After four years of trying, I’ve finally raced the birds to my blueberries. We have a hill, directly behind the farmhouse, covered in wild blueberry bushes. I couldn’t figure out why, every year, when I went to pick the berries the bushes were picked clean. Yesterday, I was pruning a tiny crab apple tree at the base of the hill, when I noticed a deep blue fat berry staring up at me. I couldn’t believe my eyes. The hill was ready to be plucked! As I picked, I realized the birds are not as hungry this summer because I’ve been feeding them. What started out as a way to bring birdsong to my flower gardens ended up saving my blueberries.
I started today by making a pot of coffee with a mournful ballad of longing for the Maritimes playing on the CBC morning show. I’ve loved the folk music of Eastern Canada since I was a little girl. I used to sing Farewell to Nova Scotia without knowing where Nova Scotia was but I was drawn to the sound. One of the lines from the song this morning, ‘Home is a place you vacation’ took my breathe away. Men and women leaving their birth place to find work. What starts out as a temporary way of supporting their families becomes a permanent way of life. A lifetime of going home for a visit.
Although I’ve spent a lifetime loving Maritime folk music, it never occurred to me that one day the stories would be mine…
Wild Blueberry Scones with Lemon Glaze
Makes 8 large scones
Preheat oven 425*F
2 cups all purpose flour
¼ cup sugar
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
½ cup cold butter, cut into 8 pieces
1 egg + enough butter milk to make ¾ cup of liquid
1 cup fresh blueberries
Place flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in the bowl of your food processor.
Pulse several times to combine.
Add butter pieces and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal.
Transfer mixture to a large mixing bowl, add blueberries and mix gently.
Add liquid., using a rubber spatula gently incorporate into flour/blueberry mixture.
Place dough on a heavily floured surface and bring together into one mass.
Sprinkle top with flour and shape into a large square 1 ½ “ high
Cut square into 4 equal pieces then cut each piece into halves, diagonally.
Place scones on a parchment lined baking sheet
Bake for 20 minutes
Remove from oven onto a cooling rack for ten minutes.
Lemon Glaze
½ cup icing sugar
Juice of ½ a lemon
Mix well.
Using the tines of a fork, drizzle scones liberally with glaze after they’ve cooled 10 minutes.
THE LOVE: Use a gentle touch so you don’t crush the blueberries during the mixing process.
one year ago: baba ganoush
two years ago: baked carrots with garlic, thyme and white wine
Thanks for reading.
