Oodles of Blueberries.... Part 1 Make a Pie

I always buy blueberries from the Kiwanis Club here in Central PA. Always. I usually buy two or three 10-lb boxes each year because I freeze so many of them and I make jam. This year I swear I only ordered one box in May - only one 10-pound box! I swear that is what I did because I still have last year’s blueberries in the freezer and a row of blueberry jam on the shelves. I know I love to preserve my fruits and vegetables, but both shelf and freezer space is limited.

I rose early on July 1st before heading out to the high school where the Kiwanis Club has set up for at least the last 20 years to hand out the just picked New Jersey blueberries. When I arrived in the line of cars, I quickly got into the prepaid line. A gentleman asked me for my name and how many boxes I had bought. I said, "1 box" and gave my last name. I was just so SURE of myself!

But Deb, a fellow teacher in the district came over with my order card, and said, “Kathryn - you bought two of them.”

I panicked slightly because two 10-lb boxes of blueberries is a LOT of blueberries. When I got home we quickly washed and ate them, but even four people who love blueberries cannot eat 20 pounds! I got a container and sent it filled to the brim to the elderly woman that lives in the neighborhood.

Sigh. So now I have two 10-lb boxes of blueberries that have hardly anything out of them! I wasn’t planning on freezing them as the freezer is so full right now. I might have to make a jam or look for a new recipes, but to start I listened to my youngest daughter you requested a blueberry pie.

I come from a long line of pie bakers. My youngest daughter won't even take a cake for her birthday - it must be a pie of some sort. She seems to love any of them that take almond extract or Dutch Apple Pie. The pie crust recipe we use is the same one (ALMOST) as the one used by my great-great grandmother. It is a great recipe because you can re-roll it and you can freeze it to use later.

My pie crust recipe is NOT plant-based although it is vegan. I know, how can that be - but I consider plant-based to be oil free and this recipe makes 5 crusts and uses an entire 1 pound container of crisco. Except for my egg replacer, my pie crust recipe is exactly the recipe handed down to me from my great-great grandmother:

• 4 ½ cups of flour - sift AFTER measuring
• 1 T of baking powder
• 1 ½ tsp of salt

Sift those together

• Add 1 1-lb container of crisco and use a pastry blender to blend it

Final step:

• In a 1 cup container make 1 vegan egg using replacer or flax egg
• Add 1 T of cider vinegar
• Fill the cup with cold water to make one cup total.

Add to the dry ingredients mixed with the crisco. Divide into 5 equal balls. I use a scale and it is about 8.5 ounces for each pie crust.

This recipe is awesome because you can freeze them AND they reroll if you can’t get it out to the size you want.

The blueberry insides:

• 6 cups of blueberries
• ½ cup cornstarch or arrowroot
• 1 tsp Almond extract
• 1 cup sugar (white, brown or date - any work)

Roll out the bottom crust and then fill it. Finally put the top crust on. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes. Lower the heat to 350 and then bake for another 45 minutes since they are fresh blueberries.

Of course that only used 6 cups of blueberries and although my daughter wants another pie.... I can't use 20 pounds in 6 cup servings... Stayed tuned for part 2 of oodles of blueberries.