First off, he checked out the boisenberries can, and lo and behold there was a recipe on the label, so he decided that was totally the way to go.

Next, he headed down to our local grocery store to buy a pie crust. He came back with a no-bake graham cracker crust. He was sad when I said it might not work out, but went back to the store and got a frozen pie crust instead. Phew.

Moving on, he made the pie filling. Somehow, he didn’t notice that it said TWO cans of pie filling for a 9″ pie. So he used the one can we had, but used the full amount of sugar and butter, and poured it into the pie shell where it only filled about halfway up the crust. Retrospectively, he said it did look a little flat, but he was hoping it would rise.

He also forgot to read the part where it said “lattice top” or “double crust” for the top of the pie. So he popped it into the oven as-is.

Despite disregard for the directions, the pie was tasty. As he said, “you can’t really mess up berries, sugar and butter!” It was more like a “fruit tart”. And as you see in the picture, we were down to the last piece, which we happily ate as soon as I took the picture.

Here are some tips on freezing corn.

• The first step is to get some good ears. Get to know your vendor. Choose ears that have been kept cold. Avoid ones with “dry” cut ends. With fresh corn, the silk will still be moist. It should be brown, but not black. The husk should feel tight.

• DO NOT PEEL THE HUSK BACK! This is a big no no because it ruins the ear for anyone else. If you feel the need to peel it back — buy it. The husk keeps the kernels moist and fresh.

• Ask WHEN it was picked. (You want to hear “last night” or “early this morning.”) Keep it cold. Bring a cooler and take it directly to your fridge.

• Before I get to husking, I get organized. I like to husk outside, so I pile up all my ears next to a clean pan for husked ears. I use a wheel barrow to throw all the husk and silk in.

• When I peel back the husk, I think the most efficient way to do it is to split the silk at the top and grab at least 1/3 of it firmly, then peel it off. Repeat this until you have it all off. If you just pull on the green parts, it will take forever. Grabbing from the silk ensures you will get most of that off at the same time.

(Make sure you keep an eye on your dogs while all this is happening.)

• While I husk, I put my biggest stock pots on the stove to boil. This time, I broke the ears in half before dropping them into the water. This allowed me to get 3x as many ears in the pot.

• Blanch the ears for NO MORE THAN 3 minutes.

• Take them out and drop them into cold water to stop the cooking. I use one half of my sink. (Make sure it’s sparkly clean.)

• Beside the sink, I have another set-up: a cutting board with a towel on top. The towel does a pretty good job of keeping the “corn juice” from bouncing all over the place.

• Make sure you hone your knife. In the 40 ears I cut, I stopped to clean and hone my knife three times.

• Try not to eat too much of your cut corn. It is y u m m y !

• As I cut, I transfer corn into a large bowl. I don’t bag it until the very end because I feel it is more efficient (unless you have a little helper that is willing to bag while you cut.)

• Bag in small freezer bags (just enough for one dinner), freeze and enjoy!

Here is what I do with some delicate vegetables:

• Cilantro – Put cilantro stems down in a mug with water, wrap a plastic produce bag around the outside. If you get the cilantro fresh, it could last for 2 weeks.
• Cucumber – Wrap the cucumber (either whole or in progress) in paper towel, then put it in a plastice produce bag or in a sealed tupperware. One of the more delicate veggies, this will probably only keep for a week.
• Mixed baby lettuce – Place a 1/2 paper towel on the bottom of one of the plastic storage containers the baby lettuce comes in from the store, or your own tupperware. Put the lettuce on top, make sure the leaves are loose. Put the other half paper towel on top, and seal the container.

You can also make some hearty vegetables last longer too!

• Cabbage – Wrap cabbage head in paper towel, then put in a plastic produce bag or in a sealed tupperware. This will keep the cabbage, including cut wedges, good (no brown spots!) for atleast 3 weeks.

If you try any of these at home, you can also use a clean lint-free dish cloth instead of a paper towel.

Tips for making the best kabobs:

1. Soak wooden kabob skewers in water for 2 or more hours. Plan ahead!
2. Cut your pieces of meat the same size, and go for a little on the smaller side.
3. Toss your meat and veggies in olive oil (and some pepper & spices if you like). They’ll be less likely to stick to the grill or char too much.
4. Leave 2-3″ inches at the end of each skewer. Veggies and meat will be less likely to slide off as they’re being cooked.
5. Don’t jam your ingredients too tightly on the skewer. With a little space between the pieces, the kabobs will cook better.
6. Some vegetables are better than others. Onion and peppers work well when combined on a skewer with meat.
7. And lastly, if you’re a bacon eater: wrapping bacon around chunks of turkey, beef or chicken always makes for a tastier kabob!

What my kabobs look like, as they’re fist placed on the grill: