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Blueberry Time

© Mary M. Alward

In my part of the country, August is the time when blueberries ripen. Every year I take Brandon and Jordan, along with my Mom and we go blueberry picking. We've made it a summer tradition since Brandon was three.

It's always hot in August in Ontario, so we put on our hats, lots of sunscreen and head out of the city to the blueberry farm. It's always fun greeting the people who own it. They remember us because we've picked there for the last seven years.

Then we take our baskets or pails and head out to the patch. It's not a long walk and the berries are always a nice size and delicious. Jordan eats more than he puts in his pail. Brandon, after sampling a few, picks for a while and then gets distracted by the farm animals, such as cats, dogs and goats. He enjoys playing with the baby goats of the present year and I think he enjoys them as much as he does the blueberries.

We alway pick enough for everyone in the family to have them. It usually takes us all morning and sometimes longer, but it is well worth it.

Once we get the blueberries home, we wash them, save some to eat and freeze some for the upcoming Canadian winter. When the blueberries are unthawed, they taste as fresh as the day we picked them. They are a nice treat to have on a cold winter day.

Some dishes we make with blueberries are blueberry pie, which is Brandon's favorite and Jordan's too, blueberry cobbler, blueberry muffins and blueberry milkshakes. Blueberry sauce is easy to make and is delicious on ice cream, cheesecake, bread pudding and pound cake.

Blueberry Sauce

What you will need

2 cups of blueberries (either fresh or frozen)

1 tablespoon of lemon juice (fresh or bottled)

1/3 cup granulated sugar

A pinch of salt

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Water

What you need to do

If blueberries are frozen, they will need to be thawed. If they are fresh, they will need to be washed well.

Crush the blueberries, place them in a saucepan and add the sugar, salt and lemon juice.

Mix ingredients well.

Add 1/8 cup of water.

Put saucepan on the stove over medium heat and bring to a boil.

Boil for only one minute and remove the pan from the heat.

Turn off the stove.

Let blueberry sauce cool.

Drizzle over ice cream, pound cake, pudding or anything else that tastes good with blueberries.

The copyright of the article Blueberry Time in Cooking with Children is owned by Mary M. Alward. Permission to republish Blueberry Time in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.