Savor the taste of local blueberries

(Blueberries are rich in antioxidants, vitamins and fiber/Highbush Blueberry Council photo)

I can’t get enough of local blueberries this summer.

Ever since I first tossed a few into a garden salad of greens and thinly sliced red onions this season, my husband has asked if we can have salads that way all the time now.

I have to agree.

Our tender garden greens are only enhanced by the sweet pop of a fresh blueberry exploding on the palate.

Today’s Busy Cook page in the Journal features recipes using fresh blueberries in a smoothie, pie and pound cake, all of which sound divine.

There are endless ways to use blueberries in recipes, from spicy salsa to cool soup. Not only are they a taste sensation, but blueberries are packed with antioxidants and other vitamins.
Read more about these little gems at the US Highbush Blueberry Council’s Web site, where you'll find a lot of information about nutrition along with recipes and other topics.

Now that blueberries are in season, it’s worth a trip to a local farm to pick your own and stock up the freezer.

For years, I used to pick wild blueberries at Tompkins Schultz farm on Blueberry Hill in Wingdale. It was the best place for picking, as the more than 40 acres of high-bush blueberries were not sprayed or treated, and the smaller-sized berries just exploded with flavor. I don’t think the farm is open these days, and I’m not quite sure what the status of that lovely property is today.
My husband and I also picked wild blueberries during our summer bike rides up to Lake Awosting in the Minnewaska State Park Preserve in Ulster County. Blueberries grow wild along the carriage trails of this glorious park. We would eat as many as we could and then fill our empty water bottles with blueberries for the ride back down.
Those were fun times and fruitful, pun intended.

There are plenty of farms and markets in the Hudson Valley that grow and sell blueberries.

For a list of farm markets in Dutchess and Ulster counties, visit www.poughkeepsiejournal.com/hvagriculture and click on the farm market interactive.

You can also visit www.agmkt.state.ny.us/ap/ffgsearch.asp for a list of farm stands and pick-your-own farms.

If you don’t have time to go picking, head to a farmers market where you’re likely to find local berries.

Here are a few more recipes using fresh blueberries you might want to add to your repertoire.

The Blueberry Granita is a simple refreshing recipe that would be perfect after a light summer meal. Of course, Blueberry Crumb Cobbler is a summer treat that is great topped with a scoop of good vanilla ice cream. And for those who are a bit adventurous, visit the Home Cooking site for a tasty recipe for cool Blueberry Soup.

(Granita is an icy treat that does not require an ice-cream maker/Associated Press photo)

Blueberry Granita

Start to finish: 4 1/2 hours (30 minutes active) Servings: 4 to 6

1. 3 1/2 cups blueberries
2. 1/2 cup superfine sugar
3. 3/4 cup water
4. 1 teaspoon lemon zest
5. 1 tablespoon lemon juice
6. Creme fraiche or unsweetened whipped cream, for serving

• In a food processor, combine 2 1/2 cups of the blueberries with the sugar. Process until very smooth.
• Transfer the puree to a mesh strainer set over a medium bowl. Use a spoon to help press the juices out of the pulp. Discard the pulp.
• Mix in the water, lemon zest and juice. Transfer the mixture to a shallow non-reactive baking dish and place in the freezer. Every hour, use a fork to stir the mixture, crushing and scraping it as ice forms.
• After about 4 hours, when the mixture is evenly frozen and icy, scrape again with a fork to fluff the crystals. Spoon the granita into chilled serving glasses, then top with remaining blueberries and creme fraiche.

(Recipe from Jim Denevan’s “Outstanding in the Field: A Farm to Table Cookbook,” Clarkson Potter, 2008)

(A crumb crust is a great way to top off a blueberry cobbler/Gannett News Service photo)

Blueberry Crumb Cobbler

1. In a large bowl, mix about 4 cups of fresh blueberries that have been rinsed and drained.
2. Toss the fruit with ½ cup of sugar, 2 tablespoons flour or quick-cooking tapioca, dash of cinnamon, ½ teaspoon vanilla and a grating of fresh lemon zest.
3. Mix the fruit well and pour into a buttered pie plate, 9-inch casserole dish or individual-sized ramekins.

Top with the following:

1. 1/3 cup of flour
2. 3 tablespoons quick-cooking oats
3. ¼ cup of chopped nuts (almonds, hazelnuts or walnuts)
4. 2 tablespoons white sugar
5. 2 tablespoons brown sugar
6. dash of cinnamon
7. ¼ cup of cold butter

Mix the dry ingredients together in a bowl. Crumble in the butter and mix until crumbs form.
Sprinkle on top of the blueberry mixture and bake in a preheated 375-degree oven for about 25 minutes, until browned and bubbly.

(Blueberries can be whipped up into a cool summer soup/Gannett News Service photo)

For a Chilled Blueberry Soup recipe, visit Home Cooking at:

http://homecooking.about.com/library/archive/blss92.htm

Now that's a lot of blueberries — if you have a favorite recipe using blueberries, share it here or e-mail me at bfarrell@poughkeepsiejournal.com.