Monday, September 28, 2015

How to Freeze Blueberries


Blueberries, one of the
 healthiest foods on the planet.
Rich in vitamins and antioxidants.
 



It is better to wash blueberries 
after they are frozen,
when you take them 
out of the freezer to use.
Washing before freezing can
make their skins tough.

Flash freeze method
prevents the blueberries sticking
together in clumps.

Pick them over to remove any stems etc.
Spread them in a single layer on a 
cookie sheet and put in the 
freezer 3-4 hrs. or overnight.







When they are frozen, remove 
from tray and put them in 
freezer bags. 

Place them back in the freezer
 to enjoy in the Winter.

When ready to use,
rinse under cold water
while they are still frozen.





Great for pies, jams, pancakes,
muffins, cereal toppers, etc.










 and these fibre filled
 Blueberry-Bran-Molasses Muffins.





Thanks for your visit.

💙💙💙




Sunday, September 27, 2015

Wild Blueberry Pie


Fresh wild blueberries,
 high in antioxidants
and Vitamin C.

 Makes delicious desserts

including this Wild Blueberry Pie.



Prepare your favorite the pie crust.
I use an all vegetable shortening. 
Easy instructions on the box.
Or, you can buy premade pie crust in grocery stores.




Prepare the blueberry filling for pies.
Yields enough for one large 9" pie.
I prefer to make 2 -7inch pies. 




4 cups Wild Blueberries or Cultivated Blueberries.
These are "Forest Picked Wild Blueberries".



In a small bowl add 1/2 cup white sugar, 
2 tblsp cornstarch, 2 tblsp. lemon juice 
and  the zest of a lemon.


Add sugar mixture to blueberries, 
gently toss to combine.



Dump blueberry mixture in prepared pie shell. 
Cover with top crust.

Optional:To have a nice golden crust, brush the top crust with a beaten egg and sprinkle with sugar. 


 I place the pies on a cookie sheet, 
It makes spills easier to clean. 




Bake 400 deg.F for 20 mins,
then 350deg.F  for 35-45 minutes.



Enjoy with whipping cream or vanilla ice cream.

Here in Québec, Eastern Canada, 
wild blueberries are harvested
on two types of land: forests and 
developed blueberry fields.
Forest harvesting is done in areas where 
logging or forest fires have occurred.
As for blueberry fields, they are developed 
on sites where blueberries grow naturally.
They are sold in most frozen section of grocery stores.


To view my blog on "Wild Blueberry Muffins," click here
also my blog on `How to Freeze Blueberries``

Thanks for your visit.

💙💙💙


Wild Blueberry Muffins


I love blueberries and fortunate
to have them growing in our forests
 here in the Gaspé, Eastern Canada.
 We had a lot of rain this summer
 which gave us a good harvest.

Forest picked wild blueberries,
good for baking or eating raw.
(Great cereal toppers)

These nutritious muffins, 
bursting with berries
 are low in sugar,great for breakfast
 or snack any time of the day.


Preheat oven 375deg.F

Whisk together:

2 cups Flour
2 tsp. baking powder
pinch of salt.
1/2 cup Sugar
zest of one orange or lemon.

In another bowl mix together:
2 eggs beaten
1 cup Milk
1/4 cup melted butter
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract.

Pour the egg mixture into the flour mixture and
 stir quickly until ingredients are just mixed 
and batter is lumpy in appearance.

Fold in 2 cups lightly floured Blueberries .
(Raspberries or Cranberries may be used also.)


Fill muffin tins 2/3 fill.




An ice cream scoop works well for filling


Bake 20-25 mins at 375deg. F



tip:
The secret of good muffins is to 
stir the batter until the flour is just dampened.
The batter should be lumpy. 
Over mixing causes tunnels
 and a tough texture.
Perfect muffins are light and 
tender with rough shiny golden crusts.





Check out a story on
Blue Willow dishes.











To view my blog on  
"Wild Blueberry Pie" click here


Thanks for your visit

💙💙💙