Berry Recipes from The Oregon Berry Festival and New Seasons: Berry Popsicles, Summer Berry and Farro Salad

I mentioned a couple weeks ago how I attended the annual Oregon Berry Festival and swooned at the Oregon Berry Festival Gala Berry Dinner. Earlier during the day, as they have done for the past 5 years, they had a free festival in which they offered various booths promoting berries both in fresh and product form.
A look at the Oregon Berry Festival 2015 at EcoTrust building Berries galore to sample and purchase fresh from the farmers and from local fruit product producers at the free annual Oregon Berry Festival in July

If you’ve been to any Oregon Farmer’s Market or local grocery store, it probably doesn’t surprise you if I tell you that Oregon recognized worldwide as the “Berry State”, growing just about every major berry that grows in the United States. You can find strawberries, blueberries, cranberries, blackberries, marionberries, loganberries, boysenberries, red raspberries, black raspberries, gooseberries, huckleberry, mulberry, even berries you and I probably have never heard of like sumac waldo berry and more. Many (including myself) particularly adore Oregon berries of the particular climate we have here, in which the days are warm the evenings in the spring and summer always cool off unlike many other places where it doesn’t drop as comfortably as we enjoy here.
Which Berry Are you? Marionberry: A native oregonian, complex, rich and earthy Cranberry: Zingy and versatile, loves holidays blueberry: well rounded easy going and popular Strawberry: sweet, traditional and well loved Waldo berry: Mysterious, original and easy going

Two stages hosted live music and berry demonstrations – including an hour berry cooking demo and samples from one of the sponsors, New Seasons Market who also had a booth. In the cloudless windless 90 something degrees weather, they cheerfully made Salmon with Blackberry Pinot Noir sauce and had samples.
New Seasons Market doing a demonstration of Salmon with Blackberry Pinot Noir Sauce at the Oregon Berry Festival 2015 New Seasons Market doing a demonstration of Salmon with Blackberry Pinot Noir Sauce at the Oregon Berry Festival 2015

I’m going share two of my favorite recipes I learned from New Seasons at Oregon Berry Festival 2015: Raspberry Peppercorn Popsicles, and Summer Berry and Farro Salad. Keep in mind that although I am publishing this in berry season, you don’t have to only buy berries fresh in order to support your local Oregon berries. Check out the freezer section for frozen fresh berries from Stahlbush Island Farms, Scenic Fruit, Palmer Creek Fruit Company, etc.

Berry Popsicles

I love how dramatic these look, and they only use berries, sparkling water and local honey. There were two types that New Seasons shared: a Raspberry Peppercorn Popsicle version, and a Blackberry Basil Popsicle version you can see below.

New Seasons Market did a demonstration of Blackberry Basil Popsicles at the Oregon Berry Festival 2015

Blackberry Basil Ingredients:

  • 2 pints of ripe blackberries (if fresh blackberries are not available, use fresh frozen local Oregon berries – this allows you to still support local and they are quick frozen while they are fresh so they will taste great. Buying frozen in the off season is great because you can just pour out the amount you need and reseal too!).
  • 1 bunch of basil: set aside one leaf for each popsicle mold, and the rest you should slice into thin ribbons aka chiffonade
  • 1 quart of sparkling water (4 pints)
  • 1/4 cup of local honey

Blackberry Basil Popsicle Directions:

  1. Gently rinse blackberries. Take one pint of the blackberries and place loosely on a sheet tray and put in freezer until the berries are firmed up and set.
  2. Take the other pint and place in a sauce pan with the honey on medium heat. Add the basil chiffonade and 1 pint of sparkling water. Heat until the berries dissolve and the honey is incorporated. Remove from heat and let cool before straining through a fine mesh sieve.
  3. Add the remaining 3 pints of sparkling water to your strained berry honey basil mixture.
  4. Meanwhile, in your popsicle molds (this should be enough for 6, but it depends on the size and shape of your molds), add some of the individual frozen berries from Step 1. Next, place a whole basil leaf inside each mold as well. Fill the rest of the popsicle mold with your berry mixture.
  5. Place your popsicle molds in the freezer until set.
  6. Pop out and enjoy!

A look at what these BlackBerry Popsicles look like as they are being popped out… and I am totally coveting that strawberries apron in the background.
New Seasons Market did a demonstration of Blackberry Basil Popsicles at the Oregon Berry Festival 2015 New Seasons Market did a demonstration of Blackberry Basil Popsicles at the Oregon Berry Festival 2015
Both of these Popsicles recipes are crazy easy and samples were disappearing in seconds at the Oregon Berry Festival and pleasing adults and kids alike.
New Seasons Market did a demonstration of Blackberry Basil Popsicles at the Oregon Berry Festival 2015 New Seasons Market did a demonstration of Blackberry Basil Popsicles at the Oregon Berry Festival 2015

Raspberry Peppercorn Ingredients:

  • 3 pints of ripe raspberries (if fresh raspberries are not available, use fresh frozen local Oregon berries – this allows you to still support local and they are quick frozen while they are fresh so they will taste great. Buying frozen in the off season is great because you can just pour out the amount you need and reseal too!).
  • 20 pink peppercorns, crushed
  • 18 pink peppercorns, whole
  • 1 quart of sparkling water (4 pints)
  • 1/4 cup of local honey

Raspberry Peppercorn Popsicle Directions:

  1. Gently rinse raspberries. Take one pint of the raspberries and place loosely on a sheet tray and put in freezer until the raspberries are firmed up and set.
  2. Take the other 2 pints and place in a sauce pan with the honey on medium heat. Add the crushed peppercorns and 1 pint of sparkling water. Heat until the berries dissolve and the honey is incorporated. Remove from heat and let cool before straining through a fine mesh sieve.
  3. Add the remaining 3 pints of sparkling water to your strained berry honey crushed peppercorn mixture.
  4. Meanwhile, in your popsicle molds (this should be enough for 6, but it depends on the size and shape of your molds), add some of the individual frozen berries from Step 1. Then place 3 whole peppercorns on top of them. Fill the rest of the popsicle mold with your berry mixture.
  5. Place your popsicle molds in the freezer until set.
  6. Pop out and enjoy

Summer Berry and Farro Salad

Oregon Blueberries are the star of this recipe for Summer Berry and Farro Salad, perfect to make ahead of time for a lunch or picnic

The Summer Berry and Farro Salad takes a little bit of time to prepare the farro first, but the recipe makes enough for 10. This fed us for several days of meals afterwards. The dish is great cold or room temperature, making it a great make ahead lunch to take to work or to take on a picnic or road trip to the Oregon Coast to cool off during a summer heat wave. I also love that it’s a savory way to enjoy blueberries.
Oregon blueberries Oregon blueberries

Ingredients:

  • 1 16 ounce package of whole farro
  • 3 tablespoons of raspberry vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon of local honey
  • 1/2 teaspoon of dijon mustard
  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 1/2 cup chopped green onions (or you can use chives)
  • 1/2 cup roughly chopped basil (or mint)
  • Roughly 2 cups of blueberries (I know there will be some “loss” as you quality test the blueberries…)
  • 1/2 cup feta cheese (you can make this optional – I served the feta on the side as F didn’t want it, but I did)
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

  1. First prepare the farro according to package instructions and set aside to cool. This may vary in time – for instance the whole wheat farro I purchased I soaked for 30 minutes first, then after the water boiled I had to let it cook for 30 minutes.
  2. To make vinaigrette while the farro is cooking, whisk together the vinegar, honey, mustard, and then the olive oil until it is all incorporated. Add salt and pepper to taste – depending on how much raspberry vinegar taste you want you can play a bit with the vinegar, honey, and mustard with a bit more.
  3. Pour the raspberry vinaigrette you have just made into the farro when it is done and mix. Now let the farro cool – I stuck mine in the freezer for 15 minutes to make it cool faster!
  4. As the farro is cooling, you can chop your green onions/chives and basil/mint and gently wash your blueberries. When the farro is only slightly warm or room temperature, mix in carefully the green onions, basil, blueberries and feta. If you’d like, hold back a few small leaves of basil and feta to garnish on top when you serve!

Oregon Blueberries are the star of this recipe for Summer Berry and Farro Salad, perfect to make ahead of time for a lunch or picnic Oregon Blueberries are the star of this recipe for Summer Berry and Farro Salad, perfect to make ahead of time for a lunch or picnic
I have one more berry recipe coming – and don’t forget about my Blackberry Grilled Cheese I shared with you a few weeks back.

Keep an eye out for the Oregon Berry Festival next year. As I mentioned, it’s a FREE festival celebrating Oregon (which did you know is the “Berry State”, home to just about every major berry that grows in the US?) and you too, can pick up great recipes like these! Here are a few more photos from the Oregon Berry Festival so you can see some examples of the great berries and berry products you can be introduced to at the festival. Of course, nothing is holding you back from seeking these delicious berry products right now either! Besides fresh, you can find Oregon berries in fresh form, pies and tarts, in

  • Hot Lips Sodas which you can get with your Hot Lips pizza but also at the store featuring half a dozen flavors (I like the Marionberry Soda, and also their Hawaiian Ginger Ale)
  • Beer (No Li Brewhouse in Spokane produced the Tart Cherry Ale with 1.5 lbs per gallon of Oregon Specialty Fruit cherries and cranberries, many of the beers at the Portland Fruit Beer Festival and from many other breweries also use Oregon Specialty Fruit purees)
  • Liquors like East Side Distilling‘s Cherry Bomb and Marionberry Whiskeys
  • Drinking Vinegars and Fruit Shrubs (like Lola’s Fruit Shrubs, hand made in Eugene OR and in flavors like Strawberry Balsamic, Raspberry Lemon, Blackberry Basil, Blueberry Ginger, and Straight Lime)
  • combined with goat cheese like with Portland Creamery
  • Your Northwest (with stores conventionally at the PDX airport to tuck into your carry on bag post security to take to your destination as a gift or for yourself) boasts berry products varying from jellies, syrups, vinaigrettes, pie and cobbler filling to grill sauces and glazes for your bbq
  • And more!

Berries galore to sample and purchase fresh from the farmers and from local fruit product producers at the free annual Oregon Berry Festival in July Berries galore to sample and purchase fresh from the farmers and from local fruit product producers at the free annual Oregon Berry Festival in July, for example these delicious Hot Lips sodas Berries galore to sample and purchase fresh from the farmers and from local fruit product producers at the free annual Oregon Berry Festival in July Oregon Specialty Fruit had a booth at the free annual Oregon Berry Festival in July No Li Brewhouse in Spokane produced the Tart Cherry Ale with 1.5 lbs per gallon of Oregon Specialty Fruit cherries and cranberries Berries galore to sample and purchase fresh from the farmers and from local fruit product producers at the free annual Oregon Berry Festival in July You can find Oregon Berries in East Side Distilling's Cherry Bomb and Marionberry Whiskeys You can find Oregon Berries in East Side Distilling's Cherry Bomb and Marionberry Whiskeys Berries galore to sample and purchase fresh from the farmers and from local fruit product producers at the free annual Oregon Berry Festival in July. One example is Lola's Fruit Shrubs, hand made in Eugene OR and in flavors like Strawberry Balsamic, Raspberry Lemon, Blackberry Basil, Blueberry Ginger, and Straight Lime Berries galore to sample and purchase fresh from the farmers and from local fruit product producers at the free annual Oregon Berry Festival in July, including Portland Creamery goat cheese Representing berries as a healthy habit to have and promoting to end type 2 diabetes in children was the Blueberry Family Health Foundation at the Oregon Berry Festival At Oregon Berry Festival 2015 we learned how to incorporate berries into Indian cuisine with Minal Rajan at the Healthy Berry Pavilion Your Northwest boasts berry products varying from jellies, syrups, vinaigrettes, pie and cobbler filling to grill sauces and glazes for your bbq Your Northwest boasts berry products varying from jellies, syrups, vinaigrettes, pie and cobbler filling to grill sauces and glazes for your bbq

Which Berry Are you?

  • Marionberry: A native Oregonian, complex, rich and earthy
  • Cranberry: Zingy and versatile, loves holidays blueberry: well rounded easy going and popular
  • Strawberry: sweet, traditional and well loved
  • Waldo berry: Mysterious, original and easy going

Disclosure: I attended the Oregon Berry Festival Gala dinner as part of a media pass of the Oregon Berry Festival courtesy of the Oregon Raspberry and Blackberry Commission, but I will always provide my honest opinion and assessment of all products and experiences I may be given. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are entirely my own. 

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Oregon Berry Festival 2015 and BlackBerry Grilled Cheese

Next weekend on Friday July 17 and Saturday July 18 is the 5th annual Lifewise Oregon Berry Festival 2015. This FREE festival at the Ecotrust building  in the Pearl District showcases everything berry, from

  • Fresh berry vendors booths with their farm fresh berries and berry products
  • A Healthy Berry Pavilion education booth with information to introduce you to berries you may not be aware of or ways to incorporate berries into your diet and explain all the various health benefits of berries. And there’s also a culinary historian to give a brief history of Oregon berries.
  • Berry themed food booths
  • Cooking demonstrations featuring berries
  • An Oregon’s Best Blackberry pie contest and demo by Pacific Pie Company
  • Berry themed crafts at a children’s booth, appearances by blueberry mascot Ima Blueberry with coloring sheets and face painting, as well as family friendly live musical entertainment
  • There’s a chance to win a bike by filling out a Oregon Berry Festival passport by following clues and gathering stamps from vendors
  • On Saturday evening a separate Gala Berry Dinner at OMSI will be held to show how you can use berries for every course, from cocktail hour to savory to sweet dishes (tickets are $105 all inclusive, available at Brown Paper Tickets)

Lifewise Oregon Berry Festival Lifewise Oregon Berry Festival

I’ll be attending the Berry Festival on Saturday at part of a Berry Festival media tour with the Oregon Raspberry & Blackberry Commission (ORBC), including visiting a working berry farm. I’ll be reporting back with what I learn and a NEW recipe. For now though…

What: Oregon Berry Festival 2015
When:

  • Friday, July 17, from 12:00pm to 6:00pm
  • Saturday, July 18, from 11:00am to 5:00pm

Where: Ecotrust Event Space at NW 10th and Johnson, Portland, Oregon
Who: Everybody… and it’s FREE!

Recipe for a Berry Grilled Cheese

Blackberry Grilled Cheese with blackberries, basil, fontina, a touch of pesto
Usually my berry consumption is raw: right out of the pint, in beverage form via smoothie or juice (or fruit beer!!), sometimes it’s folded into a salad or ice cream or sorbet. I rarely have it cooked, and when I have cooked berries it’s generally because it is part if a dish while I’m dining out. Also, I am a cook that prefers the forgiveness of savory foods, not a baker. What can I say, I guess I’m not a sweet girl who follows precise technical instructions.

In celebration of the upcoming festival though, I decided to seek out a recipe featuring berry and that cooks with it but isn’t a traditional dessert – and when I saw this Fontina + Blackberry Basil Smash Sandwich from the blog how sweet it is (with her upcoming cookbook Seriously Delish coming out soon), I was sold.
Blackberry Grilled Cheese with blackberries, basil, fontina, a touch of pesto Blackberry Grilled Cheese with blackberries, basil, fontina, a touch of pesto

I’m not going to provide the whole recipe here: you should definitely click on over to check out her gorgeous photos and the recipe instructions yourself. But, at a high level you only need a handful of ingredients!
For your Blackbery Basil grilled cheese, you will use Oregon Blackberries, about 4 ounces (about 14 berries) per sandwich Blackberry and Basil, a great combination of flavors

  • Multigrain bread: I used Franz Mt Hood Multigrain and Flax
  • Fresh Oregon Blackberries
  • Chopped fresh basil leaves from my garden
  • Fontina cheese (mine are from one of my local cheese loves, Willamette Valley Cheese Co)
  • And a little olive oil or butter for grilling!

The slight changes I made is that I probably used a lot more basil than she did for my sandwich (I used about 4 ounces of blackberries, which was about 14 berries FYI and almost 7 basil leaves for each individual sandwich) because I love basil. Do not wear a white shirt when making this blackberry basil smash part/get your apron out.
Make sure you carefully smash your blackberries as it does squirt a bit. Don't wear a white shirt For the Blackberry Grilled Cheese, I used about 14 blackberries and chopped 7-8 leaves of basil for each sandwich

I suggest brushing on the olive oil or melted butter on both sides of the bread before adding your spoonfuls of blackberry basil smash as that makes more logistical sense than her order. I also had a little leftover pesto from the Cashew Cheese on Cucumber recipe I shared earlier this week, so smeared that on also. I was generous with my cheese, probably about 3 ounces per sandwich, which I grated to melt better and spread over every centimeter of my bread.
Franz Mt Hood Multigrain and Flax bread makes for great sandwiches, especially grilled cheese! I used a little pesto inside my Blackberry Basil Grilled cheese Grilling my Blackberry Basil Smash grilled cheese sandwich, adding the grated fontina to the bread and pesto

Since you grill this low and slow to get melty and brown, it shouldn’t heat up your kitchen too much. Maybe you are calling me a cheat because it isn’t so much cooking the berries as slightly warming them up, and the only prep is smashing them essentially into jam… but I don’t care.

Blackberry Grilled Cheese with blackberries, basil, fontina, a touch of pesto

This recipe is ALL win.

Warning: this sandwich needs 2 napkins or a paper towel. I would not fault you for serving this open faced because it really is pretty too!
Blackberry Grilled Cheese with blackberries, basil, fontina, a touch of pesto Blackberry Grilled Cheese with blackberries, basil, fontina, a touch of pesto

For additional variant, you could swap out the fontina for a brie if you can’t find fontina, and feel free to add grilled chicken as a protein to your sandwich.

If you are looking for more berry good recipes, feel free to check out the website Oregon Berries, which not only provides information on various Oregon berries, but has a portion dedicated to berry recipes from food bloggers at Bloggers ♥ Oregon Berries as well as a Recipe Search based on the berry that may intrigue you!

I also have a few more past berry recipes I’ve shared: you can see that strawberries are my favorite berry, and that I could put together a whole dinner with just berries for every course if I wanted to! I wonder what the James Beard Award winning Chef Jim Dodge of the Gala Berry Dinner 2015 for the Oregon Berry Festival will do?!

Have you heard of the Oregon Berry Festival? What is your favorite berry, and how do you like to enjoy it, do you have a favorite recipe with berries and what is it?

Disclosure: I will be attending a media tour of the Oregon Berry Festival, but I will always provide my honest opinion and assessment of all products and experiences I may be given. The views and opinions expressed in this blog are entirely my own. And, this recipe is really delicious, as are all the strawberry recipes I previously shared on the blog. Support Oregon Berries to support local producers and it’s healthy and yummy!

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