Ever since we brought the book Blueberries for Sal into our house a few years ago, there has been lots of talk about blueberry picking. Little Sal, and the blueberries that “kuplink”  (or don’t) into her little tin pail just seemed very enticing. Matt’s tales of picking berries with his grandmother Morm in Cape Cod as a kid, and the tangy blueberry sauce she would make, didn’t help either. So we finally found this place that was far, but not too far, that would give us relief from our itch for picking. It was blueberry heaven, I tell you. I could barely stop myself. In total we picked 18 pints, which math whiz that I’m not, I think comes out to 18 pounds. It’s a lot, I know. But I had no fear that we would not use every single berry before the week was through.

So after freezing some for smoothies, we made muffins. But these were no ordinary muffins. Mateo devised a recipe that gave these muffins a crunchy, cinnamon-y bite with loads of juicy berries inside. We also made jam, lots and lots of jam. Enough to hopefully last until next picking season. Then there were blueberry oat bars, and lastly, there were many, many, many that were simply eaten straight. I think Sal and her mom would have been proud of us. 

Mateo’s Blueberry Muffins

adapted from allrecpies.com

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking powder
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/3 cup milk
1 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup white sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners.

Combine 1 1/2 cups flour, 3/4 cup sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 1 cup measuring cup; add the egg and enough milk to fill the cup. Mix this with flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups right to the top, and sprinkle with crumb topping mixture.

To make crumb topping: Mix together 1/2 cup sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/4 cup butter, and 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon. Mix with fork, and sprinkle over muffins before baking.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until done.

Blueberry Oat Bars

adapted from grouprecipes.com

1 3/4 cup rolled oats (not quick cooking type) 
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
3/4 cup chopped walnuts 
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup butter; melted
2 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 Tbsp. water
2 Tbsp. cornstarch
2 tsp. lemon juice 

Heat oven to 350 F.
Grease 11×7-inch baking pan
Combine oats, flour, brown sugar, nuts, baking soda and salt
Add butter, mixing until crumbly.
Reserve 3/4 cup mixture; press remaining mixture onto bottom of prepared dish.
Bake 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, combine blueberries, granulated sugar and 2 tablespoons water in medium saucepan.
Bring to a boil, simmer 2 minutes, uncovered, stirring occasionally. Combine remaining 1 tablespoon water, cornstarch, and lemon juice; mix well. Gradually stir into blueberry mixture; cook and stir about 30 seconds or until thickened. I used two jars of our newly-made jam for this step, but you can make it as described here, or buy a jam that you like.

Spread over partially baked base to within 1/4 inch of edge; sprinkle with reserved oat mixture. Press topping down into blueberries slightly.

Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until topping is golden brown. Cool on wire rack; cut into bars. Store tightly covered.