The Best Things In Life...

Ginger-Wheat Mulberry Muffins.

Last Saturday I woke up early. The plan was to head straight to the farmer's market...alone. It's fun to go with the family, but I usually try to leave before anyone else in my house is awake--so I can have a little me time and pursue the farmer's market at my leisure. This time, my little guy Carson, woke up before I had a chance to sneak out and quickly got dressed to go with me. The two of us roamed the market in search of  unusual veggies, fresh local goat cheese, berries, and smoked trout. We came to one vendor that had a table covered with mulberries. Carson couldn't remember ever trying a mulberry, so we bought a pint and headed home with our bundle of goodies!

The kids loved the mulberries so much, that when we decided to pack a lunch and head to the pool; we took the rest of them with us to snack on. My husband and the kids swam and I chatted with friends. Later the kids gobbled down the berries with purple faces and fingers. As we left the pool that day, I happened to look to the left, and what did I see? An ENORMOUS mulberry tree! Thousands of mulberries hanging at arm's reach and scattered over the ground.

Now, I have two pet-peeves. One, I hate wasting time. Two, I HATE wasting money! I think the latter comes from growing up in a family with five kids--we didn't waste ANYTHING! The mulberries from the farmer's market weren't very expensive, but that's not the point. The point is, I could of had as many mulberries as I wanted--FOR FREE! So you know exactly what happened next...we came back to the mulberry tree with empty containers and collected until we couldn't hold another berry. That was the only  way (in my mind) to right the irritation of paying for them that morning!

Mulberries are very common is some places, and not so much in others. So to clarify for the mulberry virgin, they are similar to blackberries. I find them slightly sweeter with a floral undertone. They are also a little longer and denser. Mulberries pull away from the tree with a small stem that should be snipped off before cooking. You can use them in ANY recipe where you would use other berries. Tarts, jam, and homemade ice cream are lovely with fresh mulberries, but today it will be muffins!

Ginger is a nice contrast to the sweetness of Mulberries. Here I've combined these two ingredients in simple wheat muffins. The nuttiness of the wheat supports the stronger flavors of the ginger and Mulberries without being overshadowed. These muffins are not too sweet, so they make a perfect breakfast or snack!

The quickest way to double your money is to fold it over and put it back in your pocket. ~Will Rogers

Lastly, I have recently received my second blog award! This award came from The Cilantropist, a wonderfully refreshing blogger with clean recipes and beautiful photography. It's a true honored to be recognized--especially by someone who obviously has good taste! Check out her site, and you'll see what I mean!

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart!

Sommer

Ginger-Wheat Mulberry Muffins

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour + 1 Tb. to coat the berries
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground ginger
½ cup unsalted butter, melted
½ cup sugar
¼ cup honey
1 large egg
1 cup plain yogurt
¼ cup finely chopped crystallized ginger
1 ½ cups trimmed mulberries
¼ cup brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 450*.

Mix together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and ground ginger, and set aside.

In a separate bowl, mix the melted butter, sugar, honey, egg and yogurt.

Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients. Toss the mulberries in 1 Tb. of flour to coat. Fold the crystallized ginger and mulberries into the batter.

Using a spoon, scoop the batter evenly among 18-20 lined muffin cups or greased muffin pans. Sprinkling the ¼ cup of brown sugar on top of each muffin.

Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

Cool the muffins for 5 minutes, then turn them out of the pans to cool completely.

Makes 18-20 muffins.