Monday, August 06, 2007

Nature's Bounty.......

A recent, overcast day found us picking wild blueberries just a short distance away from where we live. A tip from a local park ranger led us to just the right spot.... a huge blueberry bog in the midst of a nearby designated wilderness area. The dirt road leading to the area was windy and steep and we drove slowly up it. After about 20 minutes of driving through a thick canopy of trees, the landscape suddenly opened up and I was amazed to see the immense, wild bog.


The blueberries were at their peak, and the whole time we were picking, I thought to myself, "How lucky am I?", while gazing out at the misty mountains and harvesting nature's gift. The slight drizzle and low-hanging clouds lent to the magical feel of the day.....

The end results of our harvest proved delicious.......

Seasonal Fruit Muffins
(you can use peaches, raspberries, or blueberries)

- 2 c. flour (i mix wheat and white)
-1 T baking powder
-1/2 t. salt
-1/2 cup sugar (i use raw sugar)
-1 t. cinnamon
-1/2 t. nutmeg
-1 egg
-1 cup milk
-1/3 cup melted butter
-1- 1 1/2 cups fruit

Preheat oven to 400*. Combine first 6 ingredients (for peaches, replace cinnamon and nutmeg with 1/4 t. mace). Beat egg lightly, add milk and melted butter. Make a well in dry ingredients and pour in liquid mixture. Stir just enough to combine and then add fruit. Sprinkle with topping and cook 15-20 minutes.

topping
-2 T brown sugar
-1/2 t. cinnamon
-1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

14 comments:

christianne said...

Um, okay. My mouth is officially watering, AGAIN! :)

Chica, Cienna, and Cali said...

oh perrrrrrrfect!!! i'm trying this one out, only, i will not have the privilege of using freshly picked berries.....:(

kenju said...

Thanks for the recipe! I have some bluberries in the fridge and this will be perfect for them!

A said...

Mmm . . . I know I could make them, but how cool would it be if you could just send them over your blog? Yuh-um!

A

Anonymous said...

Beautiful post sweetie. The picture almosts captures how tastie they were. I'm a little more motivated now to put together one of those pickers that the old timers were using up on the hill.

-Hubby

photowannabe said...

Thanks so much for the recipe. I will definitely try it. The mouth is watering already. It will be peaches instead of blueberries.

L.L. Barkat said...

Yes, there are blessings all around, if we know where to find them and care to take the time when we do. I've really enjoyed learning about wild edibles this past year. And berries, of course, are my favorite kind!

What a beautiful blueberry heaven you found. Thanks for sharing it with us (though I would have liked a little muffin too :)

Anil P said...

Picking berries in the wild must anyday beat most activities. I have fond memories of picking berries, though we were told to be careful of things bright red and shiny unless we knew those berries to be safe to ingest.

Surprising how a turn in a walking path can open up a countryside like in the picture.

Anna said...

Yum! Thanks for checking in on me. I am hanging in there. I hope that you are well and that you are settling in as well. Take care.

Lara said...

wow, such a sweet slice of life you've shown us here. that first picture is framed really well. :)

Chica, Cienna, and Cali said...

i just received your comment on bollywood......:)
loved the idea of getting together and watching the cheesy movies :)
i really hope u make it to Bradenton sometime soon.....:)
take care and have a lovely day tomorrow :)

Halfmom, AKA, Susan said...

what a lovely memory to make with your family - I love remembering taking the kids to the orchards when they were little - although not as adventurous as your trip - they not only enjoyed gorging themselves on the berries as they picked, they had the joy of investing in what would become freezer bags of fruit for winter muffins and cobblers and jars of jam - each time we used the fruit, in whatever form, it brought back lovely memories of the days spent picking and preparing.

Anonymous said...

What's that saying? For some reason the best things in life are free. I feel so utterly grateful when nature provides. What a blessing. I didn't know there were wild blueberries around these hills. We had them around Cape Cod when I was growing up. And we had a huge blackberry patch a skip from our house. With a family nine kids, it was a very helpful supplement to our summer diet.

bluemountainmama said...

moi....i'll bring the bon-bons, you provide the nail polish! :)