Going to the bar!

I still have plenty of mulberries even with the wind and stormy weather that has gone through here.  So yesterday  when I went out  to pick some more mulberries, I went past the currant bushes and they were full of red, ripe, succulent berries.  So busy, busy purple hands from the mulberries picked a large pan of currants for jelly.

When my parents bought their house in Lorain, there were currant bushes growing in the backyard along with many other things.  Dad would always wait for them to grow ripe with fruit.  He had to fight the birds for them, so he would sit outside with his badminton racquet, swat cabbage moths and swing it wildly at the birds. This  made for an entertaining view.  When he would catch us laughing, he would tell us to come try it. Then he got to laugh. Let me tell you that swatting the cabbage moths is no easy task as they go every which way.   I challenge you to try it!

I do not have problems with birds because they are all in the mulberry tree.  They leave the currants, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries alone.  Another good reason to have a mulberry tree.  (If you live near me I have a beautiful sapling that needs a home or it will be soon be pulled out and dumped over the hill.  So if you are interested, let me know.  I also have two small ones that are going to need new homes, too.

Yesterday, I made fruit bars.   The recipe was adapted from the blog site, TastyKitchens.com and was added to that site by kelly dee.  Her recipe was Blueberry Rhubarb Bars. I made Rhubarb-Mulberry- Strawberry Bars.  I am a firm believer that anytime you use fruit in a 9x12 dish you should have 8 cups of fruit or more.

Here is my adaptation. preheat oven 350 degree F

 

Ingredients :

4 cups of rhubarb  cut into 1/2 inch pieces
3 cups of mulberries, stems removed (I use scissors)
1 cup cut up fresh strawberries
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup water

1 cup sugar
4 tablespoons corn starch

 1 1/2 cup AP flour
1 1/2 cups Quick cooking oats
1 cup packed brown sugar
3/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

In a small bowl, whisk the sugar and corn starch.  Set aside.

Combine he first  5 ingredients in a large sauce pan and  cook over medium heat until fruit is soft. Mash with a potato masher to smooth out large chunks. add sugar and cornstarch mixture.  Continue to stir until thickened.

While mixture is cooking,combine the rest of the ingredients in a bowl, until well mixed and crumbly to make the crust.  Reserve a cup and a half for topping. Spray a 9x12 pan and press remaining crust mixture in the pan.

Pour the thickened fruit mixture over the crust.  Top with reserved mixture.  Bake 350 degrees F for 30 minutes.  Enjoy.