Just the day before I had brought home a blueberry plant that I had fallen in love with and purchased in a grocery store parking lot; this was akin to adopting a puppy on a whim and not really knowing anything about taking care of it. I needed more info.
Such pretty little blueberry blossoms. I couldn't leave them bereft and homeless in a parking lot.As it turned out, I learned that blueberry plants are perfect for the partial shade we have here, and I needed to buy 2 more varieties to make it work. Yaaay! More berries! The helpful berry guy at the greenhouse helped me pick out just the right varieties, ones that would coexist happily with the blossoming Bluecrop that I had already bought. It was like being given permission to take home a few more puppies.
Last season's frozen berries, ready to go into a pieBlueberry season is in fact almost upon us, so that means I need to use up the berries from last year that pack the corners of the freezer. It's no good having bags of these in the there when you want to go out to one of the pick-your-own farms in a few weeks.
We were expecting guests Sunday evening, so I made two pies.The recipe I used for both pie and crust came from a vintage Betty Crocker cookbook. There are only a few ingredients: flour, shortening, blueberries, sugar, and cinnamon.So simple.
So yummy.
So yummy.
It didn't take long for these to vanish.Finally:
Neil Gaiman, author of American Gods, Anansi Boys, Coraline, and the Sandman comics is a favorite of mine. With this children's book, Blueberry Girl, he breaks his tradition of dark scary stories, and just does sweet and wise. I'm pleased to have a chance to share it.
Help her to help herself, help her to stand.
Help her to lose and to find.
Teach her we're only as big as our dreams,
Show her that Fortune is blind.
Truth is a thing she must find for herself,
Precious and rare as a pearl.
Give her all these and a little bit more,
Gifts for a blueberry girl.
Good luck with your blueberries. I love them. That reminds me I still have raspberries in my freezer that I need to use up too!
ReplyDeleteoh i love this! the blueberries and the story!! the last time i went blueberry picking was too long ago, but in such a beautiful place, at the foot of Mt. Si, in Washington state. SIGH.
ReplyDeleteWe are finally finishing the last of the strawberry syrup as we now pack the freezer with fresh strawberry jam. Our blueberries are slowly ripening as well. AND we attended a lecture on organize landscaping a few weekends ago and we also were the only one there!
ReplyDeleteSounds like the day turned out to be LUCKY for you! I wish I could grow blueberries here but my soil is too alkaline. North of here the soil is perfect, though!
ReplyDeleteI'm drooling just thinking of blueberry pie! Best of luck with your new plants! I also have to say your dogs are adorable!
ReplyDeleteOh my goodness. That picture with the blueberries and the sugar is SO pretty. And now I totally want blueberry pie for supper!
ReplyDeleteblueberry muffins are my favorite
ReplyDeleteyour photos are yummy!!
Hello all! This wasn't written as a meme, but fit into Rebecca's "Mid-Week Blues" which I respect, and linked to.
ReplyDeleteSlim: You know I thought of you FIRST when I saw the video of Blueberry Girl.
Tabor: As always, you rock.
EG: I''m surprised that you can't grow blueberries there! Really? I'm gonna ask the berry guy.
Christie: your photos were cool. Eddy is a smart dog and a challenge. Reub is a project, and sweet.
Kaishon: I wonder if you come back and re-visit memes. Most do not. Your photos are great, and I'll look at them again. Did you have pie tonight?
It's ice on the blueberries, not sugar. Looks like sugar though, doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteAt times like this, when I read such a lovely post, I wish I had a real garden. I would love to have blueberry shrubs in it and then stack the freezer with my crops. That pie looks delicious! Hmmm, I guess I'll have to get mine in the supermarket. Somehow, that is just NOT the same!
ReplyDeleteDianne: Blueberry muffins will be the next thing I make to help finish off the bags of frozen berries!
ReplyDeleteJientje: My goodness, you DO have a real garden there on your patio. There could be some small varieties of berries that you could grow in pots.
Love blueberry cobbler, sprinkled on oatmeal, on yogurt, so yummy!
ReplyDeleteKarena
Art by Karena
I believe blueberries are one of those "super foods" yes? I love them, and am always sad when the season ends and I have to wait again till the next year.
ReplyDeleteCan't wait to see pics of your growing, blossoming, fruiting blueberries. YUM!
Karen: Blueberries and yogurt, I can't wait!
ReplyDeleteReya: I've read that they top the list in terms of antioxidant content, plus they're full of Vitamins C, K and manganese. And they're loaded with fiber. And they're so darned beautiful.