[Devotay]

June. In Iowa June means berries: Raspberries, Blackberries, Strawberries, and Cherries. They should come to fruition in approximately that order, which leads to a whole month of joy for the gardener and the forager as well as the cook.

Raspberries are probably native to Asia, though some botanists disagree on this point. Acclaimed food writer Waverly Root points out that regardless of what proof the scientists may have, you can taste the orient in the raspberry, “It breathes the Orient – rich, exotic, spice-laden with a hint of musk.”

Now the raspberry grows, wild and cultivated, throughout much of the temperate world. Even so, it was considered quite a luxury until very recent times. George Bush Sr. was not the first Presidential candidate to be accused of being out of touch with the common man, indeed Mr. Root tells us that the Whigs attacked Martin Van Buren during his 1840 campaign for “wallowing lasciviously in raspberries.”

Today raspberries do command a premium, but that is more a function of economics; packaging, transporting and attempting to buy and sell them out of season are what make for $4.50 half pints. If you have a sunny spot to spare, raspberries grow voraciously here in Iowa and one starter shoot costs less than that half pint.

For you would-be foragers, it is quite safe to go looking for wild raspberries and blackberries in the woods of eastern Iowa, as there are no poisonous berries that could reasonably be mistaken for a raspberry. They are plentiful as well. I know of one particularly good spot near the Coralville Reservoir. To tell the difference, by the way, between a black raspberry and a blackberry, pick one. If the fruit comes off leaving a stubby white stem behind and an empty hole in the top of the fruit, it is a raspberry. Blackberries come of the bush whole. Either fruit makes a marvelous vinaigrette for your arugula or your sorrel, and both make great coulis, although you should put the raspberry with chocolate and the blackberry with vanilla.

Strawberries, too, have a long history. Virgil wrote of them, though only to warn children picking them to beware of snakes. They have been cultivated for hundreds of years, but the cultivation has not led to any substantial improvement in quality. That is, unless you count shelf life and “shipability” as improvements.

The fresh strawberry, especially the rare little Alpine white, is at its peak this time of year. The slightly larger and much more common reds are the perfect accompaniment to your last crop of rhubarb, which should be coming in about now. Also, if you have yet to discover the miraculous marriage of strawberries with balsamic vinegar, you must avail yourself immediately. Simply toss fresh, sliced strawberries with straight balsamic vinegar. Trust me.

The cherry has more history than it’s minor part in presidential lore as well. To again refer to Waverly Root, the story of George Washington and his cherry tree “was an invention of Parson Weems, in his The Life of George Washington; With Curious Anecdotes, Equally Honorable to Himself and Exemplary to his Young Countrymen.” Still, wild cherries have grown all over the northern hemisphere for thousands of years and are relatively easy to grow in your own orchard, provided you can manage to harvest them before the birds do.

While I am not often a proponent of “fusion” cuisine, cherries make an incredible salsa with the Japanese Mangoes that are just coming into season as the cherry season here ends.

The Recipes:

Berry Vinaigrette

1/3 cup Red Wine Vinegar
2 Shallots, Minced
1 T Dijon Mustard
1 T Fresh Chervil
1/2 cup fresh raspberries or blackberries
1 cup Grapeseed Oil
Salt and Black Pepper to taste

In a bowl or food processor, whip the vinegar, shallots, mustard, chervil and raspberries until fully incorporated and smooth. Strain through fine mesh or cheesecloth to remove the seeds. Return to bowl or food processor and whip rapidly while adding the oil in a slow, steady stream. When all the oil is emulsified into the fruit vinegar mixture, taste, season with salt and pepper and taste again.

Makes enough for 10-12 green salads. Also a nice marinade for chicken, pork and some fish. Will keep in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.

Berry Coulis

For each cup of raspberries or blackberries, make about ½ cup simple syrup (that’s equal parts sugar and water brought to a boil). Puree the berries in a blender or food processor, and add simple syrup to taste. Strain through fine mesh for a more elegant appearance. Use a “squeezee” bottle to make nice designs on dessert plates.

Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie Filling

Nearly everyone has his or her own favorite piecrust recipe, so I encourage you to use yours, except to say please use butter or lard, not shortening or margarine. Not only are the latter two indigestible, they make heavy, leaden crusts to boot!

2 eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 C sugar
2 T all-purpose flour
1½ C fresh rhubarb, sliced
1½ C fresh strawberries, halved or quartered (depending on size)
1 t orange zest
1 T orange juice
1 t fresh ground cardamom
a little butter, to top

Beat the sugar and flour into the eggs. Fold in the remaining ingredients (except the butter). Fill an unbaked pie shell and top with bits of the butter. Cover this with a lattice of pie dough, brush with egg wash, sprinkle with sugar and bake about 40 minutes at 350ºf, until golden brown. Allow to cool in the kitchen window to make your neighbors envious.

Mango-Cherry “Pico de Gallo”

2 mangos -- peel, seed, dice
6 ounces cherries -- pitted & halved
1 red bell pepper -- seeded & diced
1 green bell pepper -- seeded & diced
1 red onion -- peeled and julienne
2 serrano pepper -- seeded & minced
1/3 cup cilantro -- chopped
2 limes -- juiced

Simply mix all the ingredients and let stand refrigerated at least one hour. It is better though to make 1 day ahead and stir occasionally. It lasts in the refrigerator for about 3 days. Absolutely fantastic with almost any grilled item, especially pork, veal or salmon.

[phoebe]

Well, we JUST finished the all-too-brief cherry season . The farmer I buy from at the SM Farmers' Market says our season is Mother's Day to Father's day. Got my last batch of Rainiers (sp?) yesterday.
However, the stone fruit season is upon us and the market is a zoo! . Too many people, too many people with wire shopping carts, too many people pushing those of us who are actually buying out of the way so they can grab a taste. But it's all pretty friendly (though the guys on cell phones reporting back to someone--lazy chefs? cheap owners?--are a little weird. But the chefs who do come--even the ones with the sous pushing large double-decker carts--are pretty considerate. But I digress.
FRUIT! There are more different varieties of peaches and nectarines than my tongue/brain can discriminate between. Though I've learned not to brush my teeth before coming so I can at least initially identify true sweetness. I understand sommeliers aren't supposed to brush up to a few hours before service.
But my real favorite is the Blenheim apricot which just appeared yesterday.
see quick description of Blenheim apricots They are small and I always eat too many of them. But it's worth it!
Locally--my backyard --everything but the herbs and lettuces is on hold. The tomatoes and peppers are just waiting for "June Gloom" to be over. That's when we have no sun for weeks. The real problem--besides impatient gardeners who want those tomatoes to hurry up--is that there's a lot of moisture in the very still air with temps around 70, so powdery mildew has the potential to ruin a lot of hard work. Crossed fingers.

[Isa]

Nothing is in season yet. Everything is late because of the bad weather this spring. The strawberries should be available in the next two weeks, so will the lettuce.

[shroomgirl]

June 21....Black raspberries, carrots, fingerlings, bunch onions, chippiones, scallions, garlic scapes, green garlic, swiss chard, lettuces....lots of lettuces, first cherry tomatoes, blueberries (first ones this week) peaches are coming in soon (we have the most phenominal white peaches), cucumbers, squash, squash blossoms, turnips, beets....cylindrical, bulls blood, chioggia, golden...that's what I bought today....broccoli, snow peas, sugar snaps, shell peas, kholrabi, ummmmm I'm running out of thoughts.
So basically that was at the market today. Chevre, chickens, bison, eggs, honey, jams, breads were there also....I have discovered pumpernickle with breakfast radishes (oops forgot those) and butter.
I'm going out Wed. to get a couple of flats of black raspberries for jam making.

[phoebe]

Shroom--what are "breakfast radishes"? Really for breakfast ?

Barbara Spencer, one of the farmers at SM market, just turned me on to a variety of red onions called "torpedoes" (yes, they are shaped like torpedoes). When cooked, they turn really sweet--much sweeter than regular red onions--with a greater depth of flavor. Be sure to try them if/when you see them.

[cape chef]

Breakfast radishes are red and also look like a torpedo with a white end.

Icicle radishes and easter radishes are everywhere now as is watermelon radish

[shroomgirl]

got um today....also got chippione fresh with the green stem...oh yeah one of the farmers is raising pea tips and microgreens...also sunflower sprouts.

[Devotay]

Speaking of peaches, the best hands down are the suncrest peaches, which ought to be coming into season right about now. They have a lot in common with sex.

Speaking of radishes, we're growing something here called "Rat-tail Radishes" and they're in season now. They're not root vegetable, they're a seed pod, and I think that the plant is actually a mustard of some sort. The pods look like a cross between okra and haricot vert, they very tender and they taste like a good spicy radish.

[Pete]

Morels are just finishing up, up here. The cooler summer has extended the season, but little rain meant low yields. Rhubarb is also just starting to finish up around here. Went strawberry picking this past weekend, and they look great (guess that means more Strawberry-rhubarb pie ). The woods right now are full of wild black raspberries. Looks like it will be a week or two though, before they are ready to go.

Lots of great lettuces, spinach, and salad greens are around, at the markets. Radishes are also looking great.