Adair and I picking blueberries last April (it was a rare, cold, windy afternoon in Florida).
I always use the thumb holes on my long-sleeves. Always. :)
Blueberry picking is such a great social distancing activity. An opportunity to get outside and out of your house, yet stay away from people. If you happened to have collected some berries (or are on your way to the grocery store) over the past few weeks of quarantine, here are two of my favorite blueberry recipes. Enjoy!
Red, White and Blue/Bleu Salad
Serves `~10 people with "normal" appetites or ~6-7 hungry runner-type people
1 Watermelon
1 sweet vidalia onion
1 cup of blueberries
1 cup of cherry/grape tomatoes
1 cup of red grapes
1 container (8 ounces) of bleu cheese (I also like to use goat cheese for those of us who are lactose intolerant as goat cheese has less lactose than cow's milk cheese)
Dressing (whisk together): 1 Tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Fresh basil for garnish (mint also works)
Assembling the salad: Chop up the watermelon and sweet onion. Halve the cherry tomatoes and red grapes. Add all the fruits and veggies into a large serving bowl. Chill. Right before serving, drizzle the dressing over the salad, sprinkle with bleu cheese or goat cheese. Garish with basil or mint.
Blueberry Margaritas
Serves 2
1/4 cup fresh blueberries
fresh lime juice (about 2 limes)
4 ounces of tequila
1 1/2 ounces (3 tablespoons) Simple Syrup (make by dissolving 1 cup of sugar in 1.5 cups of water over heat. Let cool.)
Ice
Kosher or sea salt for rimming the glass
Place glasses in freezer for a few minutes. Rub the rim of two glasses with a lime wedge. Swirl the rims through a small pile of salt. Stick glasses in freezer while you mix the cocktail.
In a blender or Nutribullet, pulse the blueberries and lime juice. In a cocktail shaker (or a Tupperware container with a sturdy lid from the 1980s as I did), add the tequila, Simple Syrup, and ice. Shake vigorously for several seconds. Pour into the salted glasses. Garnish with lime wedge.
Hope you all are staying well and getting some exercise during this time - it is great for your physical as well as mental health!
Take care and happy running/walking!
Betsy