But they are my grandma's blueberries. Aren't they lovely?We have had a busy few days around here. On Thursday, the boys and I drove the four-hours one way tip to Tennessee just to pick some of these fantastic berries. Of course, we did manage to stay two days to enjoy family and to breathe some of mountain air, which is significantly less oppressive than the air around here, even if it isn't that much cooler.
I'm not sure how long Grandma has had her blueberry bushes, but they are huge. She gets around 20 gallons each summer, and all of her friends and relatives who want to can take a turn picking. We got there just in time to glean some of the last fruits. In fact, my wonderful Grandma had saved two bushes just for us. Calvin had a blast picking...or eating...the berries with Grandma. Hobbes was more interested in pouring them from one bucket to another, dumping them on the ground, and generally undoing our work. He eventually decided it was more fun to play hide-and-seek in the bushes while we picked.
So now I am home with a gallon of berries, some of which I will freeze for use in oatmeal and pancakes and muffins throughout the year. Many of them we will eat in handfuls of juicy, sweet goodness. The rest will go into Grandma's blueberry batter pie and a batch of these. I am still searching for the perfect blueberry muffin recipe, so if you have a good one, send it my way. For that matter, send me any good blueberry recipes you have. I'd love to know what other people do with them!
Grandma's Blueberry Batter Pie
Melt one stick butter in the bottom of a 3 quart baking dish.
Mix 1 cup flour, 1 cup milk, 1 cup sugar, 2 tsp. baking powder, and a dash of salt. Set aside.
Combine 1 quart blueberries, 1 cup sugar, and a little water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil on stovetop and remove from heat.
Pour batter over melted butter in baking dish. Spoon blueberry mixture evenly over batter and pour remaining juice on top. Bake at 350 for 3o minutes or until batter rises to top and begins to brown.
Best served warm with some vanilla ice cream.
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5 comments:
Remind me to come visit you next year right, during, and after blueberry season. I LOVE them. My favorite thing to do with them is eat them by the fist full, put them in whole wheat blueberry pancakes, and eat them in the strawberry/blueberry/cream layered thing my husband makes me sometimes.
When I was a kid, I LOVED blueberry muffins but have never found a recipe that can come close to my memory. Maybe I'll try the one you linked to. Is it really god?
Oh, and why must I be taunted with the deliciously cold glass of sweet tea each time I read your blog....?
Catherine,
You are always welcome for a visit and a glass of sweet tea. In the meantime, you can make your own, you know. I'm sure Farrah can give you a lesson.
The muffin recipe was excellent, the best I have tried. We'll see how they are tomorrow, but they weren't too tough today. They were sweet, not bitter like some muffins.
I discovered your blog a few months ago, and enjoy popping in now and then. Each time lately, I think of Eudora Welty's book 'The Optimist's Daughter,' because the mountains figure so prominently in it -- a place to find out who you are. (The ones in the book are in WV, though.)
Anyway, blueberry matters: blueberries with milk and sugar for breakfast are a delicacy! I also like 'Blueberries for Sal,' and the way you see blueberries when you close your eyes after going picking.
Mmmmm-- the recipe sounds wonderful. We have a favorite blueberry picking farm near Lake Jocasse, and it is about time for our annual visit.
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