Strawberries Archives - Busy Moms Helper

Vertical Strawberries

September 1, 2016 by Nikki Cole

Love Strawberries? Well I do too but I never seem to get any, well maybe five but that’s it and I have a pretty good sized patch. With the bugs, mold, large dog who tramples them, birds, and the constant weeds I never seemed to get any good strawberries. Vertical Strawberries will help with all these complications. With a little time, a little money, you can have beautifully hanging strawberries that are easy to get, weed, and grow so let’s get our gardening gloves and get going.

Ok so these Vertical Strawberries did cost me a little bit of money but they’re totally worth it! After just a few weeks I’ve gotten some beautiful strawberries and they’re not buried, smashed, or not even there. Now that it is towards the end of the season I have gotten several of the 1 pound containers from the store filled with my own personal strawberries! The planters themselves also look really nice too which is always a bonus. I made three rows of ten foot gutters and there’s four gutters on each so I have a total of 12 gutters of strawberries but do what you have space for. If you need you can also cut the gutters to a shorter length. I didn’t put any caps on the end of the gutters but now I am wishing I did because the water runs out and takes some dirt with it.

Supplies (for each row)

2 – 4”x4”x8’ wood posts
4 – 2”x4”x10’ wood slats
4 – 10’ rain gutters (I used vinyl round rain gutters)
1” thick elbow or L brackets
1” long wood screws
Dirt
Strawberries (I used mine I already had)
Screw driver
Pencil
2 bags of instant concrete mix
Boiled linseed oil

Directions:

Paint your wood with boiled linseed oil, this helps protect it from all the harsh weather. Prep the area, level your area the best you can and clear out any plants. Dig two holes about 2 feet down for the posts. Make sure you watch for sprinkler lines! I completely snapped one of mine and so we had to spend an extra two hours repairing it.

On the 4×4 wood posts make a mark 2 feet up on the post; this 2 foot section will be in the ground. Sometimes the post won’t go the whole 2 feet down because after leveling mine I had one that was only about a foot and a half. It still will work but it is better to have them level. Mark on the 4×4 posts where your gutters will go, we put our first one about 15 inches up and there was about 15 inches between each L bracket.

Screw in the L brackets on your marked posts. Lay your posts down and put in your wood slats screwing them into the L brackets.

Now get some help and carefully pick up each post and place them in the holes. Each hole needs one bag of concrete, lift a post slightly up to make them level and level each way. Get a leveler and make sure that your posts are level each way before the concrete sets.

Soak the concrete: get a hose and soak the concrete and let it settle then soak it again. Check and make sure posts are still level before concrete sets. It is best to let this sit overnight just so it is settled and not going to get pulled down when you’re putting in the gutters.

Grab your rain gutters and place them along the slats and screw them through the bottom into the wood slats about 3-4 times. On the sides of the gutters screw a few holes so there’s some drainage holes, don’t put a lot only 3 should be just fine.

Place your strawberries in and spread apart, then fill in with dirt.

Water! I never worried about watering my strawberries because the 2 times a week my sprinklers came on was enough but with these Vertical Strawberries in rain gutters I water them every other day especially when it is hot outside.

I really hope this all made sense and your Vertical Strawberries turn out great for you! I also will be putting in some block under the Vertical Strawberries or something that looks a little nicer but that will be a next years project for now so if you have any fun ideas I would love to hear them.

Simple Crepes for the Whole Family

April 30, 2016 by Danielle

Because school starts so early for our kids, morning tends to be pretty rushed, meaning breakfast isn’t always the most elaborate (not that many of my meals are, to keep it real). One of our favorites that we work into our menu as often as is practical is not only a really budget-friendly recipe, but also super delicious. You can whip up these Simple Crepes for the whole family for breakfast, snack or even a dessert!

This isn’t as much of an easy breakfast recipe as cereal, smoothies or even some of my oatmeal recipes I’ve shared – but once you whip up the batter really quick it’s just a matter of cooking and dishing up!

These crepes are one of the dishes that EVERYONE in the family loves, and asks for seconds. And thirds – and sometimes my kids will even eat five or six of them! Yup, definitely a winner in my books. We mix up the toppings and drizzles sometimes, but the overall favorite so far has been strawberries, whipped cream and chocolate syrup drizzled on top. Makes me think of my Chocolate Crepes with Strawberry Cream!

Note: We have 6 people in our family, who eat a LOT of these (like I said above, my kids sometimes eat 4-6 each) so we make a big batch. This recipe is what WE use to feed our family, and we often have about 6 large crepes leftover. If you have a smaller family, or they won’t eat as much, just divide the recipe as needed.

Simple Crepes Ingredients

4 tbsp. Sugar
8 tbsp. Coconut Oil, melted
2 tbsp. Vanilla Extrat
Dash of Salt
8 Eggs
4 cups Milk
2 cups Water
4 cups All-purpose Flour
Toppings of Choice

Note: I use my blender to mix the batter, just breaking into thirds so it fits. You can use a mixer, too.

Directions

Combine all of the ingredients in either your blender (divide into thirds or quarters so it fits – make sure to have even liquid/solid to get it well mixed) or a larger bowl or mixer. Blend/mix very well so it’s no longer lumpy
Take a frying pan (we get 4 going at a time to be quicker, and it’s just different sizes), spray it with cooking spray, then heat up over medium-low heat. For large pans (like 10-14 inch) I do about 1/2-3/4 cup batter. More = thicker crepe, less = thinner crepe.
When the edges are starting to come up and the crepe slides a bit when you shake the pan side to side, it’s time to flip it over. Don’t over cook!
Spray your pan before each crepe, and continue through the batter. Serve warm with toppings of your choice!

With 4 pans going, it doesn’t take long to flip through these simple crepes – it’s just a matter of staying alert to make sure they don’t burn! Adjust the heat as necessary as the pan gets hotter, or if there’s a thinner crepe.

Other Easy Breakfast Recipes….

Gluten-Free 4th of July Sugar Cookie Pizza

June 26, 2015 by Stephanie Kirkos

Hello, and Happy Summer! This is Stephanie from Steph in Thyme, and today I’m sharing a festive 4th of July recipe that you can bake and assemble with your kids, or bring along to a BBQ. This Gluten-Free 4th of July Sugar Cookie Pizza slices and serves like a savory pizza for a creative twist on a picnic dessert.

Over the past few years, there has been an explosion of gluten-free products in grocery stores. Every time I go to the store, I encounter a new product. My newest gluten-free find is a Gluten-Free Funfetti Sugar Cookie Mix by Pillsbury. I stumbled upon it in the baking aisle, intermingled with non-gluten-free baking mixes. Gluten-free funfetti?? What a pleasant surprise!

With 4th of July around the corner, I picked up a few boxes to create a treat fitting for the day (2 boxes for $4, I couldn’t resist). But the patriotic treat couldn’t be just simple sugar cookies – it had to be a fun, crowd-pleasing dessert people would reach across the picnic table for.

This sugar cookie pizza is really just one giant sugar cookie, but it’s fun to think of it as a large pizza, a simple crust ready for you to decorate with toppings. And what toppings are more festive for the 4th of July than bright red strawberries, deep blue blueberries, and a creamy white whipped cream?

To save time slicing the strawberries, I recommend using an egg slicer. It slices the strawberries evenly at one time to make pizza prep faster and efficient.

Keeping with the theme “fun and different,” I whipped up a dairy-free whipped cream made from chilled coconut milk instead of traditional whipped cream. This coconut whipped cream is silky smooth and simply divine, subtly flavored with coconut and a dash of almond extract.

In addition to serving as the “sauce” on this pizza, it’s also delicious dolloped over a bowl of fresh fruit or ice cream.

I arranged the blueberries and strawberries in a flower-like pattern, placing a large handful of fresh, ripe blueberries in the center then arranging the strawberries in a double-layer until I reached the edge of the sugar cookie crust, outlining the fringe of the whipped cream with more fresh blueberries.

You can serve the sugar cookie pizza immediately after you decorate it, but I found it easier to slice after it chilled in the fridge for an hour. The whipped cream sets and the fruit doesn’t move around as much when you’re slicing it like a pizza – because it’s just way more fun to eat it that way.

Gluten-Free Sugar Cookie 4th of July Pizza l Steph in Thyme for Busy Mom's Helper

Print Recipe

Gluten-Free 4th of July Sugar Cookie Pizza

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time17 mins

Servings: 8 -10 slices

Ingredients

17.5 oz box Pillsbury's Gluten-Free Funfetti Sugar Cookie Mix
1/2 cup 1 stick unsalted butter, softened
1 egg
2 tbsp water
13.5 oz can full fat coconut milk (from the can, not the carton), chilled in the fridge for 24 hours
3 tbsp confectioners sugar
1 tsp gluten-free almond extract
2 cups thinly sliced strawberries
2 cups ripe blueberries

Instructions

To prepare the cookie:

Pre-heat oven to 375 F. Spray a 12 " pizza stone, pizza pan, or baking sheet with cooking spray.
In a large bowl, combine the butter, egg, and baking mix. Beat on medium for 1-2 minutes until combined. Add the water, scrape the sides of the bowl, and mix for another minute until a soft dough forms.
Roughly shape the dough into a large ball with your hands and place on the center of your pizza stone, pan, or baking sheet. With wet hands or a damp rolling pin, gently roll out the dough into a circle about 10" in diameter. Bake for 15-17 minutes until golden brown.
Remove cookie from the oven and let cool completely. (I left the cookie on the pizza stone and served it right on the stone). With a sharp knife, gently glide it between the cookie and pan, separating any areas that may have stuck.

To prepare the coconut whipped cream:

Chill a large bowl or bowl of a stand mixer in the freezer for 10 minutes. Take the chilled canned of coconut milk and flip it upside down, opening it from the bottom. Pour off the liquid, either setting aside for smoothies or discarding.
Remove the cold bowl from the freezer and scoop the solidified coconut milk into the bowl. Beat with a stand mixer or hand mixer for 2-3 minutes until fluffy and peaks form. Add the confectioners sugar and almond extract, beat for additional minute until well combined.

To assemble the cookie pizza:

Spoon the coconut whipped cream over the cooled sugar cookie crust, spreading in an even layer over the cookie.
Trace the outline of the outer edge of the coconut whipped cream with a single line of blueberries. Add a handful of blueberries to the center of the pizza. Arrange the strawberries around the blueberries in a circle, adding another layer of strawberries on top, if desired. Continue adding an alternating ring of strawberries and blueberries until you reach the outer ring of blueberries.
Serve immediately, or chill in the fridge for an hour (ideal). Slice the pizza into 8 to 10 slices with a sharp knife or pizza slicer.

Notes

You can use your favorite gluten-free sugar cookie baking mix in place of Pillsbury, adjusting the butter/water content if the mix isn't a comparable size.
If making the coconut whipped cream ahead, refrigerate in an airtight container. Remove from fridge and allow to warm up to a chill temperature - not cold or room temperature. Beat for 1-2 minutes until fluffy again.
Depending on how you decorate the pizza, you can use more or less fresh fruit.