Nothing like a good wind storm to remind one who really is the boss 😉 Kirk and I got to spend our weekend learning all about fence posts 101 and fixing an awful job (the posts of our fence were horribly put in, come spring we now plan to replace all the posts!!). The post had rotted and when it came down, it took 2 panels as well. We used our brains to figure out a way to keep the post upright in the new concrete (normally you’d stake it out, but the ground was super ripped up…due to digging the concrete ball out!). A ladder and duct tape works wonders while it cures…. It’ll be a few days till we can get the panels up again. On the other hand, we have gotten to know our neighbors well – which is a nice thing. And digging in that dumb Cascadian Glacial Till earth means I added about 300 new rocks to my alpine rock garden as well….
So, all that work got my mind wandering – I had downtime at points and did a lot of garden trimming. One area was all my alpine wild strawberry plants. Come December I am really missing the stream of fresh berries. So I rummaged through my big freezer….
Winter Strawberry Crisp
Ingredients:
- 1 cup old-fashioned oats
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup brown sugar, packed
- ½ cup coconut oil, solid
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- 8 cups frozen strawberries
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
Directions:
Let the strawberries thaw on counter, until they are thawed enough to slice thickly. Stir sliced berries with sugar and vanilla, set aside.
Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly oil an 8″ glass baking dish and place on a rimmed baking sheet.
Mix oats, flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a medium mixing bowl. Add coconut oil, work in with a fork, till small crumbs.
Pour in half of the mixture into baking dish, pack in. Spoon in berries on top. Sprinkle on remaining crumb mixture over top.
Bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes, until golden and bubbling. Let cool a bit before serving. Store leftovers tightly wrapped in refrigerator.