Recipes for Blueberry Season
By Michele Blandino
Here in the east, blueberry season is fairly short - it begins and ends in July. Yet, there's something about the feeling I get when I head out to the field, bucket in hand, on a late July afternoon that stays with me for the remainder of the year.
Picking Your Own
Picking blueberries is amazingly simple - maybe that's why it's so enjoyable. All that's needed is a bucket and the ability to distinguish the ripe (blue) berries from the unripe (green) berries. While I am lucky enough to have access to acres of bushes, those who aren't can visit a farm market; many have "u-pick" options which allow you to pick berries from bushes on their property.
Buying Berries
If spending a few hours in the sun picking berries isn't your idea of a good time, you can always buy pre-picked berries at a farm market or in the grocery store. As in all purchases of fruits and vegetables, you should take the time to carefully inspect the produce for mold and decay before making your purchase.
Storing Berries
What if you can't use all the berries you've picked? Fortunately blueberries freeze relatively well. Before freezing the berries, however, you should take some time to determine what you will ultimately do with them since the method used to freeze the berries will depend on what they will be used for.
Regardless of the freezing method, you should first wash the berries in cold water and sort them, taking care to remove any soft or dried berries. If you will be using the berries for desserts, you should pack them in syrup made by mixing 3 cups of sugar to 1 quart of water. If the berries will be used for pie, you can pack them without the syrup, however, you should first freeze them in a single layer on a cookie sheet before transferring them to freezer bags or containers.
Cooking with Berries
So, what will you do with those berries you picked? Here are some recipes:
Easy Old Fashioned Blueberry Pie
- 12 oz. blueberries
- 1/2 c. sugar
- 1 T. flour
- 1/4 c. butter
- 9 inch unbaked pie crust
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
In a large saucepan, combine blueberries, sugar, flour, and butter. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to simmer. Simmer berries for 10 - 15 minutes, until thickened. Pour berry mixture into unbaked pie crust. Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Blueberry Jam
- 3 c. blueberries, rinsed well
- 5 1/4 c. granulated sugar
- 1 T. lemon juice
- 1 pkg. powdered pectin
- 3/4 c. water
Crush berries in a large bowl; add lemon juice. Stir in sugar and let stand for 10 minutes. In a saucepan, mix pectin and water; bring to a full boil. Boil, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Mix pectin mixture into fruit; stir for 3 minutes. Pour fruit mixture into freezer containers or small canning jars, leaving 1/2-inch headspace. Cover immediately and let stand at room temperature for 24 hours. Store in the freezer. Makes about 6 cups.