Blueberry Thoughts and Sautauthig

The blueberries are so abundant this year the branches are drooping. I'm not sure what variety they are; sometime long ago, someone planted them here. They were big bushes even in 1966; when I first came here. In talking with a former property owner, the bushes were big and mature in 1948 and he remembered picking them.

With so many berries, it's time to freeze some and make wine (it'll be ready for Thanksgiving). Today, I dusted off the food dehydrator and decided to dry some of the berries. All the recipes said to coat the blueberries with lemon juice. Anyone got any hints as to why? Apples sure, lemon juice keeps them from turning brown, but blueberries?

Regardless, I coated the blueberries with some lemon juice and turned the the drier on. It should be about eight hours or so, according to the directions. Sort of curious about this.

In the course of checking our how to dry blueberries I did come across some blueberry facts. Of course the Native people knew a lot about blueberries including a lot of health wisdom. They also dried the blueberries and used the powder as a meat rub. This is another culinary experiment. Could be pretty good with a nice venison steak.

The blosoom end of the blueberry is shaped like a perfect five point star, actuall known today as the "calyx" (for crossword puzzle lovers). In some Native traditions, the blueberry was sent to earth by the Great Spirit to ward off famine and starvation.

Another option, besides more wine, is “sautauthig”. Now I like blueberries in oatmeal, in pancakes and fritters, muffins and bread, and my favorite, pie, or just eaten raw. This recipe calls for dried blueberries in cornmeal mush or grits. According to some Web sites, it was eaten on the very first Thanksgiving. Seems those Pilgrims were mighty hungry.

For sautauthig: 1 ½ cup of water
1 ½ cup milk
¾ cup of cornmeal or quick cooking grits
½ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons of maple syrup or honey
2 cups of fresh or frozen or canned blueberries
OR ½ cup dried blueberries

Heat the water and milk, add cornmeal gradually, stirring until it thickens add the blueberries and honey.

I'll give it a whirl this week, (thinking Cool Whip would be nice) and be a pilgrim. Maybe when I make the wine...and a venison steak.

Blueberries are in season now, buy local. There's plenty of places to get them and they are one of the healthiest fruits to eat and enjoy.

Blogs I enjoy and read

On Your Wat to the Top

New York's Southern Tier

Urban Veggie Garden

And if you care here is the link to my HubPages. Click the title for Helium articles. Thanks.

*UPDATE: Thanks to two people who work for the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council who responded to a question about "sautauthig", Ruth Lowenberg and Marcy Erhard. Ruth sent this link about sautauthig and it is pretty good especially if you have children or are a teacher. Thanks to both.

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March Maddness: Get Ready

The Grange, a longtime staple in rural living, is alive and well throughout the northwestern Pennsylvania region. Crawford County alone has over a dozen active Grange Halls including the Hayfield Grange, the oldest and the largest Grange Hall in Crawford County.
On Saturday, March 7th, the Hayfield Grange will host a Pomona Grange (the county wide Grange). The meeting opens at noon with a luncheon.
Membership in the Grange is open to all, you don't have to live on a farm or even a rural area. There seems like an unending list of different activities for the entire family always going on in the organization as well as a wide range of community service projects. The Hayfield Grange Hall is located in Hayfield Township, Crawford County at the intersection of Grange Center and Broadford Roads.
If your interested in the Grange, just show up. It's a good starting point for the entire family and individuals.
The weather seems to be breaking, though certainly there will be some more nasty weather. But winter is just about gone. Already we have just over 11 hours of daylight (Note: Clocks go ahead March 8th).
There is a lot to do in March, maybe more so this year than in the past several years. Winter is a good time to prune the blueberry bushes,to get a good crop later this summer. Until now, the snow has been too deep to get that job done. Winter this year was messy and there seems to be a lot of clean-up work to do. How is your yard/garden?
Apples trees and other fruit tree should also be pruned now before the weather gets too warm.
And I may as well note this important date: March 1st is National Pig Day, a day designated to celebrate one of our most intelligent farm animals.
For some added insights and information of spring garden tips, go to Rosy Reds, the Frogs and the Vegetable Garden.