What to do with Blueberries

After two trips to pick blueberries we ended up with about 5 gallons.  As much as we like blueberries we wouldn't be able to eat them all before they went bad.  With the first batch I froze about a gallon and a half then I made this for our Memorial day celebration.  The picture is from the recipe linked in the previous sentence.




With these changes

1 .Mad it in a glass 9 x 13 pan

2. Still used just a single crust pie crust and pressed it into the bottom of a 9x13 pan

3. Doubled the filling

4. Used a scant 3/4 cup of sugar per recipe, a total of about a cup and a quarter

5. Put some oatmeal and ground flax in the topping

It went over very well.  We had about 24 people over and by making it in a cake pan we were able to serve everyone.  It helped that we had plenty of other delicious (and healthier) food before we pulled out dessert.  The best compliment came from Sariah's friend who does NOT like blueberries. Sariah forgot and gave her a piece.  She ate it a declared that it was delicious and wants the recipe.  This is for you Thisby.

Our freezer space is limited so I decided to bottle the rest of the raspberries.  Bottled blueberries, with all their dark goodness, do not photograph great.  Especially by one such as I who has limited photography skills, but take it from me, they are beautiful.  I figured out after the fact that I should have just taken the pictures from the other side, but it is almost time for the babies to wake up, so we'll go with what we have.

The first thing I mixed was, but the last thing I bottled, was blueberry butter. (The last sentence sounds like it should be a clue to a logic puzzle.)  I love these squat little bottles.   I used this recipe.  My kids love apple butter, so we tried this our.  It is delicious.  The only change I would make is to add less sugar.  I just need to figure out if it is safe to can with less sugar.

Next I made some blueberry syrup and I can't seem to find the exact recipe I used, but I knew I didn't want to throw away all the pulp and there is marvelous vitamix recipe for uncooked blueberry syrup.  I decided to puree the blueberries in my vitamix with the same quantities as found here  and here of lemon zest and lemon juice and sugar.  The amounts were similar to that found in jam so I figure it will be safe.   The syrup, though not as pretty and jewel-like as strained syrup, tastes marvelous and has a super smooth silky texture that I love.  So much more flavor than anything at the supermarket or pancake house.  Yummy.  Next time I want to use fruit juice as a sweetener and skip the sugar altogether.  I am thinking pear juice, or apple, or white grape.

I think the next recipe is my favorite.  Blueberry lime jam.  I used the recipe from the Ball's Blue Book of Preserving.  If you want the recipe and to seem some beautiful pictures to boot you can look here.  I wish I took nice pictures while I cook, but for now it is all I can do to get the cooking done. I'll settle for getting to eat this jam.  I used the vitamix on slow to crush my berries.  It worked great, and the jam tastes oh so good.  Love it!

 Lastly I made two batches of pie filling.  The first was just blueberry pie filling.  Can you see all those blueberries.  The filling is chock full of them and oh so tasty.  I don't know if I can ever eat the store bought stuff again.  If you look less closely you can see me. Oops.

When I went to make the second batch I was short two cups of blueberries so I added in some frozen peaches and raspberries I had in the fridge.  I think that was the most beautiful thing I made all day.  Can you see that crimson peach.  I can't wait to have this pie. Once I had it in the canner I found the missing blueberries. Now I get to eat them and have my pie filling too.  Yum.

So far I have made:

1 Blueberry Sour Cream Pie
4 half pints of Blueberry Butter
6 half pints of Blueberry Syrup
4 1/2 pints of Blueberry Lime Jam
2 quarts of Blueberry Pie Filling
1 Quart Blueberry/Raspberry Peach Pie Filling
2 Pints of Blueberry/Raspberry Peach Pie Filling

and I have 4 or 5 gallon freezer bags of blueberries too.  I think we are set.

I can't wait for Muscadine/Scuppernong season.  The first time I tasted them I tasted Mississippi Happiness.