LAUREL HILL — It’s blueberry picking time in North Okaloosa County, and residents with containers in hand are trooping into local blueberry patches.
PHOTOS: See photos of local blueberry pickin', cookin' and eatin'>>
At the Smith farm in Laurel Hill, the steady drumming of big, plump juicy berries dropping to the bottom of empty five-gallon buckets soon softens to a gentle trickle as the buckets fill.
“They’ll be plenty more for the next 2 or 3 weeks,” farmer Judy Smith said.
“This year the berries are the biggest we’ve had,” John Richardson of Baker U-Pick Blueberries said, adding jokingly. “We’ve been open a week and already sold a ton. And that was just six berries.”
Here’s what some area folks are doing with their blueberries:
1. Dehydrate for later
Smith advises dehydrating her farm’s succulent berries for long-term storage rather than freezing them.
Place the blueberries on a sheet of parchment paper on a cookie sheet, then slowly dehydrate them in the oven at its lowest setting. Pour them into hot canning jars. When the cans cool, it’ll seal the lids on tight.
To rehydrate, put the desired amount of blueberries over hot water in a double boiler and mix in some water and sugar.
2. Make a pie
A blueberry cream cheese pie is a perfect summer treat. Beat an 8-ounce block of room-temperature cream cheese with a half cup of sugar and tablespoon of fresh lemon juice until smooth. Pour into a prepared or pre-bought pie shell and refrigerate.
In a saucepan, mix ¾ cups of sugar, 3 tablespoons cornstarch, half cup water, 2 cups of fresh blueberries and 1.5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice. Heat over medium heat until boiling and real thick, stirring constantly. Let cool.
Spread two cups of fresh blueberries over the cream cheese filling, then top with blueberry sauce and refrigerate. Top each slice with whipped cream, if desired.
The pie can also be made without the cream cheese filling.
3. Make a pound cake
When the blueberries come in, Jonathon Hanline gets out his mom, Karen’s, quick-and-easy blueberry pound cake recipe.
Mix 1 package of butter cake mix, 3 eggs, a half cup of cooking oil, and an 8-ounce block of cream cheese that’s at room temperature. Fold in 2 cups of floured blueberries. Pour into a greased Bundt cake pan and bake at 350 degrees F for about an hour or until done. Dust with powdered sugar just before serving.
4. Make a smoothie
Bernice Anthony came down from Florala, Alabama, to pick blueberries at the Smith farm with a friend from Crestview. While she plans to eat hers, “my son likes to freeze them and put them in a smoothie,” she said.
Good accompaniments in a blueberry smoothie include plain, blueberry or vanilla yogurt, honey, ice, fresh lemon juice, and blueberry or pomegranate juice.
5. Make blueberry ice cream
Here’s the perfect topping for your blueberry pie, crisp or cobbler! Beat well 8 eggs, 3 cups of sugar and 1 can of evaporated milk. Add 1 tablespoon vanilla extract. Put two cups of blueberries in a blender and blend with sugar to taste and a third cup of whole cream. Stir the blueberry mixture into the milk and egg mixture, then pour it all into the ice cream freezer, Add enough whole milk to bring the mixture to the fill line. Get a strapping young ‘un to start cranking!
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WANT TO PICK YOUR OWN?
These North Okaloosa County farms, among others, let you pick your own blueberries. (Just don’t forget bug spray and sunscreen.)
Baker U-Pick Blueberries, 5949 Dairy Road, Baker. $1.50 per pound. Open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. Buckets and bags provided. 537-0340.
Brooks Farm, you-pick farm, 5645 Gerald Brooks Road, Baker. $1 per pound. Blackberries are also in season and ready for picking. Bring your own container. 902-3465.
Shockley Springs Blueberry Farm, 7097 Old River Road, Baker. $1.25 per pound. Open 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays, Sundays and Wednesdays. Buckets and boxes provided. shockleysprings.com/blueberries.php; 902-0160.
Smith Farm, Laurel Hill. $5 per gallon. Go to the end of Cadenhead Road to Morning Glory Lane. When the road ends at the yellow gate, turn right and go to the end of the driveway. If no one’s around, leave your payment at the door. Bring your own container.
These North Okaloosa County farms, among others, let you pick your own blueberries. (Just don’t forget bug spray and sunscreen.)
Baker U-Pick Blueberries, 5949 Dairy Road, Baker. $1.50 per pound. Open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. Buckets and bags provided. 537-0340.
Brooks Farm, you-pick farm, 5645 Gerald Brooks Road, Baker. $1 per pound. Blackberries are also in season and ready for picking. Bring your own container. 902-3465.
Shockley Springs Blueberry Farm, 7097 Old River Road, Baker. $1.25 per pound. Open 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays, Sundays and Wednesdays. Buckets and boxes provided. shockleysprings.com/blueberries.php; 902-0160.
Smith Farm, Laurel Hill. $5 per gallon. Go to the end of Cadenhead Road to Morning Glory Lane. When the road ends at the yellow gate, turn right and go to the end of the driveway. If no one’s around, leave your payment at the door. Bring your own container.
WANT TO PICK YOUR OWN?
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: 5 awesome things to do with fresh North Okaloosa blueberries (PHOTOS, VIDEO)