But there was no saving her now. Her body was swelling up and changing shape at such a rate that within a minute it had turned into nothing less than an enormous round blue ball--a gigantic blueberry, in fact-- and all that remained of Violet Beauregarde herself was a tiny pair of legs and a tiny pair of arms sticking out of the great round fruit and a little head on top. Excerpt from
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl.
How long has it been since you read that wonderful text? I had to confess to my family that I could not help myself. The first blueberries appeared on our plant, and since I saw them first,well, I just had to eat them. If you have never ever tasted a blueberry right off the bush before, you are certainly missing out. Blueberries are fairly easy to grow. You can grow them in a sunny backyard or a container in a sunny location. They like a very acidic soil, so important to combine the organic planting soil with peat moss. Different areas of the country require different types of blueberries. Here in Northern California, in my garden, "sunshine blue" perform the best. Please check with your local Master Gardener Program, cooperative extension or local nursery. I have about six blueberry plants and the blueberries we pick never make it to the kitchen because they taste so good.
Blueberries on a plant
My favorite receipe for blueberries is a blueberry poppy seed cake. It is not too sweet nor is it too cakey. The last thing you want is a cake that takes away from the incredible taste of the blueberry.
Violet Beauregarde's Blueberry Poppy Seed Cake
Cake
2/3 cups sugar
½ cup butter, room temperature
2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
1 egg
1 ½ cups all-purpose unbleached flour
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
½ cup sour cream
Filling
2 cups fresh blueberries, washed and drained
1/3 cups dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons all-purpose unbleached flour
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
Topping
Dusting of powdered sugar
1. Heat over to 350 degrees.
2. Grease and flour bottom and sides of a 9-inch spring form pan.
3. In bowl with electric mixer use paddle attachment to beat 2/3 cups sugar and butter until light and fluffy.
4. Add lemon peel and egg; beat 2 minutes at medium speed.
5. In bowl, combine 1 ½ cups flour, poppy seed, baking soda and salt.
6. Add flour mixture to butter mixture alternating in 3 parts with the sour cream until blended. Batter will be thick. Spread batter over bottom and 1 inch up sides of pans, making sure batter is ¼ inch thick up sides.
7. In another bowl, combine all ingredients for filling and spoon over the batter.
Bake for 35-40 minutes until crust is golden brown. Cool slightly. Remove sides of pan. Use sifter and dust with powdered sugar. Yields 8 servings.
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