Scroggsland: Blueberries

My in-laws property used to be a blueberry farm. They have at least 100 bushes and over the years the boys have cleared out the brush and overgrowth, trimmed the pine tree's to allow more sunlight, and bush hogged the rows to make them accessible. I LOVE blueberries and it seems that each year there are more and more! There are family jokes about my ability to pick blueberries to maximum capacity! Years ago, my dad and I would go around Father's Day each year and pick blueberries from a local farm. Now, we can pick as many as we want during the short season they are ripe! Usually the end of May is when you can start picking and they're pretty much done by the end of June. Not much time to pick enough to stock my freezer for the year ahead :) I have my favorite go-to recipes but also love to throw some in my oatmeal in the winter or make smoothies in the spring. I'm so grateful I get to have blueberries year round!

I love this recipe because I always have the ingredients at home and it's such an easy, quick treat to make!

Frozen Blueberry Lemonade

In a blender combine:

3 cups ice

1 1/2 cups blueberries

1 cup lemonade

1/2 cup fresh mint leaves

1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

Puree until smooth

Garnish with mint sprigs

Blueberry Poundcake

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

4 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

3 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 pint blueberries

Cream butter and sugar in blender until smooth.

(I do this for a long time...I usually start the blender and go do laundry or check email.

I let it mix until the sugar is barely grainy.)

Add eggs one at a time. Beat until light and fluffy.

Add vanilla. Sift 2 cups flour, salt, and baking powder. Add to cream mixture. Dredge berries in remaining flour. Fold berries in gently.