After the labor of plowing and planting in Amish farms and fields comes the season of growing. And for the women and girls of an Amish family, this means picking the first bounty of their producing gardens. From early lettuces to cucumbers and radishes, I think we all—Amish and Englisch—look forward to fresh vegetables after a long winter.
But often, there are plants to harvest outside the orderly confines of the garden. In early summer, chickweed and cleavers come up whether they’re wanted or not. But the woman with an eye on her herbs, like my heroine Sarah Yoder in the Healing Grace series, can put these common weeds to use rather than merely pulling them up and putting them on the compost pile or feeding them to the hens.
As an aside—much to my delight, book three of the series, Balm of Gilead, features chickens on the cover. I’ve been begging my publisher for this for six books, so I was so happy when the sketches came in and they used a breed that’s in my own flock—Buff Orpingtons, whose feathers are a pretty gold color.
Chickweed, as you might guess by its name, is a treat that the hens love (as you see here—JoJo jumped right into the planter for a feast!). But it makes a delicious tea for people, too, in combination with cleavers, those sticky weeds that cling to everything (hence their name—they cleave to you). Chop up the cleavers and crush a handful of chickweed. Pour hot water over the mixture and let it steep for a few minutes, then strain it, then pour a cup and add a teaspoon of honey. You can even steep a bag of chamomile tea in the pot at the same time. Either way, you’ll enjoy a fresh tea that smells like summer fields and is good for clearing the lymph glands.
Another wild favorite of mine in early summer is blackberries. It’s worth paying the price of the prickles to have fresh blackberries with vanilla ice cream, or a wonderful fresh-baked pie. Here is the best blackberry pie recipe I’ve found, courtesy of my neighbor, who gave it to me. It’s not soupy, and it never fails me!
Neighborly Blackberry Pie
5 cups fresh blackberries
1/4 cup flour
2/3 cup sugar
2 tsp tapioca
1 1/2 Tbsp lime or lemon juice
1/4 tsp cinnamon, if desired (I leave it out)
2 pie crusts (Pillsbury is just as good as homemade)
Toss first 6 ingredients together in a large mixing bowl. Fill lower crust with mixture and dot with 2 Tbsp butter. Lay top crust on, crimp, and vent. Bake at 450F for 10 minutes, then lower to 350 for 30–40 minutes. Serves 6–8.
Adina Senft grew up in a plain house church, where she was often asked by outsiders if she was Amish (the answer was no), she made her own clothes, and she perfected the art of the French braid. She holds an M.F.A. in Writing Popular Fiction from Seton Hill University in Pennsylvania, where she teaches as adjunct faculty.
Visit with Adina on Facebook, Twitter, and adinasenft.com
3 thoughts on “The Gifts of Summer By Adina Senft”
nice article thanks for it and the recipe
THIS PIE SOUNDS WONDERFUL, BUT CAN’T STAND SEEDS IN MY FOOD….IS THERE A WAY TO MAKE THE BLACKBERRIES SEEDLESS, OR CAN YOU BUY SEEDLESS FROZEN BLACKBERRIES? I BUY SEEDLESS BLACKBERRY JAM ALL THE TIME….IT IS DELICIOUS….WONDER IF YOU COULD USE BLACKBERRY JAM ???
Nice article. Thanks for sharing receipt.