Blueberry season is here. This weekend I had a chance to pick blueberries at Jones Family Farms in Shelton, CT. I didn’t want to go overboard with picking, so I wound up getting 2 quarts of blueberries – just the right amount for a homemade blueberry pie, and snacking.
How to pick blueberries
It’s all in the name – Look for plump blueberries that are a light gray-blue color. Berries that aren’t ripe are white and green colored. If you spot a berry that has a slight red to it, that means the berry isn’t fully ripened.
The easiest and fastest way to pick them is hold your container under a bunch of berries and using your other hand, try to cup a bunch with your fingers – they should fall right off.
Recipe: Blueberry Pie
Ingredients
- 1 quart of fresh blueberries, about 4 cups
- 2 rounds of pie dough, rolled out
- 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice, strained
- 3⁄4 cup sugar
- 3 tbsp cornstarch
- Zest of 1 lemon
- 1⁄4 tsp salt
- 1⁄4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Directions
- Place 1 round of dough over a 9-inch pie pan. Remove excess dough hanging off the edge of the pan.
- In a bowl, combine blueberries with lemon juice.
- In another bowl, mix the cornstarch, cinnamon, lemon zest, sugar, and salt. Pour the mixture into the bowl of blueberry and toss.
- Pour the blueberry mixture on top of the bottom crust of the pie pan. Dot the top with butter pieces.
- Top with the other round of dough. Remove the excess dough off the edges, and crimp the bottom and top dough together. With a sharp knife, score the center of the pie with about 4-8 slashes. This allows stream to escape while the pie cooks.
- Refrigerate the pie until the dough is firm, about 20 to 30 minutes. Meanwhile, position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 375°F.
- Bake the pie for 1 hour. Transfer the pie to a wire rack and let cool completely to set, 1 to 2 hours.
