Valley Bounty: Blueberries

There’s a part of me that can understand the weird, almost manic greed of the two characters in Robert Frost’s poem “Blueberries”, especially considering that Frost may well have been picturing blueberries grown in fields that still produce them for us today. A perennial favorite of New England summers, local blueberries are widely available at farmers’ markets, local retailers, and pick-your-own fields from now through the early autumn.

Besides the usual retinue of breakfast foods, baked goods, and jams into which we often incorporate the blueberry (which, of course, are all wonderful options), it also makes a welcome addition in some less familiar territory. Try making a blueberry barbecue sauce by simmering blueberries, ketchup, cider or balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, and chili powder together, then blending and straining (this goes especially well with pulled pork or ribs). I’ve also heard good things about blueberries on grilled cheese sandwiches, with anything from brie to chèvre and usually featuring a salty element like bacon or a tart one like lemon curd. In the name of journalism, I suppose I’ll have to investigate those claims.

Valley Bounty is written by Brian Snell