Recipe: Blueberry Spice Crumble

Blueberries!

Memorial Day and blueberries, two welcome harbingers of summer, coincided for us last weekend. We  took a drive north on the 101 past Gaviota to Santa Barbara Blueberries, where the Little One and I had our first experience of picking fresh, truly ripe blueberries. (My husband also went, but he picked blueberries as a child himself.)
Honestly, it was a revelation. I somehow had not experienced fresh blueberries until I was an adult, associating them with the shriveled, syrupy things that come in cans with muffin mix. I was surprised then at how tangy and very sweet they can be, with such a pleasing toothsome texture. Last weekend surprise rose to the next level, and I was practically dumbfounded by the food euphoria of fresh-picked, warm-from-the-sun, plinking-in-your-bucket, dripping-off-the-bush blueberry goodness. Some of the berries we picked were as big around as quarters, and we popped them in our mouths like candy. Little One couldn't stand a minute without berries in both fists.

Did everyone else already know about this, and it was just me who was oblivious?

What I know now is, this was a first but will certainly become a much-anticipated yearly tradition. At $17 for a 2.5 pound bucket it seems a bit pricey, but for these berries (plus all we ate in the field) it was well worth it. Not to mention the sunshine, the oak trees, the other children and parents ducking among the rows, and memories of the children's book Blueberries for Sal. My daughter took to it right away -- the first of many learning adventures for her about where food comes from. I could not have asked for a better opening to what is sure to be a fine summer.

So, on to the recipe. We've been snacking on fresh berries at almost every meal. I also squirreled some into some cornbread muffins. But what I've been longing for is warm blueberry crumble, and tonight I made it. The topping is one my mother has made for decades, whose origin is unknown to me, and the filling is heavily influenced by the Spiced Blueberry Pie recipe in The Sunset Cookbook. Black pepper and cloves? Yes please, all the better when I pair it with some Ethan Grenache I've been saving.

BLUEBERRY SPICE CRUMBLE 

Preheat oven to 350° and butter an 8" x 8" baking dish.

For the fruit, stir together:

• 6 c. of fresh blueberries
• 1/4 c. each flour, granulated white sugar, and light brown sugar
• 1 tsp. each salt and cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. each black pepper, nutmeg, and cloves

For the crumble topping, mix together with pastry blender until crumbly:

• 1 c. (2 cubes) softened unsalted butter
• 1 c. sugar
• 2 1/4 c. flour
• Dash of salt

Pour the fruit into the baking dish, and spread the topping evenly over it. Bake 45 minutes at 350°. (If your dish is anywhere near overflowing, you might put an old baking sheet below it in the over to catch any drips.)

To satisfy my summery craving, I served mine with candied lemon slices, which are approximately the easiest thing in the world to make.


CANDIED LEMON

Stir together one cup of sugar and one cup of water in a heavy saucepan and bring to boil. Add one or two thinly sliced lemons. Lower heat, cover and simmer for about half an hour. (Bonus: after removing the lemon, we saved the remaining syrup for some homemade soda!)

Enjoy, happy summer time to you, and thanks for reading.

Spring Happenings

We are well into spring, and lots of good stuff is underway! Since March I have taken a writing class (which may or may not have done me any good), had my first little freelance piece published in the Ventura County Reporter, and, perhaps most exciting of all, ordered chicks to start a backyard flock!

Inspiration from the amazing Ashley English

I've been toying with the idea of raising chickens ever since I've had a backyard, so when I recently realized my sister-in-law harbored the same "farm heart" that I do, we decided to split the cost and the eggs and go for it. After snooping around backyardchickens.com and other sites, we placed an order for our little peepers from Meyer Hatchery. They're scheduled to arrive August 1, so we've got some time to build our coop and brooder and get ready to welcome our new feathery friends. I am sure to post more about that soon!

I've gotten a lot of inspiration lately from homesteader, author, and blogger Ashley English, and I've been pouring over her books about chicken keeping, and about canning and preserving -- another upcoming adventure for the summer. Last fall I wrote about my first attempts at preserving, and this year I'm eager to take it a bit farther. Tomatoes, tomato sauce, apricot and strawberry jams, and peaches are definitely on my list, and English's book has a lot more tempting recipes I'd like to try -- spiced pear chutney or cardamom apple cider butter, anyone? (These may show up among your Christmas gifts from me this year!) If all goes well, maybe next year I'll invest in a pressure cooker and try some meyer lemon and lemon verbena curd.
Meanwhile, my multi-talented husband has been doing his own version of preserving in the form of flavored syrups for homemade soda. So far we've had simple syrup, orange and vanilla, and, today, cherry. Coming up: raspberry and blackberry.

With the weather warm, and a fridge full of delicious homemade beverages, I am looking forward to a long summer. I will be working hard to get my backyard into shape for kids to play and parents to barbecue, and I'm looking forward to placing an order with Annie's Annuals. This woman and her team have gathered an amazing array of rare and old-fashioned plants, including a lot of California natives and other water-wise beauties that make sense in this climate.
But first, we will kick off the season with a visit to one of California's very best offerings: Yosemite National Park. I love my state for myriad reasons, but this singular place is one that makes me especially proud, and grateful, to be a Californian. My husband and I got married there, celebrated our "baby moon" and 5th anniversary, and this will be our girl's first trip. An auspicious beginning to the season.