This dish can be made totally gluten-free if you use gluten-free Baking Powder.

On my first attempt at making this I didn’t have enough almond meal – so it wasn’t totally flourless!. I used 2 C almond meal and 1 C flour, it still made a wonderful cake.

Ingredients:

2 oranges

3 eggs

1C caster sugar

3 C almond meal (purchase from most supermkts or health food shops – it can be expensive, so if you want to substitute 1 c flour still make a great cake.

1 t baking powder

Orange Syrup : 

1 orange

3/4 C caster sugar

1. Heat oven to 170 C, brush a cake tin with butter and line with non-stick paper.
2. Place oranges in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to the boil over medium heat. Cook for 15 mins or until tender.  Drain. Return to pan and cover with cold water again, bring to boil and cook for another 15 mins  (this process will reduce the bitterness of the peel). Refresh under cold water. Coarsely chop oranges. Remove and discard any pips.
3. Place orange in food processor and process until smooth (i didn’t have a food processor so used a good old zyliss chopper to chop oranges to a ‘chunky-smooth’ state – still made a great cake).
4. Use an electric beater (or whisk) to beat eggs and sugar in a bowl until pale and thick. Add orange, almond meal and baking powder. Gently fold until just combined. Pour into prepared cake tin.
5. Bake 1 hr or until skewer comes out clean. Set aside to cool for 15 mins.
6. To make orange syrup, remove rind form the orange. Cut into strips. Juice the orange into a container.
7. Place rind in a saucepan of boiling water and cook for 5 mins or until soft. Drain. Return to pan with orange juice and sugar, cook over low heat, stirring, for 2-3 mins or until sugar dissolves and syrup thickens.
8. Turn cake onto serving plate. Use a skewer to gently prick holes in the top. Spoon over syrup. Cut into wedges to serve.

Cake contains (per serve):  7g Protein, total fat 15g, saturated fat 1g, Carbs 36g, fibre 3g.

Recipe courtesy of Taste.com.au

The trick to good jam making a delicious batch of homemade jam is finding an ideal ratio of fruit to  sugar. Beginners should start with a basic 1:1 ratio (eg 1kg fruit:1kg sugar) and then experiment with more, or less, fruit and sugar and combinations of fruit (such as raspberry & strawberry, blackberry & raspberry or, a mixture for ‘fruit of the forest’) depending on personal preference.

Ingredients

1.5kg  raspberries (fresh or frozen)

1.5kg sugar

1 Tablespoon pectin or a good capful of lemon or lime juice (more if you like the tangy taste)

makes approx 6 regular jars

Method

Place berries in a large preserving pan or pot.  Thaw frozen berries.

Add pectin (or lemons or lime juice), stir in well and heat on high. Bring to a good rolling boil for four minute. Add the sugar and stir well with fruit mixture to thoroughly dissolve.  Bring back to rolling boil again for another 3-4 minutes. The jam should be thick at this stage – put it on a spoon, if it doesn’t drizzle off and comes to a stop, that’s a good sign that it is ready.  If it’s still very runny, boil for another couple of minutes.

Once boiled skim off any foam that forms. This foam is just jam with a lot of air in it from the boiling. It is harmless and doesn’t really taste of anything. Some people add a teaspoon or two of butter into the fruit/sugar mix to, to cut foam formation. We never add butter to ours as we think it makes the jam taste oily, just skim off the foam instead.  We’ve also found that its only strawberry jam that produces this foam.

Cool mixture for one minute, then pot and seal.

Jam Making Notes/Tips:

• Frozen Berries make great jam and we have generally used them to make our own jam for the past 40 years.  To thaw frozen berries for jam making simply leave on your kitchen counter in the pot to thaw overnight or alternatively turn element on low heat to speed up the thawing process if wanting to make up immediately (break berries up as they thaws.
• The boiling process: For successful jam, when you bring your mixture to the boil make sure it is a good “rolling boil” i.e: the liquid level will come quite high up the side of the pot or pan (careful that it doesn’t bubble over!) and it should be quite foamy.
• Jam not setting? If your jam turns out too runny, you may have not boiled it for long enough.  Don’t hesitate to empty your jam back into the pot and re-boil again at rolling boil for another few minutes.
• Pectin will add extra assurance that your jam will set. It is a natural product made from citrus fruit pips. Or, simply use a couple of  capful of lime or lemon juice which also works very well.  Lime has more pectin content than lemon, so use Lime if you can – it also adds great ‘tangy’ flavour. Use 2 Tablespoons of pectin per 3kg fruit.
• Boiling the fruit first before adding the sugar makes sure that any excess water in the fruit boils off.  Excess water in fruit can make your jam runny, so we boil ours first before adding the sugar to help setting.
• Sterilisation is vital when making your own jam. This prevents nasty bacteria and moulds from destroying the jam. The best way to sterilise a jar is to place it in boiling water and turn it upside down or for larger batches, place jars in a warm oven or warming draw for about 20 minutes
• Filling the jars. When filling jars, fill jam to the top, screw on the lid and turn jar upside down. When the hot jam touches the surface it sterilises the surface and creates a seal.
• Low-sugar jam. If you want to make a low-sugar jam (ie. purposely add less sugar), especially when using soft fruits like strawberries, raspberries or blueberries, then you should definitely add a pectin or lemon juice to achieve a good set and boil the fruit/pectin mixture first as suggested.
• Electric beater – Another way to help jam to set well is to use the electric beater for 5 minutes after the mixture has boiled, you will see it thicken before your eyes.  Be careful if you try this as boiling jam will flick off the beater and can burn if it touches skin.
• Yield - for 1.5kg Jam you’ll get approx 6 regular jars, for 3kg approx 12 jars.  When we make our jam we use a large preserving pan which comfortably holds a 3kg of frozen berries. 
• Once you’ve made your jam keep it in the fridge once open as this keeps it nice and fresh. You can also freeze jam no problem.

here is a good link with great step by step pics and advice http://www.wikihow.com/Make-Red-Raspberry-Jam

I’d love to hear any comments about your experiences and tips.  We’ve always found great strawberry jam a bit tricky to make so would appreciate any special tips!!

Sarah Harrow

We make alot of these Berry Flans in our Berry Shop but they are easy enough for anyone to make. A basic shortcrust/cheesecake base with a basic cream cheese filing and pile on the berries.  We put a clear glaze on our flans as a  garnish….et Voila!

Red Raspberry leaf tea can assist in a more effective and efficient delivery.

The tea is made from the dried leaves of the Raspberry plant which contain high concentrations of several vitamins and minerals because of the plant’s secondary compound. As a result, it is used as an aid for pregnancy and delivery.

The benefits

The tea is nutrient rich and contains many of the vitamins and minerals necessary for a healthy pregnancy including vitamins A, C, E and B, magnesium, calcium and iron. Consuming it not only helps mother and baby to get all the nutrients they need but can also help to replenish a new mothers stores after the birth.

Red Raspberry leaf tea also contains the alkaloid ‘fragine’ which is said to strengthen and tone the muscles of the uterus, helping them to contract more efficiently during labour. Research has found that taking raspberry leaf during the weeks prior to delivery helps to shorten the second stage of labour by making contractions more effective.

Sipping raspberry leaf tea during and after the birth is also said to help the uterus contract back down to size, reduce after birth bleeding and help initiate the let down of breastmilk.

While there hasn’t been a huge amount of research into this area, the general consensus does seem to be that drinking raspberry leaf tea during the latter stages of pregnancy can help to make for a ‘better’ labour with few side effects.

How to take raspberry leaf tea

Raspberry leaf tea can be taken in tea bag, loose leaf, tablet or tincture form and is available from most herbalists and health food stores.

It is advisable to wait until the 32nd week of pregnancy before trying raspberry leaf tea as there is a concern that consumption before this time in the more fragile, earlier stages of pregnancy could lead to problems. Once you have reached the 32nd week of your pregnancy you could begin with one cup of raspberry leaf tea a day and gradually increase up to 4 cups or tables a day (although this may vary in accordance with the strength of the blend and the manufacturers instructions).

It is also advisable to seek the advice of your doctor or midwive before deciding to try Raspberry leaf tea.

References:

http://www.askbaby.com/raspberry-leaf-tea.htm

http://www.motherandchildhealth.com/Prenatal/raspberry.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_raspberry_leaf

If anyone has had any experience with Raspberry Leaf tea or tablets during pregnancy and its effects during labour – we would love to hear your experiences by making a comment below.

Yes! Raspberries are a great snack alternative for kids, they are low in sugar, high in fibre and absolutely jam packed with Vit C and other goodies.  Find them at your supermkt or we have them in handy 500g and 1kg packs. They are frozen loose so easy to take what you need and pop them back in the freezer again.

My kids just love them and eat them by the bowl. Just grab a cupful out of the freezer when you need them – so easy

One cup of raspberries will provide about 50% daily value of Vit C and 30% daily value of daily fibre. Contents of B vitamins 1-3, folic acid, manganese, magnesium, copper and iron are considerable in raspberries. (ref: http://whfoods.org/genpage.phptname=foodspice&dbid=39#healthbenefits

Plus..mums, very important - raspberries are natural so they do not stain!

Use fresh or frozen berries (or a combination). If using frozen, add them while they are still frozen so they hold together and stop your muffins from turning purple!

Makes 12 muffins.

• 2t (10ml) lemon juice
• 1 C (250ml) milk
• 1/2 C (125ml) oil (use any mild flavoured oil such as canola, vegetable or peanut)
• 1 egg
• 2 C (300g) self -raising flour
• 2/3 C (150g) caster sugar
• 1 C (170g) white choc chips or chocolate broken into small chunks
• 200g berries* (half & half rasps & strawbs or a mixture of whatever you have available.  mixing fresh with frozen works well)

Preheat oven to 190 degrees celcious (170 degrees if fan-forced). If using a conventional oven (not fan-forced), place oven rack in centre of oven so muffins brown evenly and not too quickly.

Line 12 holes in a muffin pan (1/3 c capacity holes) with patty/muffin cases or grease well.

Whisk lemon juice, milk, oil & egg in a medium bowl until well combined.

Place caster sugar, self-raising flour & white chocolate in a large bowl. Stir to combine and then add berries.  Gently stir to combine.

Gently stir wet ingredients to dry ingredients. Stop stirring once the ingredients are combined (do not overmix). The batter should be quite wet.

Divide mixture evenly between muffin cases.

 Bake for about 22 – 27 minutes. To check weather muffins are cooked, press lightly on the centre of the muffin; if it springs back it is ready.

A knife inserted into the centre of the muffin should come out clean.

Serve muffins warm or at room temperature, dusted with icing sugar if desired. They are best on the day they are baked.

Store muffis in an airtight container, muffins can be reheated in the microwave and are suitable to freeze.

*any combination of berries can be used including blueberries and also blackcurrants for a very flavoursome taste!

We absolutely love berries and have been growing them for 36 years (phew thats a lot of berries!), we eat them everyday fresh and frozen.   Berries are 100% pure & natural, taste delicious, are low in fat, full of anti-oxidants to fight the nasties and even have anti-aging properties to keep you young! 

Our aim is to tell you not only about our Berry Farm & Cafe here in little old Noo Zeeland but to share with you our favourite berry recipes, facts, stories, photos and recipes. 

Please share any comments, recipes or anything berry-delicious that your want to share with us.  Let us know if you are travelling our way (and need directions!) and we will be sure to look out for you!   Our Berry desserts are unforgetable!

Enjoy!

Sarah