Monday, August 17, 2009

Nature's perfect food... free!



The kids and I spent some time at Grandma's house last week and on the top of our list of things to do was pick blackberries. In summers past I've canned a lot of jelly, syrups, etc. But our pantry is stocked to the brim with jelly, so we thought this year, we'd stick with picking and freezing.
Still, I have big plans for those frozen berries. My kids love nibbling on berries just by themselves. In fact, I had a hard time picking fast enough to keep my 1 1/2 year old satisfied. And besides that, they are great for cobblers and smoothies. Plus, I've been toying with the idea of trying to make my own yogurt and this would be a great flavor additive. All this for picking free berries in my mom's backyard. Here's some other great information on this wonderful fruit:

Blackberry Nutritional Facts

Health Benefits of Blackberries

More Blackberry Nutrition Facts

We had a great time picking berries and I love teaching my kids that the food on the table actually comes from somewhere other than the supermarket. Knowing that they have whole, unprocessed, nutritious foods going into their bodies is a delight and a true passion for me. Looking at it now, I'm excited to be developing their tastebuds for nutritious foods that will serve as body building blocks for a life time.

For more Tackle it Tuesday ideas, check out 5 Minutes for Mom.

For more Frugal Friday ideas, check out Life as Mom.

7 comments:

Andrea said...

Oh yum!! We discovered wild raspberries in our backyard last year. I don't know how they got there, but there they are. This year, they put out several cups of berries and we had a ball picking them all. They stopped producing about a month and a half ago, but my kids still visit the vines, hoping they'll find a stray raspberry.

B said...

And that is alot of work so therefore a great tackle.

I cannot keep jellyh or jam in stock at my house and I'm forever making it. I love doing it and it pleases me when I see my kids gobble it down.

Buffie said...

Yummy! Super fresh berries are the best. I hope you and the kids enjoyed them and had some left to freeze for later.

annies home said...

delicious and educational what better way of teaching than hands on

Susie said...

What a great and yummy tackle! We will be doing some of that this week with our grapes and pears:-)

Anonymous said...

Yummy! Of all of the things I've canned I've yet to can jelly and jams.

The Prudent Homemaker said...

They don't grow wild here (not much does, as I live in the desert).

But they do grow in my backyard :)

I planted thornless blackberries at my house. Mine ripened several months ago. I don't get enough for jam, though. I freeze all of ours.

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