My So-Connecticut Life: The Sweetest Part of Summer Is Picking Local Blueberries
The town where I live in Connecticut is small – about 7,000 people, a few schools, and a single coffee shop. What we do have, in abundance, though, is farms. An apple orchard, a dairy farm, a farm known for its microgreens, and the most Christmas tree farms in the state.
Which means that while our town of Easton doesn’t have a grocery store, it has farm stands, pick-your-own fields, and more fresh produce within a few miles than most people find in a whole county. Since moving here, I’ve begun to mark the seasons by whatever’s ready to pick, and in summer, that means blueberries.
Silverman’s Farm, about a mile down the road from my house, opens for pick-your-own blueberries every July, and my family and I make a point of being there on the first day almost every year and creating delicious summer dishes from our loot.
We’re lucky to live so close to one of the best blueberry farms in the state. I always have to remind my kids to only pick the ripe ones.
(Image credit: Kaitlin Madden)
Blueberry season in Connecticut is short, six weeks, maybe seven if the weather cooperates, so we tend to pick more berries than we can eat fresh, despite the fact that my kids usually polish off a large portion of them in the car, ignoring my requests to let me rinse them first.
Instead of letting the rest spoil in the fridge (I find that fresh blueberries start to lose their luster after about a week, max), I’ve come to underscore our seasonal tradition with a few favorite recipes, which I will share below, that truly let the flavor of freshly picked berries shine.
How to Store Freshly Picked Blueberries
We always come home with way more berries than we can eat fresh, but it’s the perfect excuse to bake with them.
(Image credit: Kaitlin Madden)
Before I share the recipes, there are a couple of things worth knowing about picking blueberries fresh and how to store and use them.
The first is that some orchards will put your berries into a plastic bag to keep them contained for the ride home. It’s essential to get those berries out of the bag as soon as you get home. Don’t stop for an errand on the way, or leave them on the counter for a few hours. Doing so will make them mushy.
Pour the berries into berry bowls or breathable containers (the green cardboard ones or plastic clamshells you get at the grocery store work well). I don’t rinse them first because I find that I can never get them completely dry, and then they spoil faster. Instead, I just rinse them right before using. If you do want to rinse them first, pat them with a paper towel and let them air dry completely before storing.
My Favorite Blueberry Recipes
After I portion out the blueberries that we want to eat fresh, I usually set aside the rest to make a few favorite recipes. Generally, I save the fresh berries for recipes that really concentrate the blueberry flavor, because that’s where I feel that fresh berries make a real difference. I find that when I cook things like blueberry muffins or add blueberries to a smoothie, store bought of frozen work just fine.
My go-tos over the years have become: A blueberry jam, which I find preserves the flavor incredibly well, a blueberry-lemon pie, and a blueberry cocktail. I like to mix blueberries with lemon. And I also love to throw in flavors from my herb garden, like basil and mint, so these recipes contain at least 2/3 of these ingredients.
Blueberry-Lemon-Basil Refrigerator Jam
It may look like a lot of sugar, but this jam is actually not too sweet!
(Image credit: Kaitlin Madden)
The first thing I usually make is jam, because it’s simple and I love it. This isn’t an overly complicated recipe, and I don’t go through the process of sealing my jam jars because I don’t make enough that it lasts for months and months. Thus, I call it a refrigerator jam since you’ll need to keep it in the fridge.
Ingredients
4 cups fresh blueberries, stems removed
1 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons pectin (I usually use Ball RealFruit Classic Pectin)
10-20 fresh basil leaves (depending on how much basil flavor you want)
Steps
1. Combine blueberries, sugar, lemon juice, and zest in a large bowl. Let sit for a few minutes to allow the berries to release some juice.
2. In the meantime, chop basil leaves and add to either a metal tea ball infuser or tie up in a piece of cheesecloth.
3. Add the blueberry mixture and basil to a saucepan and bring to a simmer.
4. Once simmering, use a potato masher or fork to macerate the berries. Bring to a rolling boil for about 15 minutes, stirring frequently.
5. Skim off any foam that forms. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook another 15 minutes until jam starts to thicken, again stirring frequently.
6. Remove basil diffuser and stir in pectin.
7. Add jam to clean jars before storing in the refrigerator.
I always buy a loaf of multigrain sourdough and ricotta at another farm stand on my way home to make a whipped ricotta toast as soon as the jam is done.
(Image credit: Kaitlin Madden)
My favorite way to eat this recently has been on a slice of whole-grain sourdough with whipped ricotta, a few spoonfuls of jam and a squeeze of lemon on top.
Blueberry Lemon Pie
The pie about to head into the oven.
(Image credit: Kaitlin Madden)
A blueberry pie made with fresh-picked berries at peak season is worth making once a summer, even if you don’t consider yourself a baker (I tend to only make one or two a year myself). I’ve tried a bunch of recipes over the years, and my favorite is one that layers a blueberry filling over a lemon custard and finishes off with a streusel topping.
This recipe is delicious. I do take one shortcut, though: I use a store-bought frozen pie crust, which works perfectly every time.
Blueberry Smash Cocktail
Deliciously refreshing on a hot summer afternoon, this light cocktail is always a crowd pleaser.
(Image credit: Kaitlin Madden)
My final must-have blueberry recipe is a refreshing summer cocktail that blends, once again, all of my favorite blueberry-adjacent flavors. I switch up the liquor and the herb (mint vs. basil) depending on how I’m feeling or what I’m drinking it with, but the basic recipe is this:
Muddle a handful of blueberries, a squeeze of lemon, a splash of simple syrup (or maple syrup), and a few fresh mint or basil leaves in the bottom of a cocktail shaker, add gin or vodka, and give it a shake. Pour over ice, and top with a splash of soda water. It takes three minutes, and it tastes like the height of summer in a glass.
Target
Large Wavy Edge Berry Bowl Sour Cream – Hearth & Hand With Magnolia
I use this berry bowl to store fresh berries in the refrigerator.
Crate and Barrel
Weck 9.8-oz. Glass Canning Jar
Tie a square of fabric to the top of your jam jar and it makes a thoughtful gift, or a cute addition to a picnic basket.
Pottery Barn
Monique Lhuillier Antibes Cocktail Shaker
The wicker detail on this cocktail shaker is perfect for mixing summer drinks on the porch.
Williams-Sonoma
Chef’n Berry Basket
I also love this lidded berry basket for stacking multiple containers of berries.
Anthropologie
Berry Icon Handpainted Stoneware Pie Dish
Why not make your blueberry pie in a perfectly themed dish?
Quince
Fortessa Jupiter Short Glass Tumbler (set of 6) in Clear
These are my go-to cocktail glasses – equally perfect for a blueberry smash or a simple gin and tonic.
Before I know it, we’ll be on to harvesting tomatoes and picking apples, but with a couple of jars of blueberry jam, a pie that’s even better on day two, and a cocktail that feels more impressive than the effort involved, I feel like I’m really getting the most out of blueberry season. And if you want to have your own harvest next summer, check out our guide on how to grow blueberries.
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