It's Blueberry Season!

Pie and jam recipes for those already picking!

I received a request from a subscriber the other day after my jam post for a recipe for blueberry jam. I always think of blueberry season as late summer, and I guess if you’re looking for the low bush berries from Lac St-Jean they do hit the markets in mid to late summer. What we’re seeing now are the highbush blueberries that hail from a medium-sized shrub that produces clusters of round berries. The lowbush berries are smaller and certainly more concentrated in flavour, but I find that both bake up very well and make some of the best jam this time of year.

Low bush blueberries, above, will come into season a little later in summer.

This subscriber (hi Karen!) had been out blueberry picking and was faced with a glut of berries. Happily blueberries — especially the high bush berries — are the least fragile of the summer berries and can last in the fridge for quite a while. But if I were sitting on a pile of blueberries I’d be cooking them because, IMHO, blueberries are best when baked. Why? Because their flavour intensifies, which is why I’ll always be turning them into crumbles, cakes, pies and jam.