Luckily, we have a large patch of blueberry bushes because our summertime snacks revolve around fresh fruit.
Sometimes we cook with the fruit; however, usually we eat it raw. Oftentimes our snacking takes place in the field. Therefore, it’s not farm-to-table; it’s farm-to-mouth. Blueberries are a wonderfully healthy food and full of antioxidants. They are easy to pick. The most difficult aspect of picking them is to drop them in the bucket. That’s because it’s too tempting to pick and eat right from the bush. My husband Mark and I call this “grazing.”
June is blueberry season. Memorial Day signals the start of the harvest time. In some years, the berries ripen sooner. However, you can bet they won’t last longer than a month. They’ll be gone by the July 4th Independence Day. Often the bushes are empty in late June. The best way to store berries for eating later is to freeze them unwashed in freezer-safe bags. Washing them leaves water droplets that crystallize in the freezer.
Mother Nature controls blueberry season. Berries need the right amount of water and sunshine. Too much rain causes the berries to split. Mother Nature takes care of the clean-up, too, because as soon as the berries are too few or too soft to harvest, the birds arrive and clean the bushes.
Although we eat a large amount of uncooked fruit, we do enjoy making blueberry dishes and desserts. We are always on the lookout for new recipes and are often asked to share any recipes we have collected. Our friend Patricia Henderson recently gave us a copy of her favorite blueberry muffin recipe and graciously allowed me to share it with readers. See Patricia’s Blueberry Cream Cheese Muffins below. Enjoy!
Blueberry Cream Cheese Muffins
From the Kitchen of Patricia Henderson
Prep time: 10 minutes
Bake Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 24 muffins
Ingredients:
1 package Betty Crocker Super-Moist white cake mix
1 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 package (3 ounces) cream cheese, softened
3 egg whites
1 ½ cups fresh blueberries
2 tablespoons white coarse sugar crystals or granulated sugar
Directions:
Heat oven to 375 degrees. Grease bottoms of 24 medium muffin cups (2 1/2x 1 ¼ inches) with shortening or line with paper baking cups. Beat cake mix, milk, oil, cream cheese and egg whites in large bowl with electric mixer on low speech 30 seconds. Beat on medium speed 2 minutes. Gently stir in blueberries. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. Sprinkle with sugar crystals. Bake 15 to 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm or cool. Store tightly covered at room temperature.
Note:
These muffins can be baked and frozen. Place cooled muffins in a resealable plastic freezer bag and freeze up to 3 months. Thaw overnight at room temperature, or reheat in the microwave on high about 30 seconds.
