blueberry bars II

 

I had fun baking these for Tuesday Break at the office this week...

after nearly a year and a half of no Tuesday breaks!

These are a few of my favorite things... Michigan blueberries

As you know, one of the best parts of Michigan summer is Michigan Blueberries.

We managed to get out to the patch more than a handful of times in July and August, and discovered a new favorite farm near Hemlock.

 

um.yum.yum!

berries, berries, berries

hunting for berries

There are so many bits to love about Michigan summer...

not the least of which is picking blueberries :) 

#BreakfastOfChampions (my version)

It doesn't get much better than starting the day with a parfait of fresh fruit, homemade granola, and plain yoghurt.

oolala.

blueberry bars

Of course after picking about 50 pounds of blueberries last week in Michigan, I wanted to bake a little blue treat to share at the office this week.

I settled on these amazing blueberry oatmeal crumble bars from Averie Cooks. 

Such a good choice.

Measurements I used for a 9x13 pan:

Crust/Crumble

2 cups flour

1 1/2 cups oats

scant 1 cup white sugar [I would probably decrease this next time]

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 cup melted butter (salted)

Berry Layer

4 cups fresh Michigan blueberries

juice of one lemon (1/4 cup)

scant 1/2 cup brown sugar

4 teaspoons cornstarch

Pat just over half of the crust/crumble dough into the bottom of a (parchment-paper-covered) 9x13 pan.

Spread berry layer evenly over the dough.

Sprinkle remaining crust/crumble in clumps over the berries.

I also sprinkled a few oats over the top.

Bake at 350F until bubbly and golden. (45 to 50 minutes?)

Cool completely before cutting into bars.

You'll want a group of friends to share these bars with... because they're so good that if you don't have the assistance of friends, I'm pretty sure you'll be tempted to eat the entire pan by yourself! The butter crust is ever so easy to make, and ever so delicious to eat.

Blueberry Boy

this baby boy is a fruit fanatic!

Mom and I took the little guy blueberry picking last week. He fell in LOVE with the experience. I mean, what's not to like about off-roading in your stroller and then relaxing in the shade of massive bushes while periodically stuffing your mouth with freshly plucked blueberries.

Nothin'.

Nothin's not to love about that!

It's Pure Michigan bliss.

Mom, Abel and I went picking twice last Friday. Betsy and Libby joined us the second time.

All together, we picked just shy of 50 pounds.

I drove most of the berries to Pennsylvania to share with friends who have yet to experience the full bounty and amazing deliciousness of Michigan blueberries. I have a new understanding regarding the customers we used to get who were vacationing in Michigan and would buy multiple 10 pound boxes of berries to load into their already full vehicles and take back home with them to far away states.

last month I went to Michigan

It's only the second time in five summers I was home for our annual family camping staycation over the 4th of July. Highlights included kayaking on Lake Huron from Port Austin (sadly I didn't complete the trip to Turnip Rock; I settled on viewing an online Google image of the rock instead), visiting farmers' market, catching up with a childhood friend who just moved back to the area, playing with baby Abel, and taking the tandem out for a little spin near Houghton Lake.

the littles, sharing Aunt Amy's coffee drink

the country bumpkins are here!

the largest ice cream cones in the lower peninsula...
no joking!

I wanted to show Pennsylvanians what "real" blueberry fields look like.

A little bit of Pure Michigan goodness to take back to Pennsylvania.

Blueberry Coconut Muffins

I used the last of my fresh blueberries from Michigan to make these muffins last week. Thanks to Susanna's recent move to Morocco, we had her leftover coconut in the pantry to use :). I don't think I've ever made blueberry coconut muffins, but they are yummy!

Since you probably want some too, here's the recipe:

Blueberry Coconut Muffins (original recipe here)

2 c flour

1 T baking powder

1/4 c sugar (this is the amount of sugar I used, which is decreased from the original recipe, but which was a perfect amount to me)

3/4 t salt 

1 egg

1 c milk

1/4 c coconut oil (melted) --I'm sure butter or oil would work too 

Fold in:

1 1/2 c blueberries

1/2 c coconut (I used unsweetened flakes) 

Combine using standard muffin method (wet, dry, together). 

I sprinkled some coconut on top which looked pretty.  

Bake 15-20 minutes at 400F 

Makes 12

(Be sure to spray the pan or liners)

Michigan Blue

Mom and Naomi went blueberry picking with me so I could bring back 28 pounds of 

Pure Michigan Early Blue berries.

ooolala.

I've been eating a cup or two of blueberries each day :).

blue day

When we were kids, Mom (and sometimes Dad too) would take us blueberry picking in August. Usually, we were each responsible to pick at least one pail of berries to take home. Back in those days, most of the berries went in the freezer for Dad’s blueberry pancakes every Saturday morning, and Mom’s blueberry pies for special occasions.

While I’ve always enjoyed blueberries, they’ve never been my favorite fruit. However, since our farm’s expansion in 2006 to managing a five acre blueberry patch, I grew accustomed to an abundance of fresh berries from early July through the end of September.

As many berries as I wanted.

Whenever I wanted.

All.summer.long.

Grand.

These days, my family’s blueberry consumption is mainly fresh berries—handfuls and handfuls and pails and pails of them, because we all love them even more than frozen berries (although a classic week night dessert throughout the winter is a bowl of frozen blueberries).

Blueberries are a wonderful thing… a thing I hope will be discovered someday in this wonderful country.

Pretty much, life in Zambia has been sans blueberries [Betsy, did you bring a wee jar of jelly last fall??]

But, my Arizona Aunt recently sent a package full of all sorts of amazing things… including a Ziploc of dried BLUEBERRIES!

So, the other day I had blue day.

For breakfast, I put dried blueberries in my oatmeal. Plus, I had a little bowl of homemade yoghurt with a little scoop of blueberry jam! (Sara bought a jar in S. Africa… it’s a product of France!)

But wait- there’s more:

Over the past couple of weeks, I put a considerable amount of careful thought into how I would like to “spend” my dried blueberries. I settled on combining my favorite blueberry muffin recipe with my favorite yoghurt scone recipe and creating blueberry scones for tea!

What better day to observe blue day than a Saturday, when I can laze around the house and don’t need to dress professionally for work or town… so… I sported my Michigan blue t-shirt all day as well. I shared the blueberry scones with our neighbors (I love sharing goodies).

Oh- and the best part of the story: I still have more dried blueberries to enjoy another time!

While observing blue day, I thought of my family working long hours at the Berry Barn and selling as many pounds of berries as could possibly be picked for Saturday at the busiest farmers market of the season (Midland Farmers Market has around 8,000 customers on an average Saturday-- all between 7am and noon!).

It was a good blue day.

What about you? Have you observed any blue days recently?

PS- blueberries are a super food packed with antioxidants. They’re also low in calories, and have a low glycemic level compared with other fruits.

excellence

a gift from Sara

it's that time of the year again...

...the "blue" time back home in Michigan...

photo by Amy

Over here in Zam-land, blueberries are nonexistent. I stand with my family in spirit, though, as they serve hundreds of customers and harvest literal tons of berries from the Berry Barn's five-acre patch over the next few weeks. I proudly sport my "Michigan blue" t-shirt... even though no one here has a clue what it represents.

And I dream of all things blueberry... well, all things except the mushy ones sold for $10 a can at select stores in Lusaka... those don't count!

If you're like me and can't make it out to the Berry Barn to pick berries this year, at least you can check out the farm's up-to-date berry news using this handy link.

ps- for blueberry photos and news check out Amy's Blog.

Blueberry Girl

This Blueberry Girl is going to miss Midland Farmers' Market for the next year. There's something glorious about the combination of chilly mornings, hard work, fresh produce, and eager customers. I love to watch the dawn break as we make our way to the market, where farmers are already setting up their stands brimming with color and garden freshness. The sights, sounds, and smells of farmers' market are a vibrant part of my summers.