Summer Berry Compote Recipe
During the late Spring and into early Summer, mint and berries are springing up and getting ripe. Though mint may not be as fun for the kids, berry picking can be. This is especially true if your kids like to get outdoors. Berry picking can also turn into an educational opportunity. You can teach about Spring, seasons changing, and how plants grow (remember photosynthesis?).
Having a berry patch in your yard can make this even more fun, because you can watch strawberries go from just green leaves, to having pretty white and yellow flowers, to green berries, to sweet red berries, and then watch as they send out runners. Other berries are equally fun and their flowers have pleasant fragrances. This provides a great, hands-on way of learning that stimulates the senses, making it easier to remember the lesson, than having only read books. But, it might also be boring after 5 minutes!
This recipe is for a mixed berry compote. In my area, the strawberries are first to grow followed by raspberries, then blueberries, and lastly, the blackberries. If you are picking fresh berries to use for this recipe, wash and freeze berries as you gather them, until you have enough (6 cups). Otherwise, you can purchase fresh berries at the store. This recipe also works with store bought frozen berries. As a side note, berries tend to be heavily sprayed with toxic chemicals, so I recommend using organic berries or washing your fresh produce with a good fruit/veggie wash to help remove those chemicals. Organic or not, be sure to wash the fresh berries prior to consuming them or cooking with them (frozen berries are pre-washed). Once you have washed your berries, you’ll be ready to make the compote.
Looking for info on the benefits of berries and the herb Lemon Balm? Keep Reading…
Ingredients
6 cups of berries
1-2 teaspoons of lemon juice
½ cup sugar/honey (more as needed for thickness and flavor)
15-20 leaves of lemon balm
Directions:
Place the berries and lemon juice into a cast iron skillet or boiler and set the heat to medium. Cook for 4-5 minutes.
The juice should run out of the berries, and it helps to mash the berries occasionally to get more of the juice out. The mixture should bubble just a bit. If it is not producing enough liquid, add a bit of water or juice (grape, or orange juice work nicely).
Reduce the heat to low and add the honey, while stirring continuously to prevent burning (you don’t need to stir fast, just keep things moving).
After 1 minute, turn off the heat, and remove the skillet/boiler from the hot surface.
Add in the lemon balm leaves, stirring them into the mixture.
Enjoy the compote warm or allow it to cool.
Keep the remaining compote in the refrigerator for 1-2 weeks. It can be consumed directly from the refrigerator, without warming.
This compote can be used to top toast, biscuits, pancakes/waffles, oatmeal, or even yogurt! If you want to take this a step further, you can turn this berry compote into a cobbler filling. How do you turn that compote into a filling for a cobbler?
From Compote to Cobbler Filling
Return the compote to the stove in a cast iron skillet (or other pan that can transition to the oven) on low heat , and slowly add in a mixture of water and cornstarch. Tip: I like to mix about ½ a cup of water with 2 large tablespoons of cornstarch. Continue to slowly pour in and stir the cornstarch mixture until it becomes thick, resembling a pie filling.
Continue adding the cornstarch mixture until the filling is the consistency that you like. To achieve this, you may have to make more of the cornstarch mixture. Remember, once you turn off the heat and allow the mixture to cool, it will continue to thicken, so don’t add too much of the cornstarch mixture.
A cobbler needs a topping, and I like to use biscuits as the topping. A lattice style pie crust can also be used. Whatever you decide to use, make sure that you don’t cover the filling entirely. You’ll want to allow the cobbler filling to bubble up in the spaces between cobbler topping. What I do for cobbler is:
Preheat your oven to the temperature as listed on the biscuit mix.
Mix together the ingredients for the biscuit mix.
Plop 1 spoonful of biscuit mix all over the top of the berry filling, spaced out about 1 inch apart. Note: The biscuits will spread when baking.
Take your pan, with the cobbler filling topped with biscuit batter, and place it in the oven.
Bake until the biscuits are cooked through, and brown on top.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
Once cooled, serve and enjoy!
Alright my melanated mamas…
It’s time for the health info you’ve been itching to read. This is for educational purposes only, and should not be taken as medical advice.
Lemon balm is the featured herb for this recipe. Originating in Europe, Melissa officinalis aka lemon balm is known for having medicinal qualities. There is a lot of anecdotal data indicating that, at the right dosage, lemon balm can be effective for various ailments. One of the most widely known medicinal benefits of lemon balm is that it is calming. It has been used for reducing anxiety and the symptoms of stress, and it may even help with sleep. Lemon balm has pain relieving qualities, such as for menstrual cramps and headaches. It is also associated with the relief of stomach upset. That sounds like mint, right? Well, lemon balm is in the mint family, and when planted in temperate climates, will usually grow back each year in the garden. I keep mine in a pot outside all year, and it has returned for the past 3 years.
Lemon balm has a bright and refreshing lemon scent. It goes well in an arrangement with other fragrant herbs and flowers. I like to put rosemary, lemon balm, and peppermint together to boost my energy and focus. As a culinary herb, lemon balm pairs well with light meat dishes, such as fish or chicken, in a fruit salad, or added to a drink like herbal tea or fruit juice. You can even toss it into a homemade salad dressing, or simply toss it on a salad for a little lemon flavor.
Medicinally, lemon balm comes in capsules or tinctures (a liquid herbal preparation that can be added to a drink), which make it easier to determine the dosage, but the fresh herb can also be consumed. A note of caution about lemon balm. It should not be taken at medicinal levels by women who are pregnant or breastfeeding. It is especially unsafe for use during pregnancy, as it can stimulate menstrual flow. As with all medicines and herbs, there can be side effects from lemon balm use. Though most side effects are mild, it is best to work with a trained herbalist or naturopath (like Dr. Sarah) when implementing herbal remedies.
Did you know: Most berry plants will keep feeding you and your family, year after year. A well-managed strawberry patch will send out creepers/vines, giving more berries each year. Raspberry and blackberry bushes will also spread and grow offspring, providing more and more berries. Blueberry bushes, once established, will grow bigger and better year after year, though keeping them under 8 feet tall is recommended.
Having a few of these plants in your yard can more than pay for the investment you make on the seedlings/bushes. After the first year or 2, you probably won’t even have to water these plants, unless there is a serious lack of rain in your area.
Resources:
Herbal Remedies by Andrew Chevallier
The Top 100 Herbal Remedies by Ane McIntyre
