A Bounty of Blueberries

Blueberries are without a doubt one of my favorite summer fruits. When ripe, they have a refreshing sugar-acid balance, that coupled with no seeds makes them addictive to gobble by the handful. There's a lot of research that says they have some wonderful health benefits, but that doesn't really matter to me. I just love them. Well, when I had to pick our rabbiteye blueberries as a teenager in Alabama, I remember not loving that so much. But the tasty rewards of my sweaty labor were pretty awesome!

Blueberries on My Morning Oats

Loving blueberries as much as I do, it's pretty cool to live in one of the top production areas in the world. Oregon production has tripled in the last decade to vie with Washington state to lead the country in blueberries. One of the fantastic byproducts of the industry here is our ability to drive by miles of blueberry fields in the fall when the leaves have turned brilliant scarlet. New England tree leaves are stunning, but our blueberry leaves are equally beautiful in their own way.

A Bounty of Blueberries

Although I chose to grow native huckleberries, a closely related species, many of our neighbors have blueberry bushes as part of their landscaping and their bushes are hanging heavy with fruit now. We're especially fortunate to have a neighbor whose parents own a big farm with a lot of blueberries. She recently brought us a flat of delicious berries. Here are a few things you can do with blueberries.

Freezing Blueberries

Ready to Freeze

What to do with this fantastic bounty? Naturally, we shared some with other neighbors and being a blueberry fiend, I ate two pints out of hand. An immediate thought was to freeze some for this winter when we won't have any berries. I like to make a pass through the berries to clean out any leaves, stems, and unripe fruit before they go in the freezer. Once the berries thaw, they may pop and the trash will be that much harder to remove.

Some people advocate freezing the berries on a sheet tray and then transferring the frozen berries to storage bags or containers. I fill gallon bags with berries such that when the bag lays flat, it has an even layer of berries two or three berries in depth. Lay the bags flat in the freezer so that the berries freeze quickly.

Blueberry Crumble

Blueberry Crumble

Looking through years of this blog, you will see very few desserts. Sweets just don't play a big role in our diet. But, Ann asked me to make a blueberry crumble and how could I refuse? Crumbles are among the easiest desserts to make.

Here's a quick recipe for enough crumble to make a 9" x 9" baking pan full, enough to serve 6 people a healthy portion.

8-10 cups blueberries

1 lemon, juiced

1/2 cup granulated sugar

4 tablespoons of corn starch

    Crumble Topping

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 pound (1 stick) cold butter, cut into small cubes

pinch of salt

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Toss the berries in the lemon juice, then sprinkle over some of the sugar. Taste the berries and continue adding sugar until you are happy with the flavor. Sprinkle on the corn starch and mix well; the starch will help thicken the juices.

For the crumble topping, mix the flour, oats, sugar, salt, and cinnamon. Add the butter and gently work it into the flour mixture, smearing the butter and flour between your fingers. You have achieved the correct texture when the topping will just hold together when squeezed tightly into a ball.

Grease the baking dish, pour in the berries, and distribute the topping over the berries. Bake in a moderate oven (350-375F) until the topping browns, 30-40 minutes. Cool slightly and serve warm.

Kir Myrtille

Kir Myrtille

Living here in Pinot Noir wine country, we have a natural affinity for the original producer of Pinot Noir, Burgundy. Burgundy grows a lot of fruit as well, just like Oregon, and you'll see lot of fruit-based crèmes (with alcohol) and sirops (without alcohol) in the markets over there. Making use of the local black currants called cassis, the town of Dijon in particular is famous for its cocktail of white wine and crème de cassis called the Kir.

That drink has become popular and spawned many different twists involving liqueurs and fruits other than black currant, such as peach (kir pȇche) and blackberry (kir mȗre). We made a version called a kir myrtille (ou pour vous candiens francophones, kir bleuet) using syrup that I made from our blueberries. (recipe here).

Because non-alcoholic syrup is generally sweeter than alcoholic crème, it is best to mix it with a really acidic wine, or balance it with a touch of lemon or lime juice. The traditional white wine in Burgundy is Aligoté (and less commonly Chardonnay). Though we do grow a bit of Aligoté here, I chose a Vinho Verde because it is so crisp, much crisper than any Aligoté.

I used about one part blueberry syrup to probably 8 or nine parts wine. It's really a feel thing. Add syrup or liqueur until you are happy with the taste.

Because of the long growing season and staggering of cultivars out here, we'll have fresh local berries at the farmers market for another month or so. I plan on chowing down on them while I can. I'm also looking forward to the rainy and bleak winter day when we thaw some of our summer blueberry bounty and can pretend that it is sunny and warm for at least a little while.

Memorial Day 2016

Thanks to crashing out super early on Sunday after our hike, I woke really early on Monday and having a very rare two-day holiday, I set in right away on yardwork, getting the trumpet vine and the three wisteria pruned and a bunch of other miscellaneous things neatened up before Ann came downstairs. I took a break and joined her on the deck for a cup of coffee, a rare treat for us these days to have coffee together, not having to be somewhere.

After coffee, we set in on a bunch more yardwork including weeding and planting the garden, removing a very invasive lemon balm, digging out a Euonymus that was not sited correctly and not happy where it was sited, planting a dozen roses, and transplanting to new beds a slew of volunteers including purple coneflowers, coreopsis, and even a maple tree.

About 1pm, we had mostly finished all the yardwork we were going to do for the day and set off on a quick 3-mile walk about the neighborhood where a new crop of wildflowers was waiting to be seen. While we were out walking, I noticed that none of the black locust trees are blooming this year. The same frost that killed our wisteria blooms must have done the same to the locusts. Pity.

Deptford Pink

Crown Vetch

Ox-Eye Daisy

Sulfur Cinquefoil

Golden Hawkweed

St. John's Wort

Back at home, we decided to cool down on the patio in the shade of the vines with a bottle of Vinho Verde, our first of the year. Its light green apple flavor is so refreshing.

Vinho Verde on the Patio

My Girl!

Ann wanted to see how good my new camera is at bird photos. Not very. The camera is probably just fine, but my 28-135mm lens doesn't have the speed or the reach to do the birds justice. I'm putting a 70-200mm lens on my wish list, small enough to hike with and handhold, but with considerable more reach than the 135.

Male Cardinal Below the Feeder

Mockingbird Guarding the Native Honeysuckle Berries

At noon, I took a break from gardening to run in and throw these ribs in a slow oven. They're coated in a rub that I make myself. I fancied that I might smoke them and grill them and the whole nine yards, but once it became clear that I was really involved in gardening this Memorial Day, I opted for the easy way out in a slow oven.

Ribs, Ready to Cook

Cabbage and Chinese Broccoli Slaw

Pigging Out!

Just today the scales told me that I have lost 25 pounds since Christmas, a pretty good milestone. I just nibbled at breakfast and skipped lunch in order to be able to feast on ribs and slaw. And two portions of each I did have. I kind of regretted eating so much food, but not really! Damn those ribs were good!

Crostini and Vinho Verde on the Patio

February 28!

Remember the 3+ feet of snow of just a few weeks ago? How about 66 degrees, shorts, and bare feet on the patio today?!

Sundried Tomato, Caper, and Goat Cheese Crostini

All winter we've been drinking (and loving) our red wine but when the weather gets nice, there is something special about that first bottle of patio wine on the patio in the spring. I am here to report that it was fantastic, the wine, the crostini, and most of all, spending time chatting with Ann.

I spent the (very chilly and windy) morning pruning the wisteria (which are in great shape thanks to all the hard work I did last winter) and after frozen fingers, I spent the late morning and all afternoon painting the master bathroom which we are remodeling.

I had all afternoon to think about the glorious weather outside that I was missing. At some point, I suggested to Ann that she put a bottle of Vinho Verde in the fridge: after seven hours of pruning and painting, I was going to need some adult therapy. And wonderful and faithful companion that she is, she did just that.

After I finished cleaning up from painting, I made these crostini from sundried tomatoes, capers, goat cheese, and balsamic vinegar. Anticipating the beautiful weather on Sunday afternoon, I brought home some micro-basil on Saturday night to garnish the crostini. Not only do the micros look beautiful, but they give a concentrated burst of flavor.

Fresh Local Micro-Basil: a Burst of Flavor

And out to the patio where we spent an hour or more before the sun got down too low and we cooled off enough to want to go back inside. About that first Vinho Verde of the year: I really missed that slightly spritzy, intensely sappy, low alcohol, green apple-flavored wine. Year in and year out, Bartholomew Broadbent ships awesome Vinho Verde!

July 4th Weekend

Friday night July 3rd was about as brutal as it gets at the restaurant. Most of the time in the restaurant business we wish for more customers, but not so Friday night. The entire crew was wishing that not another person would come through the front door. I don't remember getting home or showering or falling asleep, that's how tired I was. Ann says she put my phone on the charger and turned off the light. I have no recollection of this. Not a good way to start a weekend and a surefire indicator that I will be a zombie come Sunday.

Fortunately, Saturday night July 4th was a lot easier and after sleeping like a dead thing on Friday night, I actually had some steam left on Saturday night to watch the fireworks in our neighborhood with Ann.

Neighborhood Fireworks

One of the (very few) benefits of living in a neighborhood of upwardly mobile rednecks is that with their disposable income and pyromaniacal tendencies, the fireworks shows are pretty damned awesome as they all try to outdo each other! The poor dogs, on the other hand, did not have a good night.

Come Sunday, after a decent night's rest on Saturday night, I was somewhat refreshed. Nothing like ten years ago or even five, but all things considered, I was a lot more functional on Sunday than I imagined I would be, even though I got up long before I wanted to. The dogs have no concept of sleeping in or any idea how tired I might be and my lovely bride has the amazing ability to keep on sleeping even through a hurricane, where the slightest noise will awaken me.

At 7:15am, the brown dog decided enough was enough and came and rousted me out of the bed. Her usual MO after she decides that I am ignoring her stomping and huffing about is to paw me like she is digging for China and lick me until I relent and take her out and feed her. So while Ann slept, I ticked several yard work items off my list and was relaxing on the patio when she joined me about quarter to ten, coffee for the both of us in hand, bless her.

After a half an hour or more of chit chat, she went inside and returned with a cookbook, Deb Perelman's Smitten Kitchen Cookbook, one of her favorites. She sat down to browse and was soon enthusing loudly about certain dishes. Yes, food really is a primary topic of conversation at our house. When she said, "I really would love some latkes right now!" I told her I would be right back and returned with a plate of red onion and chive latkes made from red potatoes with the skins still on.

Red Onion and Chive Latkes

By this time, Carter was awake and joined us on the patio. I made a dozen latkes; he ate six and would have eaten more. Latkes are old hat for me: we used to make them every morning for our lunch menu at the restaurant. And I have made them from all manner of vegetables: potatoes, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, turnips, daikon, carrots, and parsnips. I am sure I missed a few.

In the afternoon, it had gotten a bit too warm to be outside so we had gone in to watch a bit of television. Once again, and apparently apropos of nothing, Ann said, "I wish I had some guacamole!" so I went up to the store and scored four beautifully ripe avocados. Once it cooled down outside, I made guacamole and Ann opened a bottle of Vinho Verde and we took both out on the patio to relax. Although we had different plans for dinner, neither of us were hungry post guacamole.

Guacamole

Vinho Verde Seems Just Right for Guacamole

While we were out on the patio talking, looking at our gardens, and watching the birds on the feeders, we saw this big buck rabbit who kept trying to line up a doe (right on the tree line). I assume that he was ultimately successful. She wasn't cooperating, but she wasn't protesting either.

Rabbits, Acting like, um, Rabbits

The whole time we were outside, I kept thinking how wonderful it was to be sitting outside in the late afternoon in July, especially given how brutally hot our summer has already been.

Cocktail Hour

We spent a lot of time working out in the back yard on the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend trying to make some headway. You know how it is. In the spring, you have all the best intentions for the yard and some things get done, but once the heat of summer comes ablazing, all the intentions go by the wayside for the comfort of the air conditioning indoors. We know this cycle well and so we are trying to make good use of the reasonably comfortable (not that I take much comfort in the full sun at 90 degrees) weather to make some headway on the new beds we put in last year and to put in a little bit more this year, in the never ending quest to reduce the amount of grass that we have to mow.

By late afternoon, we were done for the day, mentally and physically, and after a shower, we decided to put up the big umbrella out back and reward ourselves for a good day's sweat and labor. In the shade with a nice southerly breeze, the heat and humidity was tolerable. A couple drinks helped.

Ann made herself another Ginger Grapefruit Cocktail while I had a beer. I don't drink much beer, but there is something magical and refreshing about a cold crisp lager when you are blazing hot after a long day of work. We snacked on a bit of a delightful young sheep's milk (brébis) cheese called P'tit Basque from Istara. A wickedly expensive cheese, it went well with our cocktails and white wine, but it is amazingly good with a big red wine.

After cocktails, we switched to a bottle of slightly effervescent, crisp, green apple Vinho Verde. I guess it is the natural rhythm of things to want white wine when it is hot. After a winter of drinking Syrah, Grenache, and  Bordeaux blends, our fridge is now stocked with Vinho Verde, Sauvignon Blanc, Orvieto, Chenin Blanc, and so forth. By August, we will be tired of whites, I guarantee, and craving that first chilly night by the fire pit with a glass of big red, of no-matter-what origin!

Here are some of the fruits of our labors.

Unusual Coloration for a Petunia

Shasta Daisy, Bigger Than our Wild Oxeyes

Achillea, a Far Cry from our Wild Yarrow

An Unusual Gaillardia

Because You Can Never Have Too Many Petunias!

An Unusual Coreopsis