Home grown blueberries

[Obsidian]

I know there are few other fellow gardeners on here, though you might enjoy some blueberry pics. This is the third year since I planted my bushes, started with three and added one more this spring.

This is about 1/4 of the berries off one plant and maybe 1/2 off another. The weird weather has the berries ripening willy nilly. This is the second bowl I've picked this year.

Standard cereal bowl

two of the biggest with a US quarter. There was one a lot bigger but I ate it

 

[Stacyspy]

I love blueberries. Unfortunately, I think mine got waaay too much water, so I'm not looking for any this year...so sad. However, my blackberries are growing like crazy and just starting to get fruit.

 

[galaxyMLP]

My boyfriend and I have been caring for his mom's blueberry bushes that stopped producing 4 years ago for the past 3 years (his grandfather passed away 7 years ago and he was the one who cared for them. When the upkeep stopped, they were OK for a few years but they finally stopped 3 seasons later). This year we got a great crop. Between all 8 bushes probably 10 pounds. The berries are relatively small and were a hybrid that the university of Florida gifted to his mom over 30 years ago. Can you believe with a little love blueberry bushes can fruit for that many years?

 

[Obsidian]

I didn't know they could get too much water, seems all I do it water mine. I can't wait until they really start producing. This year will be my first year of getting blackberries, can't wait until they are ready.

Thats awesome your moms bushes have been growing for that many years, must be a good hybrid. I've never been a fan of blueberries until I tasted fresh picked ones. I grew up eating mountain huckleberries which are just starting to come into season.

 

[shunt2011]

Yum, my favorite. I pick wild blueberries at my parents. They are small but so yummy! Those are beautiful looking blueberries!

 

[Stacyspy]

Technically, I think they drowned...lol... We've had so much rain this year, it eroded a lot of the soil around them, and it seems like every time I go build it back up, we get more rain.

I didn't know they could get too much water, seems all I do it water mine. I can't wait until they really start producing. This year will be my first year of getting blackberries, can't wait until they are ready.

Thats awesome your moms bushes have been growing for that many years, must be a good hybrid. I've never been a fan of blueberries until I tasted fresh picked ones. I grew up eating mountain huckleberries which are just starting to come into season.

 

[houseofwool]

Those are huge!

Last weekend I went on a hike and found a couple of ripe blackberries. Delish!

 

[boyago]

Your lucky. It looks like ours failed this year. Not sure why but I'll blame this stupid hot summer we're having.

 

[Obsidian]

Those are huge!

Last weekend I went on a hike and found a couple of ripe blackberries. Delish!

Thats one thing I miss about living over by Seattle, all the wild black berries.

 

[snappyllama]

Yum, you're going to have to make gigantic pancakes to go along with them!

 

[doriettefarm]

Our blueberries did kinda sucky this year too . . . I maybe got 2pints off 5 bushes! The blackberries are doing better than the blueberries but still not like last season. I was making cobbler and ice cream out the wazoo this time last year

 

[Obsidian]

Everything is doing really well this year, there are so many apples they have to be thinned before the branches start breaking. We didn't have much snow this year though and it was hard on the blackberries, a lot of the plant died back.

Here is a recipe I'm trying as soon as my blackberries are ripe. I should have enough for one cake
http://www.theartfuldesperado.com/a...zelnut-blackberry-cake-with-mascarpone-cream/

 

[KristaY]

Wow, what beautiful berries, Obsidian! I'm so jealous. I've tried growing berries but they just don't do well here. Plus, any fruit I have grown gets eaten straight away by the birds. My favorite dessert to make is blueberry crumble. Yummo!

 

[jules92207]

The company I work for owns a lot of farm land and one of the properties they have is a blueberry farm. This year we got to go and pick blueberries, we came home with about 20 lbs! I might need that blueberry crumble recipe Krista...

 

[KristaY]

No prob, Jules. Here ya go!

Blueberry Crumble

Fruit Filling:

Fresh blueberries - 6 oz pkg, X 2
½ tsp vanilla
¼ cup brown sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp flour

Mix all together and pour into ramekins or small baking dish.

Topping:

½ cup oatmeal
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup sliced almonds
Pinch of salt
4 Tbsp cold butter, cubed
¼ cup (or less) cold water

Pulse all, except water, in food processor until crumbly. Add cold water slowly while pulsing until mixture comes together. Crumble over fruit filling. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 min (ramekins) or 30 min (baking dish).

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream, sweetened cream or whipped cream.

 

[jules92207]

^^This is exactly what I have been looking for! Thank you so much, I might just make this tomorrow with my frozen blueberries!

 

[doriettefarm]

Here's another easy cobbler recipe . . . works great with any kind of berries or a mix of berries
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/08/the_great_cobbl/

 

[TVivian]

That's awesome! I had a blueberry bush and managed to get about 20 berries from it... Then I killed it somehow. The only thing I can grow successfully is oranges and tomatoes. I have more tomatoes than I know what to do with, and I don't even like them!

 

[galaxyMLP]

Make sauce. Lots of sauce. Tomato sauce keeps very well in the freezer and takes up less space than individual tomatoes. Plus, you can add it to things year round and make different types. I made vodka sauce once. I never wanted to buy store bought ever again.

 

[Obsidian]

I make tomato juice and freeze it in plastic soda bottles. It works really well in soaps and stews.