Berry picking and Lemon raspberry muffins

This week we managed a trip to Marcy’s Berries to pick a few flats of raspberries. It is easy picking, and relatively inexpensive to buy a large quantity of berries for freezing or making jam. Marcy’s is located on Valens Road, near Valens Conservation Area and not too far from African Lion Safari. It took us about 20 minutes from the Y (you can take the back roads down for a quicker trip.) A flat of 6 very full quarts of raspberries cost us under $25. The black raspberries (which look like blackberries) were abundant and easy to pick and taste even sweeter than the red ones.

So after eating and picking and then eating some more we carrived home with enough raspberries to make a batch of jam and some to freeze for later. There were also a couple of baskets to eat fresh, and some made their way into my favourite muffins. I have tried this recipe with other fruits, and it’s good. But there is something perfect about the combination of lemon and raspberry. The yogurt makes them really light. And don’t skip the topping. The muffins have very little sugar so the tiny bit of sweetness on top is a treat.

Lemon Raspberry Muffins

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour or soft whole wheat flour
1/2 cup of sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup plain yogurt
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp lemon peel grated
juice of one lemon (1-2 tbsp)
2 eggs lightly beaten
1 cup raspberries

Topping
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup flour
2 tsp butter
To make topping, combine ingredients with a fork until crumbly.

In a large bowl combine dry ingredients.
In a small bow combine yogurt, oil, lemon juice and peel, and eggs, mixing well.
Add wet to dry ingredients until just moistened.
Gently stir in raspberries.
Fill prepared muffin tins 3/4 full.
Sprinkle topping over batter.
Bake at 400 degrees for 18-20 minutes.