Blueberry...

      ...SEASON!!!

A view from the outside in...................................................................a view from the inside out!

I am extremely blessed to live close to an organic blueberry orchard.  For years the owner allowed people to come and pick for shares, anyone could come.  My sons and I would pick...and she always praised what good little 'pickers' they were (still are)!

Then she retired...and didn't need extra pickers.  However, she would, by invitation, allow one or two people to pick.

This year is the first year to pick without either son...in fact I thought I'd been written off the invitation list altogether!

This orchard holds such sweet memories!  The boys and I would remind one another, only the BLUE ones!  Make sure they're as big as your thumb!  I very rarely ever tasted the blueberries, in fact I'm not a sit and eat them type person.  Love them baked into stuff!

This year I've actually 'nibbled' as I pick and find I do like them...oddly enough fresh off the vine, not once they're home or frozen.

I've done a tad bit of browsing for information on blueberries and found one of the benefits is protection against memory loss!  They can also be used as a natural food dye.

The site WHFoods had this article on blueberries which had a LOT of interesting information on it's many benefits (antioxidants, etc. etc.).

Organic Gardening had this article on how to grow blueberry bushes.  The orchard owner graciously gave me several 'runners' to try and start.  Some had a good root system, which I've planted and several without (a follow up post).  I've got the ones without good roots in a bucket with a bubbler (hydroponics).

Here's what I did yesterday with one of my pints (Blueberry Muffins - actual recipe listed courtesy McCalls Cook Book with my modifications supplied):

Makes 11-14 Muffins
2 Cups Flour (I used whole wheat - finally milled after a 6-7 month hiatus)
1/4 sugar (I use dry honey)
3 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt (I use natural salt)
1 cup milk (I use dry milk, placing the 'dry' part with the other dry items)
1/3 cup oil or melted shortening (I use olive oil)
1 egg, slightly beaten

Oven at 400, grease muffin tin or use inserts (I spray mine - the 'hope' is the muffins won't stick to the paper.  I use paper because I loathe cleaning the muffin tins!).

Mix all dry ingredients:

I put all the dry ingredients (including the dry milk) together and THEN mix it, this helps to disperse the baking soda and also break up (hopefully) any clumps.

My farm fresh eggs - not beaten, yet.  The olive oil, and then the water (2 cups as I doubled the muffin recipe).

Dry ingredients 'mixed' - check.  Wet ingredients 'mixed' - check!  Make a 'well' in the dry ingredients and then add the wet.  According to the directions mix using a fork, DO NOT BEAT, batter will be lumpy.

Eh...my neck/shoulder/arm doesn't allow this, so the beaters were used.  Once I have the batter mixed (I had to add about 3/4 to 1 cup more of water), I 'fold' in the blueberries.  Dip out 1/4 cup into the muffin tins and bake for 20-25 minutes (toothpick inserted - yeah, you puncture a blueberry it's going to come out blue and wet).  :-)

And they're done...teapot heated, waiting to make a cuppa and have a few of these tasty lovelies with butter (yes REAL butter) slathered on top.

Yum!  Enjoy!