“If only we had faith the size of a blueberry seed.” Yes, I know that is not how the parable goes, but upon hearing the story of our new “Official State Fruit,” I could not help but make the comparison. Representative Jill Ford was the primary author of the bill designating the blueberry as our state fruit, and she shared with me the events of this past legislative session and what became known as “Project Blueberry.”
It all started with a simple email to Representative Ford from a class of fourth graders at Mannsdale Elementary in Madison. This group of students had the faith of a blueberry seed to grow this project into a new state law, and their faith in democracy and our legislative process is inspirational. Their efforts made local, state, and national news, and these young people got a great lesson in our legislative process.
The civics class began their project by researching and discovering that Mississippi did not have an “official fruit.” These students selected the blueberry after a lot of research and asked their local state representative (Jill Ford) to consider sponsoring a bill. Representative Ford took it upon herself to not only sponsor their bill, but to go one step further. She fully engaged this group of students in the legislative process.
She met with the class, and outlined the entire lawmaking process. From local legislators, to legislative committees and sub-committees, to voting on the bill in both the House and Senate. She kept the class informed of each step and the students were encouraged to “lobby” the legislators with hand-written letters. The class even sent a big batch of homemade blueberry muffins to one of the committees considering the bill. Their hard work paid off and the students were invited to take part in the final bill signing with the Governor.
Rep. Jill Ford
I hope that the students will be future leaders and future legislators. I am especially thankful to everyone involved in this project for doing more than just getting us a delicious and healthy new state fruit, but also actively engaging these young people, educating these students, and impacting the future of our state.
There are hundreds and hundreds of blueberry recipes, but I must admit that eating a fresh blueberry picked off the bush is tops in my book. Personally, I cannot count the number of times that my children and I got up early to beat the summer heat and headed to the U pick blueberry farms located around the metro area. We probably ate as many as we picked.
Another favorite way to enjoy blueberries is right out of the freezer. They freeze great. To freeze fresh blueberries, wash thoroughly and allow them to dry on towels. Spread them out on a cookie sheet or rimmed dish and freeze until firm. Store in Ziploc bags and use like you would fresh.
Mannsdale Blueberry Muffins
I am not sure what muffin recipe the young people sent to the legislative committee to get their bill passed, but I will never eat another blueberry muffin without thinking of them. If only all legislative issues could be worked out with a few muffins.
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1 cup fresh blueberries
For the crumb topping:
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter, cubed, and softened
2 tablespoons old fashion oats
1 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
To make the muffins, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners. Combine flour, sugar, salt, and baking powder. Place vegetable oil in a 1 cup measuring cup, add egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with the flour. Fold in the blueberries.
Fill muffin cups about 2/3 to the top, and then top with the crumb topping. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in preheated oven until golden brown.
To make the crumb topping, mix all ingredients with a fork until crumbly. Sprinkle over muffins just before baking.
Blueberry Scones
Scones are a lot like biscuits, but slightly sweeter and often include dried or fresh fruit.
2 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons butter, chilled and cut into pieces
2 tablespoons shortening, chilled and cut into pieces
3/4 cup cream
1 egg
1 cup fresh blueberries, washed and tossed with about a tablespoon of flour
Put flour, salt, and baking powder in the bowl of a food processor and pulse one or two times to mix. Pulse in butter and shortening until the mixture looks like coarse crumbs.
Pour dry mixture into a large bowl and toss in blueberries. Combine cream and egg and carefully fold into dry ingredients, being careful not to overwork the dough or mash the blueberries.
Divide dough in half and press each half into a flat disk about an inch thick. Cut the circles into eight triangular shapes and chill for an hour or freeze overnight. Scones can be frozen at this point and stored in an airtight container until ready to bake.
When ready to bake, preheat oven to 400 degrees and place scones on an ungreased baking sheet. Brush scones with a beaten egg and top with a little course sugar, if desired.
Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes until golden brown. Serve warm or at room temperature with lemon curd and clotted cream.
Jill’s Simple Apple Blueberry Crunch
Jill admitted to me that she is much better at making laws than making cakes. However, this is a simple, but delicious way to use your fresh blueberries.
1 - 21 ounce can apple pie filling
2 cups fresh blueberries or 2 cups frozen
1 cup sugar, divided
1 package white cake mix
1 1/2 cups butter, melted
1 cup, chopped pecans, or walnuts
Ice cream or whip cream for topping
Spread apple pie filling on bottom of a lightly greased 9 x 13” pan. Toss together blueberries and 3/4 cup sugar, and spoon over the top of the apple pie filling. Sprinkle cake mix evenly over fruit and drizzle with melted butter. Sprinkle with chopped nuts and remaining 1/4 cup sugar.
Bake at 350 degrees for 45 to 50 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.
Serve with ice cream or whipped topping.
Baby Spinach with Blueberries, Goat cheese and a Fresh Lemon Poppyseed Vinaigrette
For the Vinaigrette, mix:
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons poppyseeds
1 teaspoon grated onion
1 clove garlic, minced
Combine all ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake vigorously. Store in the fridge until ready to serve.
When ready to assemble the salad, toss a bag of baby spinach leaves with about 4 ounces of crumbled goat cheese, and a cup of fresh blueberries. Drizzle with dressing. Add additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.
Blueberry Sorbet
I could not resist, including this recipe when I saw a photo while doing some blueberry research. It comes from The Blueberry Council. Although I have not had a chance to make it, the picture alone made my mouth water.
I have one of those small ice cream freezers and I am always looking for a simple summer dessert. This sounds fantastic and will definitely be on my list.
4 cups, fresh blueberries
1 - 6 oz can frozen apple juice concentrate
In the bowl of a food processor or blender, combine the blueberries, and apple juice concentrate. Pulse or process until liquefied. Pour into your ice cream maker and follow manufacturer’s instructions.
Another option is to pour into an 11 x 7“ baking pan. Cover and freeze until firm around the edges or about two hours. Break up frozen mixture and place mixture back in the food processor or blender and whirl until smooth but not completely melted. Spoon into a 9 x 5” loaf pan and cover and freeze until firm.
Serve within a few days
Vicki’s Blueberry Cobbler
2-3 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1-2 cups water
1 3/4 cups sugar, divided
1/4 cup butter
1 cup four
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup milk
In a saucepan cook blueberries, water and 3/4 cup sugar over low heat for about 10 minutes.
Melt butter in a 9x9” well-greased baking dish. Set aside.
In a separate bowl, mix remaining sugar, flour, baking powder, salt, and milk. Pour blueberries over the melted butter, and then pour the batter over the blueberries in a swirling pattern. DO NOT STIR.
Bake 45 minutes at 350 degrees until browned. This will be a thinner type cobbler with a lot of juice. Serve warm with ice cream, if desired.
Blueberry Lemonade
1 cup blueberry juice (recipe to follow)
1 cup fresh lemon juice
2 to 3 cups sugar
Approximately 1 gallon of water
In a gallon container, mix the first three ingredients and finish the rest of the container with water. Stir well until sugar has completely dissolved.
Serve over ice.
To make the blueberry juice: Boil fresh blueberries for 15 to 20 minutes and just enough water to cover them. Lightly mash the blueberries while cooking. Strain off the juice in a fine mesh strainer and discard any pulp. Use the back of a spoon to press out as much juice as possible. Store the juice in the refrigerator until ready to use. 1 pint of blueberries should yield about 2 cups of juice.
Blueberry Mojito
Nothing says summer quite like fresh blueberries and mint. Mix these together, add a little fresh lime juice and rum, and you have a delicious cocktail.
8 fresh blueberries
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 - 4 teaspoons sugar
8 fresh mint leaves
1/4 cup white rum
Ice
Club soda
Blueberries, lime slices and fresh mint for garnish.
Add fresh blueberries, lime juice, sugar, and mint leaves to a cocktail shaker or measuring cup. Muddle or mash the mixture with a muddler, or the back of a wooden spoon until sugar is broken down and dissolved. Add rum and stir well.
Strain into two tall glasses filled with ice top with club soda.
Serve with extra blueberries, lime slices, and mint leaves if desired.
Healthy Blueberry Smoothie
2 cups frozen blueberries
1 1/2 cup vanilla, fat-free yogurt ( or any kind you prefer)
1 banana, peeled and frozen (Whenever I buy bananas and they get a little past their prime, I always peel them and put them in a freezer bag to use for banana bread or for smoothies. You just take out as much as you need.)
1/2 cup almond milk, regular milk, or orange juice (anything will work)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
Put all ingredients in a blender or food processor and pulse in process until everything is well blended
Blueberry Conserve (Blueberry Sauce)
I love blueberry sauce, but it can sometimes be a bit too sweet for me. This recipe includes thinly sliced lemons and oranges to give it that the perfect combination. Feel free to serve it over ice cream or a with a slice of pound cake.
2 cups water
4 cup sugar
1/2 thinly sliced lemon
1/2 thinly sliced orange
1-quart blueberries
Bring water and sugar to a boil, add lemon and orange and simmer five minutes. Add blueberries, and cook rapidly until thick or about 30 minutes. As mixture thickens, stir frequently to prevent sticking.
If canning, pour boiling hot blueberries into sterilize hot jars, leaving 1/4-inch space to the top. Add new caps and rings and simmer in a boiling water bath for 15 minutes. If you do not want to do the water bath, feel free to store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.
Blueberry Facts:
Representative Ford shared some of the research she got from the students.
Blueberries have a huge impact on our state. Mississippi is ranked 9th in the nation for blueberry production and blueberries are our state largest commercial fruit crop. Mississippi is home to more than 25 blueberry farms, and hundreds of growers. Over 8,000,000 pounds of blueberries are sold each year totaling close to $10 million in sales.
Blueberries are high in fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, magnesium, and potassium. They are low in sodium and virtually fat free. Blueberries have received the American Heart Association’s Heart Check Certification. Most kids love blueberries and they are easy to transport and pack in anyone’s lunch.
Mississippi hosts at least two popular festivals devoted to the blueberry. Poplarville’s Blueberry Jubilee will be held Saturday, June 10, and the Red, White, and Blueberry festival in Ocean Springs is Saturday, June 3. Check out one of these festivals if you want more blueberry fun.
Let’s all embrace our new state fruit and eat blueberries as often as we can. Support our Mississippi blueberry farmers and be sure and buy fresh Mississippi blueberries when possible. We still have our fingers crossed that this year’s crop will not be affected by the late spring freeze.
