Blueberry Season

Well I have to say how fortunate I feel to live in Maine.  We are blessed with the ocean, mountains, lots of forests, lobster and wild blueberries.

Our town has a hill called, appropriately, Blueberry Hill, where anyone in the town can come and rake or pick wild blueberries.  (I just learned today that these are never sprayed with any chemicals...a great bonus!) This is an amazing opportunity for individuals to stock up on this sweet and tender little treat.  However, as we want to use as many of these antioxidant packed beauties as we can, all winter long, we head down the road to the next town and a great little place to rake organic wild blueberries - Staples Homestead.

My husband, who knows no speed of operation except warp speed, usually heads off by himself to rake our berries when the season is in full swing (a two to three week window starting August 1).  Last year he was able to rake 10 gallons of berries in an hour.  And though this may seem like a lot, this was one of the first years that we actually ran out of berries in the freezer by May.  This year, determined not to experience the same scenario, Mark headed out and came home with a whopping 17 gallons of berries in a little over an hour.

The consequence of this abundance is a week of preserving blueberries.  I was able to freeze 213 cups of berries for use all fall, winter, and spring in smoothies, as toppings for yogurt, and an occasional pie or crisp.

My eldest son Benjamin, who would turn into a blueberry if he could at this time of year, has probably consumed 3 quarts of blueberries this week.  (Just think of all the consequences due to that amount of consumption...).

10 jars of blueberry jam.

I made a batch of blueberry jam (10 jelly jars worth), that we will use all year for lunches.  Blueberry buckle and blueberry crisp have been devoured consumed...and now I am feeling, well, blue (and I am not just referring to my semi-permanently stained fingers).

Part of me feels like we need more for fresh eating now!  I see muffins, a pie, and another crisp on the menu for at least another week.  Another part of me feels anxious about running out of jelly or frozen berries before we can rake again next year.  What am I to do?

As I contemplate sending my husband back to rake again, I will leave you with the recipe for my blueberry crisp.  We enjoyed it with friends last evening and I hope you will enjoy it too!

Ingredients:

4 heaping cups of blueberries

2 tbsp. cornstarch (we use an organic, non-GMO variety)

1 tsp. cinnamon, divided

1 tsp. vanilla

1/2 c. sugar

1 1/2 c. quick oats

1/2 c. sliced almonds, crushed

2 tbsp. brown sugar

1/4 c. softened butter

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Pick your blueberries clean of stems and leaves (as much as possible).  Place them in a medium size bowl.  Add cornstarch, 1/2 tsp. cinnamon, 1/2 c. sugar and 1 tsp. vanilla and mix gently until well combined.  Let set for 15 minutes.  Meanwhile, in a separate bowl, combine oats, almonds, brown sugar and softened butter.  Combine with a fork until all the mix is moistened by the butter.  Pour the blueberries into a medium sized ceramic, glass or Corning Ware pan.  Sprinkle the oat mixture on top and bake for 30 minutes.  Let cool, but serve warm.  

Enjoy!  (As I type this out I think I will go get more berries....)

As an FYI, domestic and imported blueberries make the top 25 list of fruits and veggies found with the most pesticide residue, according to the Environmental Working Group.  We always try to find these organic.  It typically is a bit more expensive, but I wanted to let you know.  You can find their complete list at this link: Dirty Dozen

Shelley Allen

Health Coach, MS OTR/L

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