Picture of the Day: Thimbleberries

Thimbleberries are starting to ripen

These are thimbleberries!

At first glance they look like raspberries, but don't look as bulbous. I picked a few today and was surprised when I pulled them off the shrub they were like tiny skull caps, or thimbles, which is probably where it gets its name from.

I tried these thimbleberries today

Biting into them, they aren't juicy, but more like a dried fruit taste and texture, though hardly sweet. Apparently they are a good source of vitamin C.

They can also be made into a jam or jelly, but that would mean having to harvest a lot of them when I only see a few here and there!

Picture of the Day: Pickled Chayote

Marinating sliced chayote with chilli flakes

Seaport City Seafood Restaurant has a delicious appetiser called pickled chayote, also known as Buddha's palm (合掌瓜). The vegetable is from the gourd family and was originally grown in Mexico and Honduras.

In Korea it is usually pickled or in a salad, whereas in Chinese cooking it is added to soups, stir-fried, or pickled too.

We were inspired by Seaport City's pickled chayote to attempt to make our own marinade. We adapted a recipe for smashed cucumbers in a vinegar sauce. It includes soy sauce, dark vinegar, sugar, salt and garlic. I used agave syrup and balsamic vinegar.

On my first try, I made the mistake of adding too much sesame oil and tried to balance it out by adding more balsamic vinegar. After some adjustments to the marinade I added the sliced raw chayote and let it sit for a few hours. It tasted pretty good! The next day was even better, having had time to soak up the vinegar marinade and was still crunchy.

This evening I made another batch, this time using much less sesame oil and added a few chilli flakes. 

Chayotes are a good source of vitamin C, cooked or raw. 

While I like this vegetable stir-fried or in a soup, pickled are the best.