Last year we enjoyed about 20 pounds of organic blueberries all year long that we were able to pick up for about $2 a pound. Now, my husband adores blueberries, so when it came time to get some again this year, he decided more would be better, so he bought 50 lbs! Oh, my...
To make it even more hilarious, he purchased a bunch of apricots as well. Since I got rid of my extra refrigerator a couple of years ago to save on electricity (big mistake! I should have just left it unplugged.), I had to work fast. And because these had to be sorted and stems removed, I couldn't keep up with it fast enough. By the time I got to the last of three pallets, I had the entire family sorting and de-stemming blueberries. It's funny now and I am thrilled to have so much stored for the year, but at the time I kept thinking of all that money going down the drain - or to rot would be more appropriate.
Thankfully, we got it done (and the apricots, too). The season is winding down, but you can probably still pick up some blueberries, although maybe not 50 lbs!
To freeze: Remove stems and any blooms that didn't fall off. Discard any that are mushy or moldy. Rinse well in a colander and pour out onto a towel. Gently dry and leave out for about half an hour for any additional moisture to evaporate off.
Place cleaned blueberries on cookie sheets and into the freezer until solidly frozen. You must make a sacrifice and eat a few to test them. Next, bag into zip lock freezer bags or use a Food Saver and vacuum pack.
Frozen blueberries can be used in smoothies, sauces, syrups, muffins, pies, scones,... the list goes on and on!
To can: Clean as above, but no need to dry them. Follow the water bath canning directions at Pick Your Own or view the Ball tutorial at Fresh Preserving. Kathy Harrison (Just In Case Book Blog) just posted some great water bath canning tips as well. Be sure to read them in addition to this blog!
HINT: One thing to remember... be sure to start heating the water in your water bath canner. It holds a lot of water and takes a long time to heat up. You want this ready when you are done making the syrup and you have packed it into your jars. I made the mistake of forgetting this little tid bit.
Here is my blueberry syrup heating on the stovetop. If you would like to use this no-sugar recipe that uses honey instead, I've added it to the bottom of the post. However, since it is made with honey, the flavor is a bit different. Try just one batch to test it and see how your family likes it. If you make only a single batch, just put it directly into the refrigerator and you don't need to processes it in a water bath canner.
My last four jars in the water bath canner...
Several jars tucked away for later use next to my friend Laurie's raspberry jam...
Breakfast with whole wheat waffles!
Blueberry Sauce
2 C. blueberries, fresh or frozen
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. grated lemon peel
2-3 T. honey
2 tsp. cornstarch
dash of salt
1/4 C. water
Place blueberries in a blender along with lemon juice and peel. Blend at medium speed until berries are chopped but not pureed. Place in pan along with honey. Stir over low heat until just below boiling. In a separate bowl, mix cornstarch, salt, and water until well blended. Add to blueberries and cook slowly for 7 minutes and sauce is thick, dark, and smooth. Pour into canning jar and process in water bath canner.
NOTE: This recipe makes just over one pint jar. You must multiply the recipe for the number of jars you are canning. And thanks to Donna for sharing this recipe!
Update 5/25/10: I recommend using more honey with this recipe. It really wasn't sweet enough with the 3 T. Not sure what the extra liquid would do to the end product, but it really needed some help!
Bon Appetit!
