From a CSA member….

We just had some of this ketchup on veggie burgers and both agreed that it was great.

Here’s the recipe, from the Joy of Picking :

2 pounds currants or gooseberries
3 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups cider vinegar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground mace (we used a little under 1 teaspoon nutmeg instead)
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground ginger

1. In a nonreactive pot, bring the fruit, sugar, and vinegar to a boil. Reduce the heat, and simmer the mixture until the fruit is soft.
2. Puree the mixture in a food mill., or press it through a sieve.  Return the mixture to the pan, add the spices, and cook the ketchup until it is think. (about as thick as tomato ketchup).
3. Ladle the ketchup into pint or half-pint mason jars, leaving 1/4 inch head-space  Close the jars with hot two-piece lids.  To ensure a good seal, process the jars for 20 minutes in a boiling-water bath.
4. Store the cool jars in a cool, dry, dark place.

Makes 2 pints.

-Yum!

Michele, at Hayward House B&B in Interlaken, is serving up delicious gooseberry and currant treats for her guests this weekend.    Our nearly complete recipe book is full of Michele’s berry baked goodies.  This season the challenge is to come up with berry cocktail recipes.  Send us your best cocktail recipe, we have a CSA volunteer who will taste test each recipe and we’ll post all of them here as well.  At the rate I’m going, we can put them into the recipe book as well.

We will be at the Ithaca Farmer’s Market on both Saturday and Sundays through berry season and into melon season.  We have been picking like mad and this weekend we will hit the market with:  black raspberries; gooseberries (Invicta, Hinnomaki Red, Hinnomaki Yellow, Tixia, Black Velvet); red currants, black currants, white currants, and those most delicious Pink Champagne currants.   CSA folks, bring a box to carry all your goodies this week!

Gooseberries and currants (Ribes) are now ripening.  For the past week we had Jonkherr van Tets & Red Lake red currants and now the berry fun will really begin.  Look for Ribes at the Tuesday & Saturday IFM.  We are negotiating with Green Star to sell gooseberries and currants but so far we are unsatisfied with their mark-up on the fruit price.

The Daring Drake Farm Produce Stand on County Road 138 is now open for business.  All fruit and vegetables sold at the stand are grown by us unless otherwise noted.  We have asked other local, organic growers whose agricultural practices we respect to help stock the stand.  All produce will be noted as to farm origin.  We will not sell produce that we picked up at the docks – fruit and vegetables picked before being ripe and shipped a distance before reaching our area.  Support local farmers, buy local food!