Blueberry Windfall

Has anyone tried drying blueberries in the oven? I have tons, and I'm ready to expirament!

Ann,

Did you grow them or pick them somewhere?
We do both. I've found if you wash them, dry them on a paper towel and flash freeze them on a cookie sheet and bag them for the winter they are golden. (this of course has to happen in the prime of the picked fruit)

My husband is a Michigan born blueberry freak! We have 17 plants in the yard and pick at least a couple dozen pounds at Bryants every year for sharing and freezing.

His greatest challenge this year was to keep the Robins away. We were doing well for the first couple of weeks or so but after that they swarmed the bushes and would even eat the green ones.

That said..next year is war. We have 5 cats..2 of which wander outside...they are useless.

I have some blueberry sauce recipes and a pretty decent blueberry muffin recipe if you want it.

Best,
Sarita

Sarita,
Could you please share your muffin recipe?
Thanks!
mbd

I'd love to have your recipes!

We have a few blueberry plants, but they haven't produced much fruit yet. Perhaps it's the birds, but I also often find my kids in the garden, gobbling as much ripe produce as they can pick before they're discovered.

The recipes are not my original...I just add a bit to them.
http://www.recipezaar.com/The-Best-Blue ... fins-50719
Add a spoonful of sour cream and a little lemon zest

The blueberry sauce I'll have to find...it's around here somewhere. I haven't used it in a year.

Ann,

His greatest challenge this year was to keep the Robins away. We were doing well for the first couple of weeks or so but after that they swarmed the bushes and would even eat the green ones.

Sarita

Use bird netting. As easy as just draping over the bushes or can get fancy and build supports. Should be available at any garden center. Inexpensive. Should last for years.

Use bird netting. As easy as just draping over the bushes or can get fancy and build supports. Should be available at any garden center. Inexpensive. Should last for years.

We used it every year. This year I had a great idea of tenting the bushes with them. Those robins are crafty little buggers. They could get to the blueberries by just pushing the nets one way or the other.
They picked more blueberries in an hour that two of us could getting around the nets!

I think my husband is planning a sort of outdoor reverse bird cage for the blueberries next year. He's already got his brother working on plans.

I was very surprised to see outside of the bodega on market that they had used the same netting over their grapes. I'm guessing it works. It appeared to be tented but I'm not sure how they get in there to harvest.