Thursday, June 27, 2013

Blueberries and a Buckle


 Blueberry season arrived and off we were to fill our buckets earlier this week. 


 We're fortunate to live close to a couple pick-your-own blueberry farms... this was our first time visiting this farm and it was overflowing with rows of beautiful bushes.  We planted some blueberry bushes in our own backyard last year... they are producing berries but still very small... this farm had me dreaming of " maybe one day". 


 Since we were there at the beginning of the season, we had to pick for the ripe berries.  Next time we go I have a feeling we could simply stick our buckets underneath the clusters and let the berries drop.


 Of course I came home and the blueberries were just begging to be baked into something sweet.  I made this buckle (or coffee cake) one afternoon, which was a delicious treat, and may have been eaten for breakfast once... okay, twice... this week (smile).  This buckle isn't very sweet as I was trying to limit the sugar, so feel free to add more if you desire. 


 Blueberry Buckle Recipe

Batter
1/4 cup sugar (I use organic cane)
4 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
 1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour (I use unbleached)
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 cups blueberries

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Whisk together the sugar, melted butter, egg, milk and vanilla extract.  In a separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Stir in the dry ingredients until combined.  Fold in the blueberries.  Spread the batter into a baking dish (I used an oval 1 1/2 qt casserole dish).

Topping
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp sea salt
 1 tsp lemon juice
4 Tbsp unsalted butter

In a bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, cinnamon, salt and lemon juice.  Cut the butter into tiny pieces and add to the rest of the ingredients, using either a pastry cutter or your hands to create a crumb mixture. Sprinkle the topping over the batter.

Bake the buckle for approximately 50 minutes.


One last thing... if you happen to have any leftover blueberries!  The last couple years I have frozen blueberries... they are one of the simplest fruits to freeze and are perfect in the winter to add in muffins, pancakes, and baked goods.  I wrote a post on how to freeze blueberries last year, but basically all you do is spread them in a single layer on a pan, put them in the freezer for a few hours (or longer), remove the pan and place the frozen berries into freezable containers or bags. 

Happy Blueberry Season!

P.S. I also wanted to say thank you to Jennifer from Celebrating Everyday Life for featuring my blog today.  She is lovely and so talented... most recently she was featured in Southern Living Magazine and even publishes a beautiful magazine of her own.  Her blog is a real treat! 

25 comments:

  1. There's nothing better than sweet blueberries right from the bush. My family owns a blueberry farm with hundreds of acres of bushes...you know they are at the peak of sweetness when the bushes are covered in bees before the sun gets too hot and when you shake the bush and the berries fall right into your bucket.
    Your coffee cake looks delicious!

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  2. This looks delicious! I have 7 blueberry bushes that produce pretty well, especially the last two to ripen. Maybe the robins have lost interest by then :) Anyway, I will add this to my blueberry recipes. Coffee cake for breakfast, oh yeah!

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  3. Happy Blueberry Season! You make it look so delicious and joyous! To me, it's always such a delightful experience visiting your blog! Enjoy the season of abundance!

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  4. This looks so delicious and I am all for less sugar! I am excited to make this for us.

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  5. I'm going to try that recipe, unfortunately my picking wasn't as great as yours but I'll try it.
    xoxo
    Lisa

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  6. Hmmmm....could I use blackberries for this?

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    Replies
    1. I definitely think blackberries would work... sounds delicious!

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  7. That is very similar to a coffeecake recipe I have. I love it because you can use about any type of fresh berries. Yummmmmmmy!! That looks delicious. I have a really good blueberry coffeecake recipe that I'll try to remember to send you when I get home from vacation, OK?

    Thanks for the recipe.

    Judy

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  8. Mmmm, looks so good! What a fun outing to do with the girls.
    Mary Alice

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  9. What fun that must've been to go pick blueberries together. That dessert looks yummy! All of your pictures look like they're right out of a magazine!

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  10. We love our blueberries, too. I see that you have the bush kind there. We only have the low ground ones here...but they are big and good! I haven't made blueberry buckle in years-I think I need to try your recipe-xo Diana

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  11. I love your pictures.... and that Buckle was wonderful (obviously, since I cleaned up the crumbs off both Jillian and Rosetta's plates!). ~ Mom ~

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  12. That looks so good, Andrea. We used to go to a charming tea room that served blueberry buckle and I can still remember how yummy it was. So wonderful that you can pick your own blueberries.

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  13. Yum! We got an entire flat of local NC blueberries and I've made so many treats with them plus some blueberry jam. They are so delicious this time of year! Thanks for the tip on freezing :)

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  14. How wonderful to be close to blueberry farms...I seem to eat blueberries every day!...fresh in the summer, frozen in the winter..Thanks so much for the wonderful recipe...my sewing group will be thanking you next week...definitely serving them the Blueberry Buckle! Thanks Andrea and have a wonderful weekend!

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  15. Yum, to be near fresh blueberries. Lucky you. Thanks for the recipe, I will be saving this to make down the road!

    Cynthia

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  16. I grew up with Blueberry bushes and I really miss them! They are definitely on my list of must-haves when I get my "dream farmhouse", right there with the chicken coop! :-) What a yummy looking Buckle recipe!! And THANK YOU so much for the shout out about my blog! What a sweetheart you are!! BIG HUGS!! ~Jennifer

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  17. How lucky to have a "u-pick" farm close by, I do not :( and so wish I did! The buckel you made looks delicious =) Xo, Ashley

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  18. Thank you for the recipe, Andrea. I made it today and it turned out beautifully! It is so delicious, my family LOVED it! This recipe is definitely a keeper :)

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    1. I am so glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe, Deni... thanks for letting me know!

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  19. I can't wait to go blueberry picking! Ours won't be ready until about another week. We always pick gallons and freeze them. My favorite blueberry dessert ever is a tart that uses a large amount of berries, some cooked and some stirred in at the end and then topped with fresh berries with a hint of lemon zest. It's amazing. I featured it on my blog a couple of summers ago.
    Claudia
    P.S. Love your photos, as always!

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    1. I'd love to try your tart... it sounds amazing!

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  20. hello deni,
    thank you for leaving a heart warming message.
    i am also glad to find your beautiful life
    blog here. your blueberry desert looks
    pretty and look yummy!
    i am greatful for the opportunity to be able to
    meet people around the world.
    have lovely summer❤

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  21. Hey sweet Andrea!! I love your photos so much! I feel like I'm right there with you when you do a post :) And those precious girls...love seeing them grow up! Anyway...I made a "blueberry buckle" for the first time two nights ago, and loved it! Quite similar to your recipe. We visited blueberry farm just down the road from us and had a great time.
    Enjoy your week!!

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