Our house on Sullivan was just down the road from Clark’s Blueberry Farm. Mrs. Clark was my second grade teacher and over the course of that year she took each of us students {one at a time} to her home/farm for a tour, dinner, and some quality time.
I remember walking through the rows of berry bushes excitedly looking forward to the day when I would be able to spend my summer vacation roaming those rows, picking blueberries and sampling the sweet summer berries {It should be noted that this fantasy never came to fruition…by the time I was old enough to pick, I wasn’t interested in getting hot and sweaty out in a blueberry field}. I remember walking through the woods with my teacher and her son, who was just a year or two ahead of me in school. The meal we had that night was a memorable one for me. I’m not sure why. It was the first time I had spaghetti with peas as a side dish. It remains, to this day, one of my favorite dinner pairings.
I hadn’t thought about that night in a long time. It stays etched in the recesses of my mind though, probably because it’s such an unheard of thing these days: a teacher spending innocent alone time with her students, inviting them to her home, making them dinner. I will forever be grateful to Mrs. Clark and her family for their attention and for welcoming me into their home.
So, those memories kept me company on Tuesday night when I was washing two pints of blueberries and trying to decide what to do with them. I decided on a crisp. It was an excellent decision!
Blueberry Crisp
Filling:
2 pints blueberries
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
2 tbsp cornstarch
1/4 tsp salt
Topping:
3/4 cup flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
6 tbsp butter, softened
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
Make filling: Mix blueberries, sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch, and salt in a bowl. Transfer mixture to an 8 inch baking dish {I used a buttered, 6 inch cast iron pan…worked perfectly!}.
Prepare topping: Mix flour, brown sugar, oats, baking powder, and salt together. Cut in softened butter with a fork or pastry cutter. Or…use your fingers, like I did until the mixture forms small clumps!
Sprinkle topping over berry mixture. Bake until bubbly and golden brown, about an hour. Cool on a wire rack. Serve warm and enjoy!
*Notes- Thom likes sweets SWEET…so if you don’t want it super sweet…back down on the filling sugar. 1/2 cup will be fine. I didn’t think this was too sweet at 3/4 cup, though.
A scoop of vanilla ice cream is a must! The melting vanilla goodness makes for blueberry creaminess that is amazing!
Don’t be afraid to ask for seconds. I won’t judge you.
Recipe adapted from the ever-incomparable Martha.
