Raspberry Marshmallow Dessert

It’s a hard time of the year to be allergic to poison ivy.

Every day I go out and walk the trails on the property being very careful to stay in the exact center to avoid the nasty stuff that grows in abundance on both sides.

But the worst part is watching the black raspberries ripen and not be able to pick them! They sit there taunting me – just out of reach – surrounded by poison ivy like guards around the crown jewels.

<heavy sigh>

Thankfully I have children who are sensitive to their momma’s plight, take pity on me and pick those luscious berries and then share them.

The first few we traditionally eat on ice cream – but when the harvest picks up – so does our creativity!

Angel Girl tried a new recipe this weekend – a yummy marshmallow and raspberry concoction that got rave reviews.

We made it with black raspberries – but it’s pretty versatile and can be made with red raspberries, blackberries or even strawberries.

Raspberry Marshmallow Dessert

Crust :

1-1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/4 cup butter (melted)

Filling-

50 large marshmallows
1 cup milk
1 carton (8 ounces Cool Whip

Topping –

1 cup water
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons corn starch
2 tablespoons white corn syrup
1/4 cup raspberry jello
1 quart fresh raspberries, washed and drained

Combine the crumbs and butter, press into the bottom of a greased 9 x 13 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Cool.

In a large saucepan over medium heat, stir the marshmallows and milk until the marshmallows are melted. Cool to room temperature. Fold in Cool Whip and spread over crust.

In a medium saucepan combine the water, sugar, corn starch and white syrup for the topping. Cook and stir over medium heat until thick and bubbly. Remove from heat and add jello. When cool, add 1 quart of fresh berries and mix carefully. Spread over the top of the marshmallow mixture and chill.

Enjoy!

Deep Thoughts from the Raspberry Patch

I spent some time in the raspberry thickets again today. The berries are in their prime and look beautiful!

When most people think of berry picking, they see ladies in long skirts with woven baskets in sunny meadows

My reality is quite different. I dress in my oldest jeans, long sleeved shirt and rubber boots and trudge through ravines with an ice cream bucket. (Sorry to dispel your illusions!)

I have learned that the biggest, juicy most abundant berries are not close to the trails, They grow deep in the ravine.

To get these luscious berries I need to walk through brambles, step over fallen logs, reach around thorn trees and walk through wild rose bushes. It is not easy work.

I get scratched, my clothes get torn, I get jabbed by thorns. Sometimes I lose my balance or step into holes I didn’t even see.

Life is very much like that. It’s the hardest times in life, when painful circumstances jab us and throw us off balance, that produce the sweetest fruit.

“My most painful experiences have given me my greatest strength and fiber- what I most needed to mature. Through them I was forced to rely on the Lord, deal with reality for what it was, defer reward- in short, quit griping and grow up! The very things I hated have been the making of me.” ~ Luci Swindoll Cultivating Contentment

Makes me a little more thankful for the “ravines” in my life.

Black Raspberries

It was absolutely beautiful yesterday afternoon here on the farm, nice breeze, mild temperatures and low humidity. The perfect day for a walk with my husband.

It seems like taking a walk is one of the few places where we can still talk freely and not worry about being overheard, especially around birthdays.

With a very hectic next 3 weeks (including 3 birthdays!), we needed to touch base about several things and make some plans.

I carried a bucket with me just in case we discovered some wild black raspberries. They are abundant here on the farm, but this year they are late. We’ve been watching but so far have found just a handful.

But as we walked yesterday, we kept seeing small patches in the fence line and along the ravine. We would stop talking, move over and pick them clean before moving on. None of the patches had a great abundance of berries, but by the time we were done, we had picked over half of an ice cream bucket full.

I thought on the walk home, that picking those raspberries was a great illustration for how we’ll manage the next few weeks. We’ll just do the next thing.

I need to pick the patch that’s in front of me and then move on to the next one. Just pick one raspberry (or event) at a time and soon my bucket will be full.

Just do the next thing…