Babies and Berries

We've been busy here the past few days! Our yard has literally exploded with fruit. Strange for Alaska, but true. The salmonberries are gone, but the blueberries and cherries are still here. Along with abundant raspberries, currants, and crab apples. I also found a serviceberry bush in our yard that I don't think even produced any berries in the past couple of years.

I made some raspberry jam yesterday that turned out perfect. Raspberries are my favorite. But I think there is only so much jam that one family needs for the winter. I really don't want to waste too much of our bounty, but I need some new ideas on what to do with all this. Especially the currants. I'm off to Google, but any suggestions would be welcome as well.

Also, my friend Chelsea had a new baby girl in the wee hours of the morning today. Her older daughter is still sleeping in our guest room, blissfully unaware that she is a big sister. It's all a bunch of excitement and warm fuzzies. Congratulations to the new mama! I hope she's getting some rest now.

I'm Cooking: My sister gave me this recipe for homemade veggie burgers, and they turned out great! Bryce even scarfed his down, and he is not a veggie burger kind of guy. I made the recipe into four burgers, and they were kind of big, so you could use your judgement on that.

Veggie Burgers

1/2 cup bulgur
1 cup boiling water
1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup grated Swiss cheese
1/2 cup grated carrots
1 scallion, thinly sliced
1 egg
salt & pepper
olive oil

Add the boiling water the bulgur in a bowl, and let sit, covered, about 30 minutes. Strain through a sieve, pressing to remove extra water. Pulse the beans in a food processor until coarsely chopped, and add to bulgur. Add remaining ingredients with salt and pepper to taste, and mix well.

Heat 1-2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium to high heat. Form the mix into patties, drop into the hot pan, and press with a spatula to flatten. Cook until well browned on both sides, working in batches with extra oil if needed.

I served these on buns with avocado, lettuce, tomatoes and mayo. Yum!