We have a winner — and I have my power back! I was without electricity for nearly two days. With two smelly dogs, sixteen noisy chicks, five chickens, five hungry kids and two slightly less stinky adults, the restoration of power was a welcome relief. No electricity meant no well pump, no lights and, horror of horrors, no computer. We made do: we conserved water, grilled hot dogs, read books and played board games. Not terrible, but I was eager to get back online to announce the winner of the Raspberry Cake Bar Gift Basket so generously provided by Shelf Reliance/THRIVE. After running the entries through random.org, we have a winner. Drumroll, please!
(Insert drumroll here.)
Our winner is: Traci! If you’re reading this, Traci, please email me your mailing address and I’ll forward it to the folks at Shelf Reliance/THRIVE. For everyone else, I highly recommend checking out their freeze-dried pineapple — it’s a favorite in our house.
It’s officially blueberry season here, and I have more blueberries than I know what to do with. I borderline obsess over them. I watch local notices for the moment the blueberry patch opens, read Jamberry to the kids until they know it by heart, and tease everyone with visions of crumbles, cobblers, ice cream, smoothies, muffins, pancakes, waffles and dumplings. For The Evil Genius, I whisper blueberry daiquiris — a decidedly manly, evil treat since he loves them.
Last week, while picking up new chicks from the feed mill, I spotted the sign: the blueberry patch would open in three days. I sped home (as fast as an aging purple Ford Windstar allows), counted and washed pint jars, gathered backpacks and Sigg bottles, packed the cooler and found the checkbook. Three days of preparation for five kids who eat like tiny locusts. But by Monday morning we were ready.
We spent a little longer than planned corralling everyone into the van — multiple seatbelt sessions for last-minute potty breaks, dog feeding duty and “don’t forget your book” requests. By 1 p.m. we were finally on our way, and after a quick detour to return an overdue library book we arrived at the patch around 1:45 p.m. The patch closed at 3, so we hustled down the half-mile path and picked as fast as we could.
I have to brag on my kids for a minute. They are skilled blueberry pickers. From strollers to backpacks, they’ve been coming to the patch for years. When they were babies I carried them on my back while I picked; later I parked strollers in the shade and let them nibble while I filled jars and freezer bags. The eldest three now pick like maniacs and can fill buckets quickly. I still edge them out because I’m taller and can reach deeper into the brush. For now, the bragging rights are mine.
We have a couple of traditions. The first berry we pick straight from the branch goes into our mouths — that sun-warmed first blueberry is incomparable. As we leave, we each eat one last berry from the final bush. It’s a small ritual that signals the start of summer for us.
With buckets tied to our waists we picked like the wind — or at least tried to. Rowan, age three, picked like a gentle breeze but still managed half a bucket and didn’t eat as he picked. Ty followed our first-berry tradition but also amused us by “accidentally” flinging a few squishy berries at Aidan. The older boys filled buckets, Leif ate about ten berries for every one he put in his pail, and I filled two buckets. By weigh-in we had 23 pounds in under an hour. The owner warned the season might be short, so we felt good about the haul even though our usual target is much larger.
Driving home I couldn’t help but shout “Booyah!” — a moment of ridiculous victory caused by blueberries. They’re one of the main foods I preserve: easy to freeze or turn into jam, and having a freezer and pantry stocked with blueberries and jars of jam feels like having money in the bank.
Side note: earlier this year, my friend Natalie from Hot Off the Garlic Press became a spokesperson for Shelf Reliance/THRIVE Foods, a company I genuinely appreciate. They focus on food storage, rotation and emergency preparedness — important for a family that lives remote and needs to be ready for long winters. They sent samples for me to try and offered a giveaway, which is how the Raspberry Cake Bar Gift Basket came to be part of this post. The freeze-dried pineapple chunks were a hit around our campfire — they vanished in seconds. Delicious and practical — I highly recommend trying THRIVE products.
Back at home I went straight to work: two batches of jam, several sheet pans of berries into the freezer, and a few cups left for tarts. Freezing blueberries well is simple: pick from a patch that doesn’t spray, lay the unwashed berries on rimmed metal sheets until frozen, then transfer to labeled zipper bags. Because you didn’t wash them, they won’t clump together, and any hitchhiking bugs freeze and fall away. Years of jam-making taught me this trick — underripe berries have more pectin, so I used a handful of them to help thicken the tart filling.
My blueberry butter tarts start with a favorite tart crust and a filling of fresh berries folded with a cooked mixture of some underripe berries, lemon juice, sugar and cornstarch to make a sticky syrup. To elevate the dessert, I served them with Mascarpone Ice Cream — just mascarpone, cream cheese, heavy cream and dulce de leche blended and churned. The ice cream is rich and decadent; serve it shortly after churning or allow it to soften 15–30 minutes if frozen solid.
These tarts, warm and bursting with juicy blueberries, topped with silky mascarpone ice cream, are pure summer bliss and among my favorite desserts to make from the season’s bounty.
And yes — I didn’t forget the giveaway. Shelf Reliance/THRIVE generously offered a Raspberry Cake Bar Gift Basket to one reader. The basket includes white sugar, butter powder, whole eggs, white flour, freeze-dried raspberries, a recipe card, a mixing bowl and a wooden spoon. Practical, adorable and useful for anyone who enjoys baking or preparing long-term food storage recipes.
To enter, leave a comment telling what you’d do with the gift basket — keep it, give it to newlyweds, gift it to Grandma? For an extra entry, sign up for the Shelf Reliance newsletter and let me know in the comments. The winner was announced on the site as noted above.
Enjoy blueberry season — pick, preserve and savor every bite.