DEATH BY BLUEBERRIES

I’ve grown blueberry plants in large containers on my patio since long before ‘edible landscaping’ became a thing. They may not be everyone’s idea of a decorative plant, but I think they’re pretty charming. They are very low-maintenance and

by Karen Harper

people. I put several pounds in the freezer so we can have blueberries year-round, I make blueberry jam. I make blueberry pancakes. But the very best thing I do with my blueberries every year is make a blueberry cheesecake. I found this recipe several years ago and I’ve tweaked it a bit and perfected it over the years. It’ s very pretty (and tasty) all on its own. But one year, faced with an extra-abundance of blueberries, I added fresh blueberries on top and a blueberry glaze over that and that’s how I do it every year now. This is pretty much death by blueberries, but it’s such a pleasant way to go.

remain healthy with regular fertilizer, no spray of any kind, a little winter pruning for shape, and re-potting about every 5 years or so. They start blooming and attracting bees just after Christmas when I need a little post-holiday pickup, I get 20+ pounds of blueberries off them every spring and then they turn a pretty color in the fall. What’s not to love there? So, what to do with 20 lbs. of blueberries every year? Well, I give a lot away to those friends who will come over and pick them because I do draw the friendship line at standing out there in the hot sun picking blueberries for other

Blueberry Swirl Cheesecake

Blueberry Puree:

1 ½ c. crushed blueberries

¼ c. sugar

2 tsp. cornstarch

1 tbsp. lemon juice

Combine berries, sugar, and cornstarch in saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium heat and cook, stirring, 5 minutes. Stir in lemon juice and cool completely.

Crust:

1 c. graham cracker crumbs

2 tbsp. sugar

2 tbsp. butter, melted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine crumbs, sugar, and butter in a bowl. Press evenly into a 10” springform pan. Bake for 8-10 minutes. Watch to be sure the crust doesn’t get over-brown (i.e., burned). Cool on a rack. (NOTE: This crust bakes in 5 minutes in my oven on the middle rack.)

Filling:

1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese, room temperature.

1 c. sugar

1 c. sour cream

2 tsp. vanilla extract

4 large eggs, room temperature

2 tbsp. flour

Beat cream cheese in mixer bowl till light and fluffy. Gradually add sugar and beat until completely smooth. Beat in sour cream and vanilla. At low speed, add eggs one at a time, then add flour and mix just until blended pour batter over prepared crust.

Drizzle the blueberry puree over batter then swirl a knife through the batter to make it pretty. Bake for 45-50 minutes, just until the cheesecake is set. Don’t overbake.

Cool on a rack for about 15 minutes, then run a knife around the edge and then carefully remove the springform pan.

When the cheesecake is cool, cover and refrigerate it, if there’s any left.

Optional Blueberry Glaze:

1 c. sugar

2 tbsp. cornstarch

1 c. water

2 c. fresh blueberries. Divided

Crush ½ c. blueberries in a separate bowl. In a saucepan. Combine sugar and cornstarch. Stir in water. Add the crushed blueberries to the mixture. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture is thickened and begins to bubble. Continue to boil gently for 2 minutes or until the glaze mixture is clear. Cool completely. Arrange the remaining blueberries over the top of the cheesecake. Pour the cooled blueberry glaze over the berries. Enjoy.

Gardens In The National Archives

There are a number of garden related properties found in the Records of the National Register of Historic Places. And did you know that you can search those records to your heart’s content, free of charge? You don’t even have to go to Washington, D.C., or College Park, MD in order to do this. Check out John LeGloahec’s blog post at Spring has Sprung! Records relating to Gardens in the National Register of Historic Places – The Text Message (archives.gov) .

You’ll find several records that you can hop to immediately from the blog.

There’s a big push to get as much material as possible digitized and available for viewing on-line. Check out this invaluable resource of our Nation’s history.