We devour blueberries around here. My husband puts them in the kids’ oatmeal in the morning, and blueberry muffins and pancakes are big hits around here, not to mention berry-banana smoothies. Each year we buy about 30 pounds and freeze them to last us the entire year.
This year, we decided to buy organic blueberries. I was buying more and more organics last year and felt a twinge of regret when we bought our non-organic blueberries because I know blueberries, while great for you, are also tops on the dirty dozen list. This year, I decided to have a free conscience.
The nearest organic blueberry farm was two hours away, so we made it a family trip and packed in the car on the 4th of July. It was a beastly hot day, but when we got out in the country and caught a nice breeze, it felt much better. Because it was so hot, we hadn’t intended to pick our own, but the kids really wanted to, especially since the little ones weren’t allowed in the strawberry patch this year per the farmer’s instructions. I didn’t bring our favorite organic sunscreens, and my skin fries faster than a potato chip in oil, so we only picked about 2 pounds. Still, the kids loved it.
Afterward, we enjoyed a picnic lunch on the grounds of the blueberry farm.
I had planned on freezing the entire 50 pounds we bought, but my husband, the man who protested about canning earlier this year, asked me to make some jars of blueberry jam so the kids could spread it on their pancakes instead of syrup.
Canning blueberries was much easier than strawberries because we didn’t have to remove the hull, and everybody loved the results. We froze 30 pounds of blueberries and canned 20 pounds. We ended up with 13 jars of blueberry jam (and another one I kept in the refrigerator for everyone to enjoy right away).
Our total spent? $139. We paid $2.65 per pound, which easily trumps the price you can buy organic blueberries at grocery stores.
I shared this post at The Homesteader Blog Carnival.
I really don’t even know what to write here. I am just blown away by the numbers. 50 lbs?!?!?!?! We go through a lot of blueberries at our house, maybe we should track exactly how much and try something like this.
Yes, it is a lot, but they will last us the entire year. 🙂 As our kids grow, they eat more and more, and I would much rather it be something healthy like blueberries than candy. 🙂
ooh. i love blueberry picking. Thanks for the link to the canning blueberry jam. My wife and I may have to try this! I’ve always wanted to can my own stuff, but never took the time to do it.
You should try it. It is soooo good!