6 minute read
HOME, FARM, & GARDEN p.8 OUT & ABOUT p.16 SIMPLY DELICIOUS
with Rynn Hennings www.thehouseofelynryn.com
Did you know that blueberries are native to North America? They have always been a summertime staple at my house, so I took it for granted that the whole world was familiar with them. This changed several years ago when I visited the Gardner Museum in Boston with a friend from the U.K. This beautiful museum had a glassed-roof courtyard with plants growing everywhere, including a small bush with berries that I said reminded me of blueberries. My English friend was puzzled by my statement and told me she had never heard of blueberries. I couldn’t believe it! So, later that day, we bought some blueberries. I was sure she would laugh and say she knew them by another name, but instead, she said she had never seen them before.
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Since that day at the museum, North American blueberries have become more readily available in England and the rest of the world. The U.S. is the largest grower of blueberries, and North Carolina is one of the top 10 states for commercial blueberry production. Fresh summer blueberries often remind me of a beautiful museum and the day I introduced a friend to one of North Carolina’s most beloved fruits. When you make this recipe, I hope it reminds you of spending time with friends and sharing your blueberry recipes.
BLUEBERRY CRISP
Servings: 9 servings
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 45-50 minutes
Ingredients for Filling
• 6 cups fresh blueberries (see Sweet Tips below for using frozen blueberries) • ¼ cup brown sugar, packed • 2 ½ tablespoons all-purpose flour • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract • 2 teaspoons lemon juice • 3 tablespoons butter, melted • 3 tablespoons water • Cooking spray
Ingredients for Topping
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour • 1 cup granulated sugar • ¼ teaspoon salt • 1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, softened
Directions for Filling
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. 2. Spray a 10-inch round deep baking dish (or equivalent size) with cooking spray. Evenly distribute the blueberries around the bottom of the baking dish. Mix 2 ½ tablespoons of flour and ¼ cup of brown sugar and sprinkle over the blueberries. Add the vanilla, lemon juice, and water to the melted butter and drizzle over the berries. Set the baking dish aside while you work on the topping.
Directions for Topping
1. In a food processor, add the flour, granulated sugar, and salt and pulse to mix. Cut the butter into chunks and place them (spread out) into the food processor. Process until the mixture forms a sticky dough. (If you do not have a food processor, work the flour and butter either by hand or with a mixer. Start by mixing the butter and sugar and then add the salt and flour.) Add the dough by spoonfuls over the blueberries in the baking dish. 2. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown and the crust in the center of the pie is cooked. If necessary, place a sheet of aluminum foil over the pie during the last 10-15 minutes of baking to keep it from over-browning.
Dilly Delicious
Nothing else smells like pickle brine cooking on the stove. Growing up, we didn’t have air-conditioning which may have been a blessing in disguise. I am sure having the windows opened helped eliminate the vinegar aroma when pickles were in production. It still amazes me how something that smells so unpleasant can turn into something as wonderful as homemade pickles. When I was 12, my family moved from Indiana to Tennessee. Our Indiana home was in a city, and we had a small yard and more neighbors than room for vegetables to grow. In Tennessee we had a big yard that included plenty of space for a garden. Homegrown cucumbers were one of my favorite vegetables, and turning those cucumbers into pickles made them even more delicious. My mom experimented with all kinds of pickle recipes. We made sweet pickles, bread and butter pickles, and some that took ten days in a crock – but dill pickles were my favorite and still are. One bite of those yummy dill pickles made me quickly forget the odor of the hot pickle brine.
Historically, foods were pickled to preserve for use on long trips or out of season. With the availability of commercially prepared foods, we don’t depend on pickled foods for survival. Taste is the primary reason many of us pickle foods today. Even if food preservation isn’t your thing, you can make delicious quick and easy refrigerator pickles to enjoy anytime of the year – and these don’t have to be processed in a boiling water bath. We recently made these pickles with 4-H members who participated in the 4-H mini garden series. They were a hit with the kids, and I hope you and your family will enjoy them too.
QUICK & EASY DILL REFRIGERATOR PICKLES
Yield: Two quart or four pint jars
Ingredients
• 1¼ cups distilled white vinegar (5% acidity) • 3 tablespoons kosher or pickling salt • 2 tablespoons sugar • 2 cups cold water • 1¾ to 2 pounds pickling cucumbers, washed and cut into slices or spears • 2 tablespoons coriander seeds • 6 large garlic cloves, peeled and halved • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds • ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes • 16 dill sprigs or 4 teaspoons of dried dill weed
Directions
1. Wisk together the vinegar, salt, and sugar in a small nonaluminum saucepan over high heat until the salt and sugar are dissolved. Pour the mixture into a bowl and add in the cold water. Refrigerate brine until ready to use. 2. Fill two clean quart jars or four pint jars with the prepared cucumbers. Add the coriander seeds, garlic cloves, mustard seeds, red pepper flakes, dill sprigs or weed, and chilled brine into jars, dividing evenly among the jars. If necessary, add cold water to the jars until the brine covers the cucumbers. Cover and refrigerate 24 hours, before serving. Store in refrigerator. Pickles are best if used within one month. Note: Pickling spices are often less expensive at bulk food stores than at the grocery. Recipe adapted from https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/ quick-and-easy-dill-pickles.html#tabrecipe
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