Strawberry Jamberry Crumble Bars

I think I can call it quits. I have been picking strawberries all week long with a very busy and friendly 20 month old. We have been making our rounds to a few farms in the area and have picked around 75 pounds of berries all together. I froze about 40 pounds and made jam with about 20 and we ate the rest fresh in pies, smoothies and treats (I will share some of those recipes very soon). 

I am so glad that my son and I have been able to have fun and enjoy the process too.  There is something really healing about picking your own food. You have more ownership over each piece and you can find more appreciation for God's gift of good food from the earth. I would encourage you to do the same for your health...physically and emotionally as well. It is good for the mind, body and soul to connect with the Creator, earth and the food you eat. 

So, you see, after so many strawberries, I think I can call it quits as the 2012 strawberry season winds down this weekend. We can take a little break and wait until blueberry and raspberry season start up in a few weeks. Because Michigan has so many local farms to pick and buy your own berries I just can't sit around and watch the season slip by. It is what summer is all about at our home...

Eating your local produce has more vitamins and fresh quality because you don't have to wonder how long it has been sitting in a truck or refrigerated box in transit. I think anyone would agree that fresh from the plant just tastes better too. It must be all those fresh vitamins and antioxidants!  I am so thankful to live in a place where lots of fresh healthy farm produce is available. What a gift!

And what am I going to do with all these berries you ask?! Well, the frozen ones are reserved for mostly smoothies and other baked treats, and the jam is reserved for topping oatmeal, muffins, and other treats, and the fresh ones are just cute to have around for a few weeks and add to everything...like this yummy crumble dish. Super easy, only a few ingredients and its absolutely delish! Enjoy!

Strawberry Jamberry Crumble Bar Recipe 

(gluten, dairy, soy and nut-free)

Crust Crumble:

2 cups of freshly ground gluten-free oat flour

    *grind 2 cups of certified gluten-free rolled oats in a grinder or food processor to make flour*

1 cup of certified gluten-free rolled oats

1 cup of unsweetened shredded coconut

dash - 1/2 ts. of sea salt

3 TB of local raw honey or maple syrup

2/3 cup of organic extra virgin coconut oil

Put all of the ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix well together with a rubber spatula or your hands. Then cut the batter in half and spread half of the dough in a 9x13 pyrex glass pan. Spread thin and press firm with a spoon or cup to evenly spread the crust over the whole pan. Then put the crust in a preheated 350 degree oven for 10-12 minutes until golden. Let cool for at least 30 minutes before adding the strawberries...

Strawberry Filling:

1 cup of homemade strawberry honey jam (I'll share my recipe version soon)

2 cups of thinly slices fresh strawberries

drizzle of honey and lime juice over the strawberries to give them a sweet juice

When the crust is cooled a bit then you can spread 1 cup of strawberry jam over the crust. I used homemade because I had it and it didn't contain cane sugar but honey. But you could use any of your favorite fruit jams if you prefer. Then after spreading jam, spread 2 cups of thinly sliced strawberries that had been sprinkled with lime juice and a drizzle of honey. 

Spread the berries over all the jam and then finally top the whole pan off with the remaining crust/crumble dough. You do not need to spread thin the crust on top, just crumble the topping with your fingers over the top.

Then bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30-35 minutes. Let cool completely if you want to cut into neat bars. Or scoop out the bars warm with some coconut ice cream or coconut whipped topping.

Enjoy with some iced sun-tea, outdoors or with friends! Delish!

These can be a bit messy and crumbly so you may take that into consideration. But every crumb is perfectly delicious and I hope you try out this super simple recipe before strawberry season escapes us!

Much love to you as always!