The principal occupation of many a summer morning in my childhood was blueberry picking. We climbed over wooden fences, buckets in hand, wearing our father’s castoff shirts, looking like a troop of stragglers from some romantic nomad band. We were trying to find a patch of sandy scrubland. That’s where high-bush blueberries grow best in the wild. Low-bush varieties are often found in grassy patches and are larger than the high-bush varieties.
Many great poets wrote blissfully about berries, as did William Shakespeare, who penned “Wholesome berries thrive and ripen best Neighbour’d by fruit of baser quality.” And John Milton wrote: “From many a berry, and from sweet kernels pressed, She tempers dulcet creams.
Blueberry Flummery
500 ml (2 cups) wild blueberries, washed
125 to 175 ml (1/2 to 3/4 cup) sugar
40 ml (3 tbsp) cornstarch
Pinch of salt
Juice of half a lemon
Sour cream
Simmer blueberries and 250 ml (1 cup) water for five minutes. Put through a sieve. Add water to make 625 ml (2 1/2 cups). Mix sugar with cornstarch and salt. Add to sieved berries. Cook over moderate heat, stirring, until thickened and clear. Add lemon juice. Cool, stirring from time to time. Chill and serve with sour cream. Makes 4 servings.
Glazed Blueberry Tarts
Fill baked tart shells with washed, drained and sweetened wild blueberries. Heat currant jelly until just melted and spoon 15 ml (1 tbsp) over berries in each tart shell.
No-Bake Blueberry Cheesecake
500 ml (2 cups) graham cracker crumbs
75 ml (1/3 cup) butter, melted
250 ml (1 cup) milk
2 pkg 7 g each (2 1/2 tsp) unflavoured gelatine
2 pkg 250 g each (8 oz) cream cheese, room temperature
175 ml (3/4 cup) sugar
15 ml (3 tsp) vanilla
10 ml (2 tsp) grated lemon rind
375 ml (1 1/2 cups) frozen wild blueberries
Butter a 33 x 23 cm (13 x 9 inch) baking pan. Mix crumbs in a bowl with the melted butter and press into the prepared pan. Refrigerate until firm. Put milk in a small saucepan, sprinkle the gelatine over it and then let it stand for three minutes.
Heat gelatine over low heat, stirring until it is dissolved. In a large bowl, beat cream cheese and sugar until smooth. Beat in gelatine mixture, vanilla, and lemon rind. Carefully stir in berries. Pour over crust and refrigerate for at least one hour or until firm.
Susan Hallett is an award-winning writer and editor who has written for The Beaver, The Globe & Mail, Wine Tidings, and Doctor’s Review, among others. She is currently the European editor of Taste & Travel International. Email: [email protected]
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