Blueberries

[Washkeeton]

What do you do with them and how do you keep them. Do you freeze them?, cook them?, blanch them? I want to be able to make blueberry muffins out of them later this fall/winter. Thanks

[Kristianna]

Hi, Wash!

We usually pick a couple of gallons of wild blueberries each year. Wish we could get more, but that is the best that all of my little berry pickers can do.

When I get home I spread my blueberries out on a cookie sheet in one layer. I pick them over to remove stems, leaves, etc. Then I put the sheet in the freezer for an hour or two. Once they're frozen I remove the cookie sheet from the freezer and put the blueberries into a gallon size ziploc or other freezer container.

They do not get frozen into a big glob this way and I am easily able to take out only he amount of blueberries that I need, as I need them.

We also can blueberry jam if our jam/jelly stores are not up to par, but we do not always do this because we don't often get enough to be able to do this and blueberry is our least favorite jam. We like it, but not as much as strawberry jam!

Oh, my freezer method above makes wonderful muffins. I usually only use my blueberries for muffins and pancakes.

K

[Jenny]

Since we don't have electricity, I don't freeze them. I usually store them in one of two ways:

Canning: This is good if you want to cook them in muffins or pancakes. Basically, you blanch them briefly in boiling water, pack into jars, and do a boiling water bath. Here's what the Ball Blue Book says: "Put 2-3 quarts of clean berries in square of cheesecloth. Hold cloth by corners and dip into boiling water until spots appear on cloth. Dip into cold water. Pack into hot jars, leaving 1/2-inch head space. Add neither sugar nor liquid. Adjust caps. Process pints 15 minutes; quarts 20 minutes in boiling water bath."

I have also just put the berries into jars without blanching first. This works ok, but the berries pop, leaving lots of delicious juice. Also, the berries shrink and the jars aren't very full when you finish the boilingwater bath. The Blue Book method works much better if you want to cook with them later.

Drying: I have not tried this, but it sounds good. From the Ball Blue Book: "Wash and remove stems. Dip in boiling water for 30 seconds to remove waxy coating. Blueberries dried without boiling first have a puffy appearance. Dry at 130-135 degrees F until leathery. Use like raisins in baked goods. Water content 83%"

We don't have many blueberries here, and the few we do have are highbush, which aren't near as good as the lowbush. When we lived in the interior, we'd usually pick about 10 gallons each year. We'd put whatever we picked one day in a 5 gallon bucket and cover the berries with honey. Then keep adding berries and honey to the bucket until it was full. Once we forgot about a bucket that ended up in the back of our cache and we didn't find it for several years. The berries were still wonderful. The honey preserves them. They are delicious as a topping for pancakes and icecream! It's also wonderful to pour the juice over a scoop of fresh snow!

[Washkeeton]

Ok, so the honey idea sounds delicious. The sugar in the honey should bring out the berry juice making for very moist berries as well as great syrup am I correct. I dont have that many but I do have some non pasturized honey and I have a small amt of bluberries. Maybe I could do that mix in a quart canning jar and put it on the shelf?? Think that might work? and do you need pasturized or non for the honey?? Thanks

[Jenny]

I've only used honey from the grocery store, but I would think raw honey would work just fine ---- probably better!

Jenny

[ugashikrobert]

Will have to try the honey thing.

[Washkeeton]

Thanks Bob that hurt. I have about half of that yellow dish full. I love blueberries.

[ugashikrobert]

Washkeeton:
As you can see by the date that is an old photo. In a couple more weeks we will see what this years crop will be. In the past we traveled many miles across the tundra looking for them and always ended up right behind the house. Our ptarmigan population has been way down and I'm hoping for a good berry crop to get there population started uphill again.

[Washkeeton]

LOL Thanks for pointing out the date. ;D I was figuring that you all were picking by now considering my rose hips and high bush cranberries were just about ready I even have some black currents on my bush I havent planted yet that are ready for picking.

[Freeholdfarm]

I really miss being able to pick blueberries (and cranberries).

One way of preserving blueberries that I've heard of, but not tried, is to clean them (just pick the trash out, don't wash), then put them, dry, into quart jars. Pour a couple of tablespoons of non-iodized salt over them, put the lid on, and store in a cool, dry, dark place. Supposedly they will keep just fine this way, and when you want to use some, you just rinse the salt off. If someone is inclined to try one jar just to see if it works, I'd love to hear about the results!

Kathleen
In Klamath Falls, OR, where there are no blueberries (but there are elderberries, and they will be ripe before too much longer)

[Washkeeton]

well I put those berries in honey in quart jars and dag nabit they float. lol

[Chuck]

Be patient by December you won't care.

[Washkeeton]

Ok Chuck but I have another problem. I put them in the jars leaving room at the top and now their leaking every where. Great bluberry smelling honey. Oh but stickey. not only did the berries swell but they are producing some off gas causing the lids to pop off. Have to open the jars about every 3rd or 4th day to let the air out. going to pour them up into another jar so the lids wont keep popping off and they will quit leaking honey every where.

[arlene]

Speaking of berries... I remember seeing blueberries and raspberries, but does anyone know if black berries grow up there??? Or if they grow in certain areas?? I've been able to pick them as far north as Ohio, but don't know if I can find them (or transplant them) any farther north. Would dearly love to have a big 'ole patch.

[Washkeeton]

I am sure you can plant them. I plan on planting them. We will see if they grow. Hopefully they will.