Conquerer of cowberries

My stores of cowberry in my freezer have been running low. So last Saturday I made a trip into the woods to pick some more. I brought my berry collector (red thing in my right hand), and I set off to harvest.

I remember when I did this last - I ended up overdoing it. It resulted in many jars of jam that still have not been consumed in addition to frozen ones. This time I was not going to make the same mistake again, I thought. On the picture I am carrying a framed backpack I found as a kid. It has been my faithful companion on berry picking excursions ever since. Usually I am satisfied if I fill the backpack, but there were so much cowberry that I simply had to fill a shopping bag as well. The berry collector of course made the picking easy, but there is the need to sort through the harvest afterwards.

My yellow sweater was an attempt to avoid the interest of the annoying deer fly. This leather-like insect may appear in large numbers and they settle on anything that may resemble an elk. Experience shows that that may include me! But maybe the sweater worked since the deer flies didn't bother me this time.

But when I came home I could not find my berry sift, so I ended up hand sorting into the night. The result was 16 liters of cowberry, and again I can make cowberry chocolate cake and other delicacies

Want orders? Then bake cake!

Yesterday, 17. May, was Norway's National Day. Where I was we were blessed with nice weather, and then it is not uncommon to have some cake. This time I tried an alternative to the traditional sponge cake.

Based on a almond sponge, coffee cream, vanilla cream, berries and some other good stuff I "mashed up" this special 17. May cake.

The overall idea was to make something to remind us of our flag. Red raspberries, white cream and blueberries covering the almond sponge with coffee cream ++.

But then there are the risks. Someone might like it so well that they want their own. So also this time - I got an order. Maybe not so surprising really - it was a returning customer.

But it makes me feel like I am pretty good at making cakes when my mother-in-law places yet another order.

Lunch in the land of additives

This was my lunch yesterday.

Yet again I was consulting in Ludwigshafen. With its main industry there I guess it may be referred to as the land of additives, although the range of chemicals produced covers much more than just additives to food and feed.

Looking at the food on my tray I have the feeling that additives were not playing a big role. In fact, I think I should be able to copy the dishes myself from natural sources and spices. The meal was very tasty, and it refuelled us so that we could continue our work efficiently.

Cowberry chocolate cake

My Captain Cowberry alias may need substantiation. Cowberry is an alias for Vaccinium vitis-idaea, and many know that better as Lingonberry. Through my work with traceability I have given a number of courses in implementing traceability solutions, and a key example in those courses have been an example traceability modell for cowberry jam.

But now to today's subject - cowberry chocolate cake. You can either use your favourite recipe for French chocolate cake and sprinkle
cowberry over it, or use the following:

Ingredients:

• 0.3 liters of icing sugar
• 200 grams of chocolate (70%+ cocoa)
• 200 grams of butter
• 3 eggs
• 0.2 liters of flour
• 0.2 liters of cowberry
Recipe:
• heat oven to 175 degrees C,
• melt the butter, sugar and chocolate over moderate heat
• beat the eggs into the chocolate mixture one at a time
• stir in the flour
• pour the batter into a 20-24 cm springform cake tin
• sprinkle the cake with cowberry
• bake the cake for 25 minutes (add 5 minutes it the berries are frozen)
Serve with whipped, sour or ice cream.