The Fruitful Vegan

Every summer when I grumble over the amount of berries I need to prep, I remind myself it will be worth it all when winter arrives....

Because it means...

Strawberry jam...

Seriously, how good is fresh strawberry jam in January? Especially, when spread on this vegan 'buttermilk' biscuit?

And raspberry scones....because freshly zested citrus, juicy raspberries and a vanilla vodka spiked powdered sugar glaze taste like a warm summer morning. Don't we need a little of that during our winter hibernation?

Oh, and let's not forget about this blackberry galette. Thanks to the Marionberries I froze, I can make this on a grey rainy day in Oregon and enjoy a bit summer while cuddled up in front of the fire.

Want to know a secret? 

It's so easy. All you need are some freezer bags, your favorite berry and a little room for storage in the freezer and you're set. I'm lazy so I know if I make it easy for myself, I'm more likely to see it through. Lately I don't even freeze the berries individually on cookie sheets first. I just throw them in the bag, make sure it's flat so I can stack them on a freezer shelf.

In the dark months of the year I can open up that freezer and welcome the warmth of summer, all because I threw some fruit in a bag.

All of the baking recipes are vegan, even the pastry crust. Swapping out butter for coconut oil, cream with almond milk and eggs with flax meal and water sounds crazy but I would be lying if I said it wasn't legit and tastes amazing. Also, if you're chillin' with a plant based/vegan diet then these baked goods fit the bill.

I've customized all of these recipes to our family's specific tastes but the base components come from a blog I enjoy called, Minimalist Baker. 

If you're interested in the recipes just drop me a line and I'll be glad to share. In the meantime, winter may be here but with these berried beauties, one would never know...