Emily Marrison, Special to the Tribune

Coshocton Tribune

Our family recently spent time in Montana, Idaho and Wyoming. We visited several national parks, breathed in the mountain air and marveled at God’s beautiful creation in the west.

Then my husband, David, and I attended the professional improvement conference for the National Association of County Agriculture Agents hosted in Billings, Montana. I presented at the conference about the food entrepreneur education we have developed and teach here in Ohio.

I always enjoy learning about the unique foods people eat in different regions of our country. On this trip I became acquainted with the huckleberry. Huckleberries can grow in Ohio but are much more prevalent in the northwestern U.S. They look like blueberries, but are darker in color, and often look black.

We saw huckleberry soda, huckleberry ice cream, huckleberry fudge and huckleberry soaps and lotions. We asked around for the best place for huckleberry pie and got some strong opinions. We tried a few huckleberry variations and our favorite by far was Lemon Huckleberry Pie. I’m a sucker for berries with that zing of lemon – always the perfect compliment.

In Ohio, we will be picking bramble and bush berries soon and maybe you’ve started already. Ohio State University Extension has a series of fact sheets about selecting, storing and serving Ohio fruits and vegetables. One of these facts sheets is all about blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries and can be found at ohioline.osu.edu.

It can be helpful to know approximate servings for berries. One pint is roughly four to five servings of fresh uncooked fruit. A quart of blueberries weighs 1.5 to 2 pounds, while one quart of raspberries or blackberries weighs 1.25 to 1.5 pounds.

Berries are highly perishable and should be stored immediately in the refrigerator. Do not wash berries before refrigerating. Store covered containers of berries in a cool, moist area of the refrigerator, such as in the hydrator (fruit and vegetable keeper), to help extend the usable life of the fruit. Blackberries and raspberries can be stored one to two days in the refrigerator; blueberries can be stored three to five days in the refrigerator.

One of my favorite recipes in our Dining with Diabetes curriculum is for Apple-Berry Crisp. I especially like it because it is a small recipe as it serves four. It is certainly easy enough to double for a larger family or special occasion.

Apple-Berry Crisp

IngredientsFirst layer:1 medium apple, unpeeledThree-quarters cup fresh or frozen blueberries, raspberries or blackberriesOne fourth tsp. cinnamonOptional: one packet of your non-nutritive sweetener of choice, such as Splenda or Stevia

Second layer:One fourth cup uncooked rolled oatsOne fouth cup whole wheat flour1 Tbsp. brown sugar1 Tbsp. chopped pecans1.5 Tbsp. low-fat margarine, cold

DirectionsPreheat oven to 350ºF.Coat inside of a one quart heat-proof baking dish with cooking spray.Slice apple into dish. Add fresh or frozen blueberries and toss lightly.Combine cinnamon and sweetener in mixing bowl. Sprinkle over fruit.Next use same mixing bowl to combine oats, flour, brown sugar and pecans. Add margarine and mix with fork until crumbly. Sprinkle over fruit in baking dish.Bake for 20 minutes or just until fruit juices bubble up on sides and in the middle of the dish.

If you’d like more ideas for using Ohio produce, check out our summer webinar series. From July 15 to Sept. 9, we will have five free webinars over the lunch hour. Topics include peppers, eggplant, root vegetables, apples, pears, squash and pumpkins. I will be teaching the webinar about grapes on Aug. 26. Register for the links at go.osu.edu/fpwebinars.

Today, I’ll leave you with this quote from Bryan Procter: “Oh, the summer night, Has a smile of light, And she sits on a sapphire throne.”

Emily Marrison is the OSU Extension Family & Consumer Sciences Educator in Coshocton County and Assistant Professor at The Ohio State University. She may be reached at 740-622-2265 ormarrison.12@osu.edu.