Valley Bounty, July 27: Blueberries

Blueberries make breakfast foods better (think pancakes, granola, and muffins) and make a great end to a heart-of-summer meal—all by themselves, baked into a pie or crisp, or topping vanilla ice cream with a swirl of maple syrup. Pick-your-own or buy a pre-picked flat from a local farm to stock your freezer for smoothies and winter eating.

Web Extras:

Sources

CISA’s list of farms growing blueberries and farmstands selling blueberries is here. If you want blueberry pie, but don’t want to make it yourself, several local farms can help, including Birdhaven Blueberry Farm in Southampton and Small Ones Farm in Amherst.

Recipes

Roberts’ Family Farm in Chesterfield is a beautiful place to pick berries, and they have a variety of blueberry recipes on their website, including one for blueberry hamburgers! You’ll also find two blueberry sauces, muffins, and coffee cake.

Preserving

Blueberries might be the easiest thing to freeze. Put them in bags or other containers and put them in the freezer. No need to blanche or freeze on a tray.

If you are short of freezer space and want to can berries, here is a detailed explanation from local blogger “extra happy theory” of how to do it.