Blueberry Nostalgia
Blueberries fill me with nostalgia this time of year. My husband and I and blueberries go way way back. When we were dating I’d buy blueberry cheesecake ice cream, the September monthly special at Baskin Robbins, and make an ice cream pie for his birthday. When we moved back to the Pacific Northwest, blueberry picking became an annual tradition for us. Now that we no longer live near blueberry fields, we are making up for it by eating as many blueberries as we can in one summer. Because you too should be enjoying blueberries, I’m sharing my latest bake with you: a blueberry cheesecake galette.
Winning blueberry recipes
For those of you who have been with me for the last year, you know that I love blueberry-picking season. We have the best blueberry farm within 10 minutes of our home. Besides being the easiest berry to pick – no bending over or prickly vines (for the most part) – blueberries also last the longest and are the simplest berry to freeze. Every year I search out and make new blueberry delights. Besides the recipes I have on repeat, this year I made a blueberry-ginger salsa served on halibut, blueberry-mint Arnold Palmers, blueberry cheesecake ice cream, blueberry Dutch babies, a blueberry cocoa crumble and a new take on blueberry scones.
Blueberry therapy: Baked Oatmeal and Homemade Pop Tarts
Now is about the time of year when I’m ready for summer again. I know it’s not rational, but I always feel like winter should be over after Christmas. Yet we have at least three months before it starts getting warm enough for me. I find myself dreaming about sunnier days and drafting my summer bucket list. One activity that’s always on the list is blueberry picking. Every year we visit (a number of times) Bybee Nims Farms for fresh blueberries. We pack our freezer full so that in the middle of the winter we can treat ourselves to some blueberry therapy. Blueberry pancakes and muffins are a given, but when I saw Karista Bennett's recipe for Oregon Blueberry Cardamom Baked Oatmeal, I decided Washington Blueberry Cardamom Baked Oatmeal needed to happen! Once the blueberry discussion started, my slightly blueberry-obsessed husband suggested that I make homemade blueberry pop tarts. That’s the only nudge I needed.