strawberry eating rarely caused staining to our clothes.  I doubt many, if any, of the berries made it up the stairs to the kitchen, but that wasn’t a bad thing.  We were never reprimanded for our grazing along the rows, as long as we didn’t step on the plants.  After much practice, we were experts in the field of strawberry-picking-eating.

A bit of trivia for you to store away – just in case - strawberries aren’t actually berries; pineapples are; tomatoes are berries, too; as are avocados. 

On the subject of berries, my mother grew a pineapple once; a single pineapple.

After waiting forever for the crown to bear fruit (over two years), unfortunately, the sole pineapple finally ripened when Mum was on holidays, staying with me in my unit at Toowong, Brisbane. Nana, who’d remained behind in Slade Point (via Mackay) ate the long-awaited pineapple rather than let it go to waste. Having waited forever for her fruit to come into fruition Mum was not amused!  Nana did report to us how delicious the pineapple was.  Mum was still not amused!




Berry-Kale Salad: Remove leaves from stems of 1 kale bunch; tear into bite-sized pieces; put in bowl; drizzle over 1tbs x-virgin olive oil and 3/4tsp sea salt; massage a few minutes with hands; set aside. Combine juice and zest of 1 lemon and 1 orange. 1tbs x-virgin olive oil and 1tsp honey; season; pour over kale. Just before serving add ½ avocado, cubed, 1c fresh blueberries, 2tbs toasted pepitas and dressing.

Red Wheat Berry Salad: Soak 1c red wheat berries overnight in cold water, drain. Boil wheat berries (unprocessed wheat kernels) in 6c water, 50-60mins, until tender; drain. Boil 2c water in another pot; add 1c wild rice; simmer 45mins; undercook a little to retain some structure; drain. Combine wheat and rice in bowl. Whisk 3tbs lemon/lime juice, 1tbs each honey and Dijon mustard, salt, pepper and a little olive oil, if desired. Add dressing to wheat/wild rice; add 1c dried cranberries, 2/3c toasted, chopped pecans, 1/2c each chopped parsley and shallots and 1 finely-chopped celery stalk.

Mulberry Pudding: Spread 4c mulberries in greased, floured 9x9 pan. Combine 3tbs sugar and 2tbs flour; sprinkle over berries. Cream 3tbs softened butter and ½c sugar; mix in 1 egg and 1/4tsp vanilla. Combine 1c plain flour, 1tsp baking powder and 1/2tsp salt; add to creamed mix alternately with 1/3c milk. Drop spoonfuls of batter over fruit; all fruit may not be covered. Bake in preheated 175C oven, 30-40mins.

Berry Balls: Blend together until fine 1/2c oats, 1/4c each raw almonds and cashews; add 1tbs Acai berry powder, five fresh or frozen berries of choice; when mixture begins to clump together, add 1tbs each of goji berries, cranberries and raisins; mix with your hands; roll into balls; chill 45-90mins.

Cape Gooseberries and Strawberry Flaugnarde: Place 1-1/4c milk, 1/3c sugar, 3 large eggs, 1tsp vanilla, pinch of salt and 1/2c plain flour in bowl. Using hand mixer, mix ingredients until free of lumps. Grease a 9-inch baking dish; pour in 2/3rd of batter. Place dish in 180C preheated oven; bake 10mins. Remove from oven; place 2c Cape gooseberries and 1c strawberries on top; sprinkle with 1/3c sugar; then carefully pour over the remaining batter. Place back in oven; bake 50-60mins or until it’s all puffed up and brown on top. Just before serving sprinkle with icing sugar.

Pineapple Pudding: Process 55g chopped fresh pineapple until pureed. Scrap into a pan; add 2/3rd cup caster sugar; cook about 5mins until reduced by 1/3rd. Mixture should be thick but not as thick as preserves/jam; add a little water to thin it out, if necessary. Meanwhile, make caramel by placing 4tbs sugar in a heavy pan and cook to start to caramelize; shake pan, but do not stir. Remove from heat once sugar has dissolved and is golden brown. Carefully stir in 1tbs lime juice (it will splatter and spit…so there is no need for you to spit the dummy). Divide caramel between 6 ramekins. Preheat oven 180C. Lightly beat 4 eggs and stir into the cooled pineapple mixture; divide this mixture evenly among the ramekins. Place ramekins into a roasting pan; pour warm water into pan so that it comes halfway up the pan.  Bake 45mins, until set. Let cool, then invert ramekins onto dessert plates.

37 comments:

  1. Many memories stirred here --- of Goosegogs for one (our name for gooseberries!)
    Never knew 'til now that pineapple is a berry, albeit a huge one. Our youngest son planted the top of a pineapple we'd bought at the store (and eaten) and to our amazement it grew and produced a luscious pineapple which we thoroughly enjoyed. That berry pie looks very tempting!

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    1. Hi Molly...yes, that's the way to grow pineapples. I've grown them that way, but I've never been lucky enough for them to bear the fruit for me! They perhaps did after I left wherever it was I was living at the time! Others enjoyed the fruit of my labour! lol

      Thanks for coming by. :)

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  2. We too called gooseberries Goosegogs. And I add some to my fruit salad each year.
    I don't think i have ever come across a Cape Gooseberry though.
    We too have grown pineapple tops (because the smaller portion's mother did). She occasionally got a fruit from hers, her in the lower hemispheres chance would be a fine thing...

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    1. Hi EC...I've never tried Gooseberries/Goosegogs (I'm not sure I've heard them called the latter before today, either)...but I have eaten many of the Cape gooseberries. Perhaps Cape Gooseberries are more a sub-tropical/tropical berry than Gooseberries.

      Thanks for coming by. :)

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  3. Oh No! Your mum missed her long-awaited pineapple! I tried to grow one once, but did something wrong, the crown just rotted away.
    Tried to grow strawberries too, the plants had plenty of flowers, but I only got one tiny berry :(
    The only thing I seem to grow well is green beans. (And children).
    I've never eaten a gooseberry, cape or otherwise.
    I remember the gardens of my friends, almost every one had a grape vine and an almond tree, lemon tree and orange tree. A few had mandarins. The Italians grew peaches and almost everything else you could think of, in between the millions of tomato plants and zucchinis. This was in Port Pirie, where the dirt was very poor and my dad couldn't grow anything but weeds. He didn't have the gardening gene.

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    1. Yes...we all laughed about Mum's pineapple....and her missing out on it. Our mob had an insane sense of humour...the simple things in life kept us amused! :)

      Thanks for popping in. :)

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  4. I've never had fresh gooseberries or mulberries and knew about silk worms but never raised them, how fun. When I lived in Hawaii as a kid we went out to the pineapple fields and the workers would cut a fresh pineapple and give us a slice. now apparently no one can even go into the pineapple fields.

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    1. Both are great eating, Linda. And there's nothing quite like a pineapple straight from the farms.

      Thanks for popping in. :)

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  5. I come here just to drool.

    Awaiting the mulberry harvest next year, mmmmmm.

    I need a timer... your timer needs not to break. Ever.

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    1. I'll keep a store of napkins for you, Jacqueline. :)

      I'll only have myself to blame re the timer! It will all be my fault!

      Thanks for popping in. :)

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  6. When we lived in Kansas we had gooseberries. I had no idea what they were so let the neighbors take them. Here in Oklahoma we have tons of blackberries around our property and I let the neighbors pick them because they know how to use them. They make blackberry jelly and give it to me:-) Now will you explain "Donkey years"? LOL

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    1. G'day, Annie..."Donkey years or donkey's years"...meaning a very long time...a pun on "donkey's ears This expression punningly alludes to the considerable length of the animal's ears. The saying first started around 1900 Through time "ears" became "years". http://www.grammarphobia.com/blog/2012/12/donkeys-years.html

      Blackberry jelly....yummy!

      Thanks for coming by. :)

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    2. I always thought it was because donkeys can live to great ages.

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  7. My granddaughters love to pick berries, any kind of berries. It is nice to see in this "everything techy world", some things never change.

    I am sure that those berry stains never came out, however, that probably did not stop us from wearing them.

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    1. More stains the merrier, I reckon, Arleen! lol Who cares about stains when the fruit is so delicious!!!

      Thanks for popping in. :)

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  8. Some of those berries I am not familiar with - but I do love berries and they are so good for you.

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    1. Hey there Sandie...I love berries of all descriptions...I love fruit of all descriptions!

      Thanks for coming by. :)

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  9. Whoa, my memory of eating mulberries is that it was an awful mistake, and I do not recall anyone ever enjoying them around here. So, we must have a different variety.

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    1. Hi Jerry...as far as I'm concerned there's nothing "awful" about mulberries. I doubt that you had a different variety. We all have our individual tastes, but I love them. Nana used to poach them, too, and we'd have them with custard for dessert! Delicious!

      Thanks for coming by. :)

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  10. Haven't had a gooseberry for years...strawberries most days i eat.
    Sounds as if you had fun with the silkworms and the mulberries...good childhood memories..

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    1. Hey there Margaret...yep...I eat a lot of strawberries, too. I love them. A punnet goes in one "sitting" with me....none of this one or two strawberries...I devour the lot! lol

      Childhood...the days of fun and innocence.

      Thanks for coming by. :)

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  11. We planted the top of a pineapple when we were kids too. Can't say we ever got to taste the fruit. I do like a hummingbird cake for the pineapple. Sorry it took so long to get around to reading ~ it has been a busy week thus far.

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    1. No need for you to apologise, Carol...it's always nice to hear from you. I understand you're busy now that the school term is back up and running. :)

      I always make a carrot-pineapple cake...I posted the recipe a couple of months ago...it's a lovely, moist cake and I like it better than just the plain carrot cake. I used to make them to sell in my shop and over the years, elsewhere, too. The last time I made them was a couple of months ago when asked to make some cakes for a local stall to raise money for animals. They're always popular.

      Thanks for coming by. :)

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  12. This post reminded me that there was a pop band in England in the nineteen sixties called "The Rockin' Berries". You can watch them on YouTube but do not expect a gooseberry on drums, a pineapple on lead guitar and a strawberry singer. No. The band were all human. By the way if you had pinched my strawberries I would have spanked your arse you greedy little devil!

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    1. Damn! I was expecting a fruit salad combo! How disappointing!

      You have a thing about spanking, Yorkie! I think you've re-read "Fifty Shades of Grey" far too many times for your own good!!!

      Thanks for coming by. :)

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    2. E.L. James probably modelled Christian Grey upon me.

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    3. That thought certainly entered my mind, Yorkie, but I kept it to myself. I wasn't sure if you wanted to share it with everyone! :)

      Now everything is out in the open... :)

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  13. I have never had a mulberry or a gooseberry. There is a Mulberry Street in my birth city, which makes me wonder if there are some there. And I'm intrigued by the gooseberry game - I can only imagine what that involves!

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    1. Lynn...being or to "play gooseberry" is to be be an ​unwanted third ​person; the person who is ​present when two other ​people, ​especially two ​people having a ​romantic ​relationship, ​want to be ​alone.

      http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-pla2.htm This might give you a further insight into the well-worn phrase.

      Thanks for coming by. :)

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  14. Does Berri-Berri count as a fruit or a vegetable...?

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    1. You'd veri-veri much would get beriberi if you didn't eat berries...but, more importantly, you'd need to add them to your dessert after you've had loads of thiamine (B1) as part of your main meal; or add them to your whole grains, cereals, oatmeal, seeds etc. you have for breakfast.

      However I know you already do this now that you're on your healthy-eating kick! Berry, berry good, Mr. Ad-Man! :)

      Be one with B! and you won't get beriberi! Thanks for coming by. :)

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  15. It is almost lunch here and as I read it made me very very hungry. The kale salad recipe sounds Heavenly. Herndon Hill hotel (as I like to call our home when visitors linger) officially closed today and will not open again until December. Might have to stir up that salad for the next guest. We have a volunteer Mulberry tree planted by some flying friend and we have to drive fast when we pass it on the drive whenever fruit is dropping. Need yawl to come pick them. Silkworms, only worms I handled as a youth was the one you put on hooks to catch fish. Peace

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  16. Hi Lady Di...silkworms were very popular when I was a kid...we all loved to watch them spin their silk. Much trading was done between friends.

    I think my hotel is permanently officially closed these days! lol

    Thanks for swinging by. :)

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  17. Mulberries! That makes me remember that mulberry juice must be one of the best drinks in the world. But you need an awful lot of mulberries to make it!

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    1. Hi there Jenny...well, you'll just have to find yourself a large tree that's producing loads of fruit...and I know where there's one!!! Just bring along a bucket or two with you! :)

      Thanks for coming by. :)

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  18. Loved the pun. I love playing with words and this is a first for me! Delightful and flavorful.

    Have a blessed weekend.

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    1. Welcome to my blog, Gail....nice of you to visit...please don't be a stranger. Thanks for coming by. :)

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