It’s not hard to make a meal out of the blueberry. They’re the perfect snack served warm or cold, they’re ready to eat right off the plant and they make excellent additions to pies, pastries, and plenty of other dishes. Chalk full of antioxidants, they’re a prime contender in the preventative battle against cancer. One cup of these plump little morsels provide over a quarter of your daily allotment in vitamin K and manganese, and vitamin C. If it is fiber that you want, pour these into your blender with your morning shake and start the day off right.
Although the blueberry is native to the states, it took some time before the tiny wild child of the backwoods was crossbred with other various plants to produce the berry we know and love today. And even more recently has the blueberry become a staple produced in our beloved San Joaquin soil. Now that it is grown and harvested in our region from May to July, we can head off with pails in hand to many of the magnificent you-pick produce stands along our valley and enjoy these fresh local morsels plucked from the plant and popped onto our plates!
Local Flavor:
Corner Scone Bakery’s Blueberry Scone brings out the best in teatime. Enjoy this slightly sweet pastry warm or at room temperature, with its plump blueberries and sugar glazed surface.
Lemon Blueberry Muffin Bread
Ingredients:
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 cups blueberries (12 oz)
- 2 tsp lemon zest
- ½ cup plain yogurt, regular or lowfat
Directions:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray a loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray and set aside.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk together your flour, baking powder and salt. Add the blueberries and lemon zest and toss to combine.
- Cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the yogurt then the dry ingredients, mixing only until incorporated and being careful not to crush the blueberries.
- Scoop batter into your prepared loaf pan and bake for 1 hour 10 minutes, until golden brown. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes before inverting gently onto a plate. Recipe courtesy of pbs.org
Blueberries & Cream Popsicles
Ingredients:
- 12 oz Fresh Blueberries
- 1 Pint Heavy Whipping Cream
- 1/4 C Water
- 3/4 C Sugar, divided
Directions:
- In a blender, add the blueberries, water, and 1/4 cup of sugar. Blend until smooth.
- In a large bowl, gently whisk together the heavy whipping cream and remaining 1/2 cup of sugar, until all the sugar has dissolved.
- Alternate pouring the blueberries and cream into popsicle molds until all the mixtures have been used. Freeze for at least 4 hours, then remove from molds, wrap each popsicle in wax paper and place in a plastic bag for storage in the freezer. Recipe courtesy of Asimplepantry.com
