Lisa Q. Mathews, Mysteries

On Blueberry Hill

Strawberry season was a bust here in NH last month, thanks to extreme early heat and nonstop rain. Rinse and repeat. But I have high hopes for blueberry season later this month. With luck, we’ll have buckets of blueberries that would make Violet Beauregarde (of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory fame) run for her life. But what to do with them all?

It’s not that I can’t cook, exactly, although my husband is the chef in our house. It’s just that whatever I make tends to look…not great. Even the sandwiches I packed for my kids’ lunchboxes were messy. And then there was the sad, baseball-themed cake I created for my son’s Cub Scout fundraiser. The frosting literally pooled on the plate and surrounding table. Nightmare.

Several Julys ago, I was thrilled to be invited to guest on the popular blog Mystery Lovers Kitchen (our very own Chick Leslie is a current member). I decided on a blueberry theme, because I had fond memories of childhood summers spent blueberry-picking in Maine. Also, I needed photos to illustrate the post, and I already owned matching blueberry dishware (thanks, L.L. Bean!). And really, who doesn’t love blueberries?

Unfortunately, there were a few looming tech and aesthetics issues. My kitchen was all-pine and super dark. Our old oven cooked way too fast. And we had 1980s-style pink counters. (I believe the hue is described by realtors and J. Crew as “salmon.”) I would never be a culinary influencer.

As go-time approached and I headed to grab my purple-and-black sundress from my closet (the better to hide those blueberry stains), I suddenly realized I had a bigger problem. The blueberries in our yard were not yet…blue.

The grocery store was also a bust. Miraculously, I found a U-pick place a few towns over with a sign advertising berries.

As I drove up to the quaint, American-flag-draped barn, there were neither berries nor customers in sight. But as I snapped a few farm pictures in the ninety-degree heat, a guy appeared with an armload of baskets. I could start picking in a field a mile or two further down. Wait, what? Luckily, it turned out he also had several pints of beautiful, very blue berries back in the barn. I thanked him profusely and promised to return the baskets ASAP.

I had a lot of fun with the actual recipes. They were easy-breezy, and I was a big fan of the blueberry iced tea. Also blueberry lemonade, blueberry-watermelon salad, blueberry-lemon-oatmeal cookies, and basic blueberry sauce. My body practically zinged with antioxidants and Vitamin K.

I staged most of the photos outside, to avoid those ugly counters. And I only messed up on the actual cooking once, when the blueberries came to a boil sooner than expected while I was chasing the dog.

But after all that worrying about trying to achieve blueberry perfection, readers seemed to enjoy the post (here’s the link in the MLK archives, if you’re interested), and my family enjoyed blueberry pancakes with blueberry syrup for months. I might even try that baseball cake again.

Readers, are you a casual cook or does Blake Lively follow you on Pinterest? (Also, please feel free to tell us your favorite blueberry treat!)

28 thoughts on “On Blueberry Hill”

    1. That’s all that counts, Jen! (My kids still like my meals, even if they don’t look pretty.) And blueberry crisp, mmm!!

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  3. Blueberries are life! I have them with cereal and oatmeal for breakfast. They are fab on my vanilla ice cream and are a great ingredient in a fruit smoothie. Oh, and mixed in with pancakes or in waffles. Yeah, love my blueberries!

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    2. I love “bloobs” as one of my grandlittles calls them! And you’re right, JC … they are versatile! We don’t get them fresh very often, but I always have frozen ones in my freezer for all the things you mention.

      We used to be an Ozzie and Harriet family when the kids were little, sitting down to a home-cooked (by me) healthy dinner every night. But now that the kids are grown, we may only cook dinner once or twice on the weekends. The rest of the time hubs and I are happy with cottage cheese with pineapple; apple and handful of nuts; Quest bar; or a bowl of popcorn. Pretty much over the every night cooking, but I’m a good cook … when I can muster up the enthusiasm.

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  4. As you know, I do like to cook, but I’m far lazier now that in my younger years. (Can you say “one pot” or “one pan” meals? I’m there!) As for blueberries, we don’t get many fresh ones here in California, but I have marvelous memories of picking them as a kid while camping in Maine and then eating blueberry pancakes. Blue heaven!

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  5. Raise your hand if you have memories of picking blueberries in Maine! *Raises both hands.* Does anyone do anything in Maine besides pick blueberries and eat lobster rolls, I wonder?

    Lisa, this post brought back such wonderful memories. Especially of one of my favorite books when I was little: Blueberries for Sal. https://www.amazon.com/Blueberries-Sal-Robert-McCloskey/dp/014050169X/ref=sr_1_1? My mother LOVED reading this book for me, by the same author who wrote the classic Make Way for Ducklings. (How much do I love that this books never go out of print?)

    As to cooking, the great irony of my “culinary mysteries” is that I am not a cook. I love to bake, though. I’ve learned there are two camps, cooks and bakers, and very rarely is someone both. Sadly, I don’t get to bake that much because my family is always trying to lose weight, not gain it!

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    1. Ellen, One Morning in Maine was always a favorite of my kids, too. Robert McCloskey provided such great memories with his books. And we loved Blueberries for Sal (and Make Way for Ducklings, obviously, the OG Robert McCloskey book).

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    2. I was a huge McCloskey fan, too, El! Love the commemorative bronze mother duck and ducklings on Boston Common. And double-yes to blueberries in Maine—at summer camp they took us up on a mountain via chairlift and I think we ate the whole mountain of them. So tiny and sweet.

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  9. MMMMMMMMMM…I love blueberries and I double-love the Violet Beauregarde reference. (lol!)

    I have historically been a pretty terrible cook with a limited repertoire. (Limited as in I could make six dishes.) But I’m changing my ways and have begun experimenting with different recipes with varying degrees of success. I won’t say I’m having fun, but I am getting more confident!

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  10. I love the recipes, Lisa! Wild blueberries are a “thing” in the Yoop. People have their favorite blueberry picking spot— which is always a well-kept secret. Hubs and I found our blueberry trove along the road near the college golf course. I washed and froze bags full of small, sweet berries, and we enjoyed them on ice cream, oatmeal, in gluten-free pancakes. I’ve never tried to make jam, but we have driven up the Keweenaw Peninsula to buy jams and jellies at the Byzantine Skete. It’s how the monks support themselves!

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  12. I cook every day and I love to make blueberry muffins, blueberry or strawberry shakes, peach and blueberry cobbler.

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