Summer Fruit: Blueberries

Khalil celebrates National Blueberry Month.

By Khalil Hymore

Oops! I just got crumbs on the keyboard. As I write this I am finishing a blueberry muffin. Not a fabulous, gourmet, homemade Martha muffin, but one of those hulking, cloyingly sweet ones from the grocery store bakery. It's basically a cupcake without the frosting. I chose it in honor of July being National Blueberry Month, although I am suspicious that it even contained any real blueberries at all.

Ah, there is much to love in July--Independence Day, warm weather, longer days, my birthday, and now the celebration of all things blueberry (even if they're pink!). It's no surprise, really, that July would be named National Blueberry Month since blueberries are SO prolific in the summertime. In fact, whenever I spy the first pints of summer blueberries in the markets, I am instantly transported to the summers of my youth. 

As children, Ashley and I spent many summers with our grandparents in the country just outside Syracuse, New York. We'd cook, bake (and eat!), swim, and host picnics and cookouts, but my all time favorite summer activity was blueberry picking. We would easily spend half a day filling large buckets with blueberries, pausing only to stuff our faces with a handful. For some reason this activity always seemed so exotic to my sister and I.

It's not as if we didn't have blueberries in California--we did (although, I don't think they are actually grown there), but they were nothing like the East coast blueberries. The blueberries in the California markets seemed so small and dull. A freshly picked East coast blueberry is huge and plump, bursting with sweet tart flavor.  Our Nana would always get right to work in the kitchen, baking up anything and everything that called for blueberries. Ashley and I become so hooked on them that our mom would load up containers filled with blueberries and stash them in her carry on luggage, freezing them upon our return from New York and slowly rationing them out to us over the next few months.

One of my favorite ways to enjoy a fresh stash of blueberries is in a simple blueberry pie. Making a pie from scratch (like our Nana) doesn't have to be a laborious task. Whenever I make pie crust, I always make some extra dough to keep on hand in the freezer. You can even mix up the blueberry filling in advance and freeze it as well.  Simply toss 4 cups of fresh blueberries with about 1/2 cup of sugar (depending on the sweetness of the berries), 2 tablespoons of all-purpose flour or cornstarch, and the juice and zest of one lemon. Transfer to a large resealable plastic bag and freeze (my Aunt Susie does this with rhubarb too). When you are ready for pie, simply defrost and roll out your dough, fill with the frozen blueberry mixture, and bake (400°Fahrenheit for 20 minutes, then 350°Fahrenheit for another 30 to 40 minutes) until golden and bubbly. 

Another one of my favorite blueberry recipes is this blueberry tart from Clotilde over at Chocolate & Zucchini. It calls for crème fraîche, another favorite ingredient of mine, and is truly foolproof. Blueberries aren't just for desserts, they're great in savory dishes too. Try sprinkling them over your next salad (with blue cheese and balsamic vinegar) or simmering them into a gravy for chicken, duck, or pork. Of course, if you are lucky enough to have ever tasted fresh blueberries straight the bush, then you know that they are best eaten out of hand as a healthy snack.

To make make my Blueberry Whole Wheat Pancakes (be sure to check back on Thursday) you'll need:

• whole wheat flour
• granulated sugar
• baking powder
• baking soda
• kosher or sea salt
• vanilla extract
• confectioners' sugar
• maple syrup

From the market:

• maple syrup
• 1/2 dozen large eggs
• 1 quart buttermilk
• unsalted butter
• 1 pint fresh blueberries