Nourishments—

The Thrills On Blueberry Hill

By Nancy K. Crevier

I’m standing on top of a hill at Maple Banks Farm in Roxbury, surrounded by rows and rows of blueberry bushes. It is Sunday morning and the church bells from the two facing churches down on Route 317 peal greetings to the morning. The sun, already three hours old, is at my back and not yet as hot as it promises to be later in the day. The occasional bee drones softly, weaving unhurriedly past me as I survey the opportunities laid out at my fingertips.

At the peak of blueberry picking season, there is no need for the farm owners to put out placards denoting which rows are “best picking” this day. Every bush is thick with berries, some in clusters, some dangling solo at the end of a tiny branch. Most of them are a blue so deep that it is nearly black, and the rest are in various shades of blue as they hasten toward ripeness. My challenge, as the sun highlights the bloom on the berries, is to discern which are the ripest, and which should be left for another day.

I am alone this early in the day, only the raucous caw of a nearby crow and the trill of an oriole secreted away in nearby branches interrupting the uneven “Plink!” as the first berries hit the bottom of the bucket suspended from the strap about my neck. I have a system that I try to stick to when picking berries.

I start at the topmost branches and work my way to the bottom on one side, before circling around to the other side. I try to remember to gently lift the interior branches, where clumps of ripe berries like to hide. With both hands free to pick, a rhythm of sorts is attainable, and few berries go overlooked. As I make my way to the lower branches, I begin to miss the days when my children were small and happy to accompany me on trips to the berry patches. Their tiny hands and low-to-the-ground statures were ideal for spotting and freeing the blueberries that grow on lower branches. My back complains a little now, seeking out those under dwellers. I remind myself that it could be worse.

As a child, one of the rites of late July in Minnesota was blueberry picking. Everyone had their special patch in the woods that they waited for each summer, checking on it occasionally, and hustling to harvest it when it ripened. We would grab our coffee cans, pile into the car and drive to that wooded trail, in hopes that the deer and birds had not reached the berries before us. Those berries, like the famous Maine blueberries, were a low bush variety. Creeping along, hunched over and swatting mosquitoes, every one of the tiny fruits was valued. So a little bending to locate the fruits of a high bush blueberry seems, in retrospect, a small sacrifice.

The sun rises higher, as does the level of the berries in my bucket. With each one I add, I am thinking about its destiny. Some will go to friends and family who have not roused themselves from bed this early, or who don’t have easy access to a pick-your-own farm. Many will go into baked goods — muffins, scones, pies, cobblers and strudels come to mind. A scoop of plain vanilla ice cream dowsed with fresh berries seems a good idea for a hot day. I think about blueberry pancakes, or stirring them into yogurt, turning them into spicy chutney, or a sweet and tangy sauce for grilled fish.

I wonder, as I sample a few (quality control, right?) if blueberries really make one smarter, as professed in articles I have read. How many blueberries does one have to consume before the antioxidant properties kick in? Do frozen or canned berries have the same nutritional value as fresh berries?

I make a mental note to check, and when I do, I discover that a fair amount of berries must be consumed each day for optimum health benefits. For example, one study on older subjects showed a measurable increase in improved cognitive functions after 12 weeks — of drinking the juice equivalent to1½ pounds of blueberries every day. That’s a lot of blueberries, and had I known, I would have picked faster and more furiously.

The good news is, numerous studies and blueberry organizations indicate that there is virtually no loss of antioxidant properties from freezing or canning blueberries, and most of the Vitamins C, A and K, plus the potassium and manganese levels remain fairly the same as in fresh fruit.

A cow lows from behind a barn, and a sheep in the meadow echoes back a plaintive bleat. The chorus of birds has multiplied. I am reminded that the day is moving forward and it is time to quit picking. It is hard not to hearken to the siren call of each berry laden bush as I pass, and I pinch a few more before I lift the netting and head down the hill to the farm stand to pay.

Picking blueberries is a simple way to pass the time. And the reward is simply delicious.

 

Blueberry Pie

Filling:

7 C fresh blueberries, or combination of blueberries, plums, and/or peach slices

½ C honey

¼ C corn starch

pinch salt

½ tsp ground ginger

Stir all together in a medium bowl and set aside while making crust.

Crust:

¾ C whole wheat pastry flour

¾ C white flour

1 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

1 stick unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces

¼ C vegetable shortening, chilled, in small bits

1 Tbs honey

ice water with lemon squeezed in

Stir flours, baking powder, and salt together. Cut butter and shortening in using a pastry blender until the texture of coarse sand. A few pea sized pieces of butter and shortening are fine. With a fork, mix in honey and enough water, by the tablespoon, that the dough just comes together but is not sticky.

Divide into two equal pieces, and flatten into thick, smooth rounds. Chill briefly. Take one disc out and roll on well-floured board to fit a 10-inch pie tin. Run a spatula gently beneath to loosen. Roll dough around rolling pin and unroll over pie tin. Press gently into place. Chill.

Roll out second disc of dough. Loosen with spatula and roll around rolling pin.

Pour berries evenly into bottom crust. Unroll top crust gently over the top. Press edges together and cut away excess dough. Crimp edges.

Cut four small slits in top of pie.

Bake in preheated 425 degree oven, on lowest rack, for 20 minutes. Place a foil covered cookie sheet beneath to catch drips. Reduce heat to 350, covering edges with foil if browning too quickly. Continue baking for 30 minutes, or until top browns and fruit begins to bubble through slits.

Remove from oven and cool on rack.

Serve with vanilla ice cream and garnish with more fresh berries if desired, or a sprig of fresh mint.