• Raspberry Muffins

    2 cups flour
    1/2 cup sugar
    3 tsp baking powder
    1/2 tsp salt
    1 egg
    1 cup milk
    1/2 cup melted butter or margarine
    1 cup fresh or frozen raspberries
    Topping
    1/2 cup melted butter
    1/2 cup white sugar

    Mix dry ingredients together in bowl. Beat egg in medium size bowl, add milk, and butter. Combine with dry ingredients and stir until moist. Add raspberries. Fill in muffin pan and bake at 425 f for 20 min. Put melted butter and sugar in two separate bowls, take slightly cooled muffins and dunk top into butter and sugar. Makes one dozen. - Celia Michell

  • Leek and Potato Soup

    12 cups water
    3 chicken bouillon cubes
    5 medium potatoes
    6 medium size leeks
    2 carrots
    2 stalks celery
    1/2 cup light cream
    2 bay leaves
    salt and pepper

    Bring water to boil, add chicken cubes. Wash leeks well and chop using the whole white part of each leek. Dice potatoes, carrots, celery. Add leeks, potatoes, carrots, celery, and 2 bay leaves to water and let simmer until vegetables are tender - 1 hour or more. Remove bay leaves, run through blender if desired. Add cream, salt, and pepper to taste. Heat to serving temperature. - Celia Michell

  • Kale Chips

    1 bunch of kale
    1 tblsp extra virgin olive oil
    sea salt to taste

    Wash and dry kale thoroughly. Remove thick stems from kale and then tear kale into bite size pieces. Toss in a bowl with olive oil, then spread out evenly on a cookie sheet. Season with sea salt. Place in pre heated 325 f oven for roughly 15 minutes. Kale chips my cook unevenly so you will have to check constantly and remove kale chips as they are ready. Kale chips are ready when they are slightly golden brown on the edges and firm. Kale chips can be seasoned with just about anything. Substitute the sea salt for seasoning salt, balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper, or create your own seasoning mixture using garlic powder, onion powder, etc. - Nicole Verhagen

Helpful Hints from Michells

1. A reminder that berries are perishable and should be processed on the day of purchase (especially in bad weather conditions).

2. An easy method to freeze raspberries and strawberries (hulled) is to just freeze them in the containers they come in, and put them into bags later.

3. Cauliflower should be handled with care, it marks easily which causes bruising on the center of the head.

4. If a cauliflower is a little discolored, it can sometimes be from the growing season. Just add a tsp of milk or lemon juice to water while cooking. This makes it go white     again.

5. To tell if corn is ripe, look at the tassel and feel the top of the cob. The darker the tassel the more ripe the corn is. This way the corn is not stripped which causes drying     out.

6. Corn can be frozen on the cob. Either on the cob by removing a few of the outer layers of the husk and trimming the tassels, then placing in a freezer bags. Or by husking     the corn, then blanching until the kernels change color, then place the cobs into ice water until chilled. Dry cobs then place in freezer bags.

7. Squash or pumpkin freezes well. Simply prepare as usual, any left over's placed in containers and freeze.

8. Freezing vegetables does not require a lot of blanching. Best results have come when you place your vegetables in to the boiling water, and remove when a color change     appears. Then into ice water, followed by drying and then into freezer bags.

9. Brussels sprouts can be stored on the stalk outside in a bucket with a little water in it for weeks, this keeps them fresh longer! Remember to put them some where the     critters will not get them.

10. Leeks are not only easy to cook but they are tasty! You can either boil leeks until tender, or use them in cream sauces, around roasts, and in salads instead of onions as       they are mild.

11.To ripen locally grown kiwi fruit just add a piece of apple or banana in a brown paper bag with desired amount of kiwi. Close the bag and leave at room temperature for 4       to 5 days. The gases from the apple and banana which ripen the kiwis.