THRILLS ON BLUEBERRY HILL July 6, 2005 Susan Noble Family and Consumer Science Extension Agent

Americans love their blueberries. If we spread all the blueberries grown in North America in one year out in a single layer, they would form a four-lane highway from New York to Chicago.

Even our bears love blueberries. During blueberry season, wild bears will walk 10 to 15 miles a day to reach a patch of these blue jewels. As the berries ripen from the valleys up into the mountains, bears follow along. Apparently, like Fats Domino in his 1956 hit tune, bears get a thrill on Blueberry Hill.

Be ye human or animal, now is the time to enjoy fresh blueberries. The North American blueberry harvest starts in mid-spring in Florida and ends in early October in Michigan. Prime blueberry season is mid-June through September.

To select the best fresh blueberries, look for berries that are dry, firm, deep blue in color, and covered with a chalky white "bloom." The bloom indicates freshness.

The berries should move easily when you shake the container. If not, the berries may be soft and stuck together.

Take a look at the container. If the container is wooden or cardboard and is damp or stained, the berries inside may be crushed, moldy, or rotten.

When selecting frozen blueberries, listen to them. Shake the bag to be sure the berries rattle around in the bag. If there is no rattling noise, the berries have likely frozen into a solid clump. This is a sign the berries have thawed and then refrozen.

Blueberries are the least perishable of all the berries. Fresh blueberries will last for 7-10 days in the refrigerator. Before refrigerating the berries, remove any that are crushed and moldy. This will prevent the other berries from going bad too quickly.

Do not wash berries before refrigerating. Wait and rinse berries just before using.

Commercially frozen berries do not need to be rinsed before use. Do rinse home frozen berries quickly under cold running water.

Let berries thaw for a few minutes at room temperature before adding them to uncooked dishes. If you're using the berries in a cooked dish, there's no need for thawing. Just add the frozen berries to the dish and increase the cooking time.

Before adding fresh berries to a batter, dust them lightly with flour. This will prevent the berries from sinking to the bottom of the baking pan.

If baking blueberries in cakes and quick breads, use The Light Touch to reduce fat and sugar. Human taste buds will be none the wiser; I don't know about the bears.

The Light Touch is simple. When a recipe calls for one cup of sugar or fat, reduce it to 3/4 cup; for 3/4 cup, reduce it to 2/3 cup; and so on. What you are doing is using the next lower measure in the usual measuring scale.

For measures over one cup, reduce the one cup to 3/4 cup and reduce the partial cup to the next lower measure. For example, 1 3/4 cup would be reduced to 3/4 cup plus 2/3 cup.

Quick breads made with The Light Touch do tend to be less tender and to dry out more quickly than regular quick breads -- that is, if they last that long.

The following recipe for Blueberry Brunch Cake uses The Light Touch. (The recipe as written is lightened; you do not need to do it.) It was a hit at the recent Blueberry Day at the Southeastern North Carolina Farmers Market.

If you want all the fat, try the recipe for Blueberry Cheesecake Bars. This recipe caught my eye, because it reminded me of a treat from my past.

During the years I lived in New Bern, I became mildly addicted to Blueberry Cheesecake Ice Cream. Like Elizabethtown next door, New Bern is blueberry country. New Bern is also home to Maola Dairies. Once a year when blueberries were in season, Maola would produce a wonderful cheesecake-flavored ice cream laced with blueberries. The bars were good, but I must admit that Maola's ice cream is still tops in my book.

Rounding out today's trio of recipes is Blueberry Relish. It's similar to the fruit salsas that have become so trendy in the last couple of years.

I've started making this relish years ago when I found a recipe that cloned a favorite commercial product I was buying. I freeze blueberries just so I can make this relish during the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays.

The relish is a great alternative to the usual blueberry salad made with cream cheese and gelatin. It makes a good glaze for baked ham or chicken. You can put together a good hors d'oeuvre by topping plain crackers with thinly sliced ham or turkey and a bit of the relish. See the relationship to Thanksgiving and Christmas?

And, honestly, Blueberry Relish is great over vanilla ice cream. Maybe I need to hook up with Maola to make Berry Good Relish Ice Cream. I bet even bears would eat it.

Combine first 4 ingredients in medium bowl; set aside. Combine egg, milk, oil, and lemon juice; add to dry ingredients, mixing well. Pour batter into greased 8-inch square baking pan. Sprinkle blueberries over batter. Combine remaining sugar and flour with cinnamon; sprinkle over blueberries. Bake at 350° for 40 minutes.

Yields 9 servings at 186 calories each.

Rinse berries and drain well. Peel, core, and coarsely chop apple. Combine the first 7 ingredients in large saucepan. Stirring constantly, bring mixture to boil over medium heat. Add lemon juice, stirring till well blended. Chill relish till slightly firm. Makes about 1 pint relish. Store in refrigerator and use within 7 days.

Preheat oven to 350°. Pour melted margarine into 13- x 9-inch baking pan. Sprinkle crumbs over margarine and mix together well. Firmly and evenly press crumb mixture onto bottom of pan. Beat cream cheese till smooth. Add sweetener of choice, eggs, and vanilla, beating till well blended; set aside. Stir jam in its jar till softened; spread jam evenly over crust. Top jam with blueberries. Spread cream cheese mixture over berries. Bake 30 minutes or till slightly puffed. Cool completely in pan. Cut into 24 bars. Refrigerate any leftover bars for up to 3 days.

Recipe adapted from Kraft Foods.

*Equal was used for testing purposes only.

The use of brand names in this column does not imply endorsement by the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service of the products or services named or criticism of similar ones not mentioned.

E-mail address: Susan_Noble@ncsu.edu

Mailing Address:
P. O. Box 2280
Lumberton, NC 28359-2280

Phone: 910-671-3276
Fax: 910-671-6278

Date Created 7/01/05