Blueberry Hill

The blueberries are really coming in right now.  We have six blueberry bushes that are about six feet tall.  Even though we have had a very dry spring, the berries are plump and juicy and they are producing well.  I attribute that to two factors.  First, Russ pruned the blueberry bushes in early spring, taking off limbs that crossed other limbs or were dead.  This opened up the bushes to sunlight.  Then we used organic fertilizer around the base of the bushes when they began putting on new leaves.  

Each day we have to go out and pick.  Blueberries don't get ripe all at once.  That is a good thing because it stretches out the season and the ability to enjoy them.

We go out with quart-sized yogurt containers and pick the ripening ones.  Sometimes the sunlight fools you and you end up picking some that aren't perfectly ripe.  That's okay - but they are tart and aren't as sweet as the fully ripe ones.  We pick a few blackberries each day as well.

We put them in a colander in the vegetable sink and rinse them off.  We freeze a bunch of them on trays and then fill zip loc bags with them.  That keeps them loose and then you're able to scoop out the amount that you want since they aren't frozen together.

A friend of ours introduced us to a refreshing salad that makes use of blueberries.  It has cut up cucumbers, blueberries, feta cheese, mint, and basil.  Talk about good!

It is a nice accompaniment to your meal.  We have a lot of cucumbers coming in right now, and this is a great way to use them up.

Another friend gave Tricia the recipe for a tart.  Tricia tried it with blueberries and it was a hit at our home.  It uses a springform pan and has a sweet dough crust.

Just look at those berries bursting with deliciousness!

Once we remove it from the springform pan and garnish it with some fresh mint, you can almost hear the tart beckoning you...

Here's one more money shot:

Fortunately the blueberries will be coming in for about another month, so we'll have opportunities to make many more of the delicious blueberry tarts!