Homemade Amish Raspberry Muffins

RASPBERRY MUFFINS: We're heading into the summer berry season. Amish cooks and bakers will be scouring fence lines and fields for ripe mulberries, chokecherries, blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries. Out west the Amish make use of the local huckleberries.  Berries can find their way into juices, shakes, pies, breads, and jams.  This is locovorism at its best!  The Amish in Maine will be gearing up for their blueberry harvest later this summer and huckleberries really begin to be ready in full force by August, depending on local weather variations. Elderberries are another popular fruit in some Amish settlements, in Upstate New York in particular.  It's not uncommon to see Amish ladies with empty plastic ice cream buckets swinging beside them filling them up with plump, ripe berries during the summer.  Oh, and these berries also can find their way into homemade fry pies!:) Yum!

If you're lucky this time of year you can cruise the back-roads of Amish country and find honor system produce stands at the end of driveways.  Often these stands offer a wonderful array of berries, along with fresh fruits and veggies.

Fresh raspberries in the summer mixed into a muffin batter makes a delicious snack! Here is The Amish Cook's recipe for raspberry muffins. And if you're like me you'll enjoy the batter as much as you enjoy these raspberry muffins.Enjoy!

AMISH RASPBERRY MUFFINS

2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

2 eggs, slightly beaten

1 cup light cream

½ cups oil

1 teaspoon lemon extract

1 ½ cup red raspberries

In a large bowl, mix dry ingredients until well blended. Add wet ingredients, adding the raspberries last. Stir until moistened. Do not overmix. Spoon into 18 muffin cups, greased. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes or until muffins test done.