Country Peach Pocket Pies

Peaches are ripe and bountiful right now and I've got a box of peaches still remaining after a day of canning. Time for some creative ways to use up peaches! Not much time left, September is here and it's almost apple season! 

Like the bite marks? I forgot to take a picture before I dove in...yum. 

Country Peach Pocket Pies

Makes 6

1 1/4 cups Flour
1/4 tsp Salt
1/3 cups Regular or Butter Flavoured Shortening
1/4 cup Cold Water (more or less as needed)
1 & 1/2 cups Peaches (about 2 peaches), peeled & diced*
2 Tbsp Sugar
2 tsp Flour
pinch Nutmeg
pinch Cinnamon
pinch Salt
1/2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
Milk
Granulated or Powdered Sugar

Make pie dough with flour, salt, shortening and cold water. Mix flour and salt, then using a pastry cutter or a food processor, cut in the shortening until the mixture looks like oatmeal. Slowly add water 1 Tbsp at a time and mix with hands or pulse with processor until dough just sticks together. Do not refrigerate or use previously frozen it needs to be stretchy or it will break. Roll out dough on a floured surface and cut 5" circles or use a hand-pie maker to make the pie crust. .

Combine Peaches, sugar, flour, seasonings and lemon juice in a separate bowl.

Add 1 heaping Tbsp of filling in the centre of each pastry circles and fold outside edges together. Crimp edges together to seal or use a hand-pie maker. Brush milk on both sides to help dough brown nicely. Bake in a 375F oven for 15 minutes or until crust is nicely browned.

Dust with sugar and let them cool about 10 minutes before serving (the filling can be really hot!). Great with a big dollop of whip cream or ice cream.

Perfect sunny afternoon dessert.

~Adel~

*to peel fresh peaches, immerse them in a pot of boiling water for about 60 seconds until the skins start to crack. Place the hot peaches into a bowl of ice water and let them cool for about a minute, then rub the skins off. Voila...skinned peaches. Cut as needed for preserving or fresh peach recipes.

Preserving Peaches

Beautiful ripe peaches that fill the air with their delicious fragrance are piled high in 20 lb boxes at my local market. It's time to buckle down and learn to preserve some of those delicious things I grew up on. 

I recall my mother telling me that she used to can 100 lbs of peaches, and similar amounts of raspberries and cherries. We had a huge cool room in our basement and one entire wall was filled with jars of fruit & vegetables. I don't think I'm quite that determined, our meals are seldom followed by dessert (as was the tradition in my family), and my access to fresh fruit is significantly more than we had when I was younger, so I'm not so concerned about stocking up. Simply, I've decided to can peaches because I love the flavour of home-canned fruit and it is a very good skill to learn. So, taking the plunge, I bought 40 lbs and set about learning something new. 

I am not a complete stranger to canning, I spent most of my summers helping my mom peel, cut, stuff and boil various things and I've been making my own jam for a few years, but this is my first experience canning fruit on my own. 

I learned a few things about getting the skin off the peaches and by the time I was done I had the timing down just perfect...60 seconds in the boiling water and a dip in ice water and those skins peeled right off.

I managed to make a huge mess cutting up the peaches to put in jars, but in the end, I got 12 jars of beautiful peaches in a medium-light syrup, preserving that just-picked flavour for the cool rainy months when I can't find peaches in the store. I froze the rest of those 40 lbs as sliced peaches for smoothies and pies. The freezer is getting really full too!

One jar didn't seal, so we were able to have a taste of home-made canned peaches without waiting for the rainy season to start!

Well, there you have it, my first fruit canning experience done, I'd say it's a success...only one jar didn't seal! Now it's on to tomatoes...

~Adel~

Cherry Varenyky (Pierogi)

Cherry Varenyky is one of Papa Ladybug's favourite things, so when it's cherry season, I try to make him some. Varenyky (aka Pierogi) is a Ukrainian/Mennonite traditional dumpling usually stuffed with dry cottage cheese or potatoes, but sometimes you'll find fruit in them too. It's been a few years since I had the time to do this, but this morning, amidst the insanity and sleeplessness, I decided it was time. Plus, it's a huge thank you to nana and papa ladybug for taking the kids for the night so we can sleep!

Cherry Varenyky

2 Egg Whites

1 cup Milk

3 cups Flour

1/4 tsp Salt

Cherries, halved and pitted

Sugar

Mix eggs and milk together in a bowl. Add flour and salt and mix until dough is well combined. Add more flour to make a slightly less sticky dough if needed. Wrap dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before rolling out dough (I usually do overnight).

Roll out dough and cut squares or circles. You can also pinch off dough and make a ball to roll out for each one. Once your dough is rolled and cut to desired shape, place 2 cherry halves in the centre, sprinkle with a bit of sugar and fold one side over and pinch together to create a half circle or triangle. Use water to moisten edges if you are having trouble getting the edges to stick.

Add to a pot of salted boiling water and boil for 5 minutes. Drain water and serve with rogers syrup, cream gravy, sour cream, sweetened whip cream or sugar as desired. I personally like them for dessert with whip cream and sugar.

Other great fruit Varenyky options include strawberry, raspberry, blueberry, peach, and blackberry.

~Adel~

Strawberry Jam

It's been a lovely season for strawberries in the Fraser Valley and I've been making everything I can think of with the strawberries we picked at Krause Berry Farms, today was Strawberry Jam. 

I invited some dear friends, Sue & Amanda to join me in jam making - it's always so much more fun to do things like this with other people! All three of us have twins around a similar age, so they all played wonderfully in the rec room while we worked hard in the kitchen.

Every time I make jam I'm always surprised that it's not as hard as it seems. Sure there's some prep work to be done and you need to have all the tools ready and sanitized, but once I get going it really only takes me 1/2 hour to make a batch. So for anyone else overwhelmed by the idea of making jam - it's really not that hard, just give it a try for delicious jam. The best part is that you know exactly what's in it and it always tastes better homemade!

We used the Bernardin Pectin Classic Easy Strawberry Jam Recipe.

Strawberries from Krause Berry Farms

Mashed Strawberries

We cooked the Strawberries, lemon juice & Pectin, then added the sugar (I used 1 less cup of sugar) and boiled again.

Poured the jam into jars, put the lids on, and "canned" them in boiling water for 10 minutes.

Finished product (always happy to hear those lids popping!)

Who can resist a warm loaf of homemade bread with freshly made jam!

Yummy!

Hope this inspires you to pick some fresh berries or fruit and make your own homemade jam!

~Adel~

You may also like...

Apricot Jam

Almost Whole Wheat Bread

Strawberry Tiramisu

It's strawberry season and time to dig out all those fabulous strawberry recipes! 

I decided to make a Tiramisu with a layer of strawberries and a few adjustments (I'm not a fan of the raw eggs), something I made for Daddy Ladybug for a Valentines Day dessert ages ago when we were dating.

Strawberry Tiramisu

2-3 cups fresh Strawberries

2 cups Mascarpone Cheese

2 cups Whipping Cream

1 Tbsp Sugar

1 tsp Vanilla

3 Tbsp Coffee Liqueur

Ladyfingers (enough for 2 layers in your desired dish), I used 36

3 cups Hot Water

4 tsp Instant Espresso Powder

Cocoa Powder (for garnish)

In a shallow bowl, combine hot water and espresso powder, allow to cool while assembling the other layers. Slice strawberries, leaving a few unsliced for garnish, set aside. In a large bowl, whip cream, sugar, vanilla and coffee liqueur until it forms soft peaks. Add mascarpone and mix well, set aside. 

Now to assemble: Dip Ladyfingers (both sides) in coffee mixture and create a layer on the bottom of your serving dish. Top with 1/2 cheese & cream mixture and spread evenly. Add a layer of sliced strawberries, another layer of dipped Ladyfingers and the remaining layer of cheesy and cream. Dust top with cocoa powder and garnish with strawberries.

Let cool in the fridge for at least 1 hour before serving.

Delicious light and fresh dessert, perfect for entertaining or celebrating something special.

~Adel~