I looove blueberries

[GunnyGene]

In the interest of generating some envy, we've put up about 3 gallons of them this year. One of our neighbors has several mature bushes that are really producing and are really sweet and plump this year. We trade with her - she gets 'maters, squash, etc. and we get berries. :mrgreen:

My wife makes all kinds of blueberry goodies - cakes, pies, muffins, jams, and of course just snacking on them. We planted 3 bushes a couple years ago, and they produced some this year, but the birds have been eating them as fast as they get ripe. :x

 

[ChiefMuzz]

I don't have the room to plant enough for much here, but we have a great farm about 15 minutes from the house. We take the kids out every summer and do different "pick your own" fruits. This year we did the raspberries and blueberries. Cheaper than the grocery store and so much better.

 

[Wyandot Jim]

Yep blueberries are my favorite also.

 

[Selena]

No blueberries yet, but the blackberries are ripe. Blackberry cobbler is a favorite around here.

 

[coach]

We eat them raw and freeze the rest. We get a lot from 2 bushes planted 15 or more years ago. I used to net them, but after fighting the net and Japanese beetles we just let the birds have what they want and pick the rest since the bushes are fairly big now.
I hardly make pancakes without them.
I hate picking them, but my wife doesn't mind.

 

[RoninPA]

My folks used to raise blueberries and we netted them every year to stave off the birds. Now that they are in their 80's, they've cut back to about 4 bushes and share with the birds. Around my place I have wild black raspberries and this year with the rain we got (at the right times) we had more than we could want. I'd go out every day for an hour and pick 2 quarts. Froze a bunch, had them fresh in muffins, pancakes and cobbler. I put up 47 half pints and 9 pints of black raspberry jam and 10 half pints of blueberry/black raspberry jam. That will last us a while (EXCEPT FOR MY DAD ), a half pint of jam, for him, is good for 6 pieces of toast. He does like fresh jam.

 

[Mtneer]

My wife loooves blueberries too. Unfortunately, the winters here (35 to 40 degrees below) aren't very conducive to blueberry bush survival. We've tried planting them several times - they've done well all summer, then never come back the next spring.

However, we've had great success with currents, both black and red. The starlings love them. But we've found something (along with my Sheridan pellet gun) that keeps them out of our current patch. You probably won't believe this, but those cheap, children's pinwheel toys scare the heck out of most of the birds we have around here. The pinwheels nowadays are made out of milar, the same as that "bird scare tape" you can buy, and they work just as well. They only cost about a buck apiece.

We just drive a half dozen or so 4ft tall garden stakes out in our current patch and tie or duct tape a pin wheel to the top of each one of them. The slightest breeze sets them to spinning, rattling, clicking and flashing. Friends visiting our place for the first time always comment on the unique decorations in our garden area. :lol:

 

[SAJohn]

Blueberries are good, especially in muffins, but my all time favorite is apricot.

Our family orchard was originally planted in Apricot trees, Tiltons and Blenheims, back in the 1930's.

In the late 70's we replaced most of them with Pistachios. However, near the main house, we kept about 50 of the Blenheim trees.

Blenheims in the USA are now near extinction because of cheap foreign imports and because they are easily bruised and difficult to get to market. However, they are the tastiest of all the apricot varieties.

My favorite way to prepare them was to pit, chop, and boil them with water, sugar, and a little lemon juice and corn syrup (no pictin). Poured hot over pancakes was a treat worth the work.

If you are ever at a farmers market which has any of the Blenheims, buy them. They are not the prettiest cots, just the best tasting.

John

 

[eveled]

My all time favorite breakfast is when my daughter wakes me up early. We go outside w/ 2 cups of yogurt & 2 spoons stand in one of the berry patches & add fresh berries to the yogurt. The strawberries are the first, then on to the wild black raspberries, now the low bush blueberries.
Yum!

I am hoping to get the first apples out of my orchard this year, & it looks like it will be a good year for grapes. The only bad thing is I lost my peach tree this winter.

I don't get enough of anything to make preserves, but make the best of what I do get.

 

[AJGUNNER]

I was just out checking out my one and only peach tree. Looks like they have just a couple more days to go----fresh off the tree---YUM.

 

[powder smoke]

In the interest of generating some envy, we've put up about 3 gallons of them this year. One of our neighbors has several mature bushes that are really producing and are really sweet and plump this year. We trade with her - she gets 'maters, squash, etc. and we get berries. :mrgreen:

My wife makes all kinds of blueberry goodies - cakes, pies, muffins, jams, and of course just snacking on them. We planted 3 bushes a couple years ago, and they produced some this year, but the birds have been eating them as fast as they get ripe. :x

Got 8 acres of blueberries we freeze many gallons all low bush.
We mow half the field each year to keep production up! Blueberries
only propagate on NEW Growth so do not be afraid to prune!!
We also have a Pick Your Own in the field, Buck a Qt.

Keeping the Bears out is the biggest Challenge the suckers lay down
to eat and mate the bushes down! Also leave plenty of droppings.
What your step. ps

 

[pete44ru]

Yummy !


.

 

[mishtub]

Now I'm hungry again!

 

[GunnyGene]

My wife has a blueberry cake in the oven as we speak. :mrgreen:

 

[eveled]

My wife has a blueberry cake in the oven as we speak. :mrgreen:

I made blueberry pancakes this morning.

My Grandmother used to make blueberry cake, with the separated sugar sauce to drizzle over it. Is that how Mrs GunnyGene does it?

 

[GunnyGene]

My wife has a blueberry cake in the oven as we speak. :mrgreen:

I made blueberry pancakes this morning.

My Grandmother used to make blueberry cake, with the separated sugar sauce to drizzle over it. Is that how Mrs GunnyGene does it?

Sounds about the same. I don't keep track of her recipes, because she doesn't like people in the kitchen when she's cooking. "Pot Peekers" are not welcome in the food temple. :wink: :mrgreen:

 

[GuyPike]

I eat whatever is in season and don't desire it when it isn't. Locals say it's just one of my many quirks being half Micmac and all!