A Bountiful Time for Blueberries

Everyone will enjoy this luscious dessert, usually served with vanilla ice cream. (Maureen Zebian/Epoch Times)

Everyone will enjoy this luscious dessert, served with vanilla ice cream. (Maureen Zebian/Epoch Times)

I still have fond memories of picking blueberries as a youth at our summer cottage in northern Wisconsin. My older sister would make the batter for pancakes as the rest of us trudged in the fields picking blueberries. It was a lot of work picking berries, but the sweet reward of blueberry pancakes with butter and maple syrup was my incentive.

Sadly, I don’t have time to pick blueberries anymore. But when blueberry season comes, I buy my precious blueberries—and lots of them. I love blueberries, but won’t pay $5.00 a pint. So I buy them in season for $1.25 a pint and freeze them so I can enjoy throughout the year. And while there are many ways to eat blueberries, my favorite is still in a good old-fashioned pancake.

Research now confirms the many health benefits of the blueberry. Because they’re high in antioxidants, they’re thought to help protect against the damaging effects of free radicals and other diseases associated with aging. Fresh blueberries, in particular, provide more antioxidant activity than many other fresh fruits. Blueberries are also a great source of vitamins, minerals, dietary fiber, phenolics, and flavonoids and are very low in fat and sodium.

Freezing blueberries is easy. First, rinse off your berries in cold water in a colander. Remove any stems or stray leaves. Pat dry and, if you have room in your refrigerator, arrange the berries on a baking sheet that can lay flat in the fridge. After they are frozen, put them in a Ziploc plastic bag or even a glass container. Blueberries are small and quickly thaw out, so for most recipes there is no need to thaw before using.

Blueberry Pancakes

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 tablespoon baking powder 3 teaspoons sugar 1 egg 1 cup milk 1/2 tablespoon butter, melted 3/4 cup fresh blueberries

Beat together eggs and milk in a small bowl. In a large bowl, mix flour, salt, baking powder, and sugar. Stir milk and egg into flour mixture. Mix in the butter and fold in the blueberries.

Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour batter onto the griddle and wait until mixture bubbles. Then flip the pancake over and finish cooking.

Blueberry Buckle

3/4 cup white sugar 1/4 cup butter 1 egg 1/2 cup milk 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons baking powder 1/2 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 cups fresh blueberries

Topping: 1/4 cup white sugar 1/4 cup brown sugar 1/3 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 cup butter, softened

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease one 8x8-inch pan. Cream together 3/4 cup sugar, butter, vanilla, and egg.

In a separate bowl, mix together flour, baking powder, and salt. Stir into sugar mixture, alternating with milk. Stir in blueberries. Pour into greased 8x8-inch pan.

To make topping: Combine 1/4 cup sugar, 1/4 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup flour, cinnamon, and butter. Sprinkle over cake batter.

Bake at 375 degree F for 30–35 minutes.

Top with vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.