Alaska State Fair :: Setting Up and Exploring

Saturday was the first day of setting up at the fairgrounds. It was a gorgeous day, sunny and warm. We took a midday break to explore and found the magnificent berry patch. I've only been to that corner of the fairgrounds once, and now I wonder why I don't visit it more often.

The berry (and other fruit) garden is beautifully tended and every plant is heavy and full with fruit. First, have a look at these currents. There were several rows of these red beauties, as well as black, pink and clear currents. They were all very delicious. I'm pretty sure we weren't supposed to eat them, but who could resist that gorgeous fruit? It seems like such a waste if these go unharvested.


I bet you didn't think cherries would grow in Alaska. I certainly didn't. These were also quite yummy and surprisingly sweet.


But the most surprising fruit of all were these cute little apples. Rick picked a few of these, but has not yet tasted them. Will keep you posted.


I'll close with a photo of Rick (doing all the hard work) of setting up the ramp and handrail, which keep us in compliance with the ADA. You can see a bit of the ferris wheel in the background, which I think looks pretty cool.

Watermelon Berries

Yes, another post about berries in Alaska. Sorry if you're bored, but these berries are amazing. They are shaped like miniature watermelons and they're full of well, water. Slightly flavored water. We have several of these plants scattered around the property. This summer, Rick discovered a large patch of them. Why did we never see these particular ones before? Have no idea.


We've been grabbing a few every evening on our walk around the property with Xena. They're a refreshing after dinner snack.

A Day for Baking

Rick decided to redeem one of his Christmas coupons the other day. I love to bake, but I also love reading recipes. Sometimes this can lead to lots of reading and absolutely no baking. Letting Rick choose what he wanted was a real help to shortening the whole process.

Today, I share with you the easiest recipe for Mixed Berry Cobbler.

2 TBSP butter
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsps baking powder
1/2 cup sugar (yes, again)
3 cups of mixed berries (I use frozen berries. Don't make me tell you how difficult it can be to find cobbler-worthy fresh berries in Alaska. In the winter.)

Mix all but the berries and the second half-cup of sugar, and fit into a greased square (9 x 9) pan. Mix the berries with the second half-cup of sugar and pour this over the "crust". Here's the strange part: Bring 1 cup of water to a boil and pour it over the berries. Bake at 400 for 20-30 minutes. Sometimes (don't know why) it takes 40 minutes. The crust will float to the top and brown. It's magic. Really.

I have successfully doubled this recipe and baked it in a deep 9 x 13 pan. Double everything except the boiling water.

Enjoy!