# Home grown blueberries



## Obsidian (Jul 18, 2015)

I know there are few other fellow gardeners on here, though you might enjoy some blueberry pics. This is the third year since I planted my bushes, started with three and added one more this spring.

This is about 1/4 of the berries off one plant and maybe 1/2 off another. The weird weather has the berries ripening willy nilly. This is the second bowl I've picked this year.

Standard cereal bowl






two of the biggest with a US quarter. There was one a lot bigger but I ate it


----------



## Stacyspy (Jul 18, 2015)

I love blueberries. Unfortunately, I think mine got waaay too much water, so I'm not looking for any this year...so sad. However, my blackberries are growing like crazy and just starting to get fruit.


----------



## galaxyMLP (Jul 18, 2015)

My boyfriend and I have been caring for his mom's blueberry bushes that stopped producing 4 years ago for the past 3 years (his grandfather passed away 7 years ago and he was the one who cared for them. When the upkeep stopped, they were OK for a few years but they finally stopped 3 seasons later). This year we got a great crop. Between all 8 bushes probably 10 pounds. The berries are relatively small and were a hybrid that the university of Florida gifted to his mom over 30 years ago. Can you believe with a little love blueberry bushes can fruit for that many years?


----------



## Obsidian (Jul 18, 2015)

I didn't know they could get too much water, seems all I do it water mine. I can't wait until they really start producing. This year will be my first year of getting blackberries, can't wait until they are ready.

Thats awesome your moms bushes have been growing for that many years, must be a good hybrid. I've never been a fan of blueberries until I tasted fresh picked ones. I grew up eating mountain huckleberries which are just starting to come into season.


----------



## shunt2011 (Jul 18, 2015)

Yum, my favorite.   I pick wild blueberries at my parents.  They are small but so yummy!   Those are beautiful looking blueberries!


----------



## Stacyspy (Jul 18, 2015)

Technically, I think they drowned...lol... We've had so much rain this year, it eroded a lot of the soil around them, and it seems like every time I go build it back up, we get more rain.




Obsidian said:


> I didn't know they could get too much water, seems all I do it water mine. I can't wait until they really start producing. This year will be my first year of getting blackberries, can't wait until they are ready.
> 
> Thats awesome your moms bushes have been growing for that many years, must be a good hybrid. I've never been a fan of blueberries until I tasted fresh picked ones. I grew up eating mountain huckleberries which are just starting to come into season.


----------



## houseofwool (Jul 18, 2015)

Those are huge!

Last weekend I went on a hike and found a couple of ripe blackberries. Delish!


----------



## boyago (Jul 18, 2015)

Your lucky.  It looks like ours failed this year.  Not sure why but I'll blame this stupid hot summer we're having.


----------



## Obsidian (Jul 18, 2015)

houseofwool said:


> Those are huge!
> 
> Last weekend I went on a hike and found a couple of ripe blackberries. Delish!



Thats one thing I miss about living over by Seattle, all the wild black berries.


----------



## snappyllama (Jul 18, 2015)

Yum, you're going to have to  make gigantic pancakes to go along with them!


----------



## doriettefarm (Jul 18, 2015)

Our blueberries did kinda sucky this year too . . . I maybe got 2pints off 5 bushes!  The blackberries are doing better than the blueberries but still not like last season.  I was making cobbler and ice cream out the wazoo this time last year


----------



## Obsidian (Jul 18, 2015)

Everything is doing really well this year, there are so many apples they have to be thinned before the branches start breaking. We didn't have much snow this year though and it was hard on the blackberries, a lot of the plant died back.

Here is a recipe I'm trying as soon as my blackberries are ripe. I should have enough for one cake
http://www.theartfuldesperado.com/a...zelnut-blackberry-cake-with-mascarpone-cream/


----------



## KristaY (Jul 19, 2015)

Wow, what beautiful berries, Obsidian! I'm so jealous. I've tried growing berries but they just don't do well here. Plus, any fruit I have grown gets eaten straight away by the birds. My favorite dessert to make is blueberry crumble. Yummo!


----------



## jules92207 (Jul 19, 2015)

The company I work for owns a lot of farm land and one of the properties they have is a blueberry farm. This year we got to go and pick blueberries, we came home with about 20 lbs! I might need that blueberry crumble recipe Krista...


----------



## KristaY (Jul 19, 2015)

No prob, Jules. Here ya go!

Blueberry Crumble

Fruit Filling:

Fresh blueberries - 6 oz pkg, X 2
½ tsp vanilla
¼ cup brown sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
2 Tbsp sugar
2 Tbsp flour

Mix all together and pour into ramekins or small baking dish.

Topping:

½ cup oatmeal
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup sliced almonds
Pinch of salt
4 Tbsp cold butter, cubed
¼ cup (or less) cold water

Pulse all, except water, in food processor until crumbly.  Add cold water slowly while pulsing until mixture comes together.  Crumble over fruit filling.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 min (ramekins) or 30 min (baking dish).

Serve warm with vanilla ice cream, sweetened cream or whipped cream.


----------



## jules92207 (Jul 19, 2015)

^^This is exactly what I have been looking for! Thank you so much, I might just make this tomorrow with my frozen blueberries!


----------



## doriettefarm (Jul 19, 2015)

Here's another easy cobbler recipe . . . works great with any kind of berries or a mix of berries
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/08/the_great_cobbl/


----------



## TVivian (Jul 19, 2015)

That's awesome! I had a blueberry bush and managed to get about 20 berries from it... Then I killed it somehow. The only thing I can grow successfully is oranges and tomatoes. I have more tomatoes than I know what to do with, and I don't even like them!


----------



## galaxyMLP (Jul 19, 2015)

Make sauce. Lots of sauce. Tomato sauce keeps very well in the freezer and takes up less space than individual tomatoes. Plus, you can add it to things year round and make different types. I made vodka sauce once. I never wanted to buy store bought ever again.


----------



## Obsidian (Jul 19, 2015)

I make tomato juice and freeze it in plastic soda bottles. It works really well in soaps and stews.


----------



## doriettefarm (Jul 19, 2015)

Obsidian said:


> I make tomato juice and freeze it in plastic soda bottles. It works really well in soaps and stews.



This is a great idea and I bet would make an awesome bloody mary mixer!  The hubs usually makes a boatload of tomato sauce and cans it.  We've also blanched whole tomatoes, drained & cooled them then freeze in a ziploc freezer bag.


----------



## Dahila (Jul 19, 2015)

Beautiful, you lucky I do not live close by.   
I do not have blueberries but I do garden ............Obsidian I hope you do not mind


----------



## Obsidian (Jul 19, 2015)

Nice garden. I wish I had more room, I'm pretty limited on what I can grow. I would love to have beets but my soil is too sandy and rocky


----------



## Dahila (Jul 20, 2015)

Obsidian said:


> Nice garden. I wish I had more room, I'm pretty limited on what I can grow. I would love to have beets but my soil is too sandy and rocky


I am living in the city, we got a bigger garden when we build the house, It is beautiful with all the flowers I have , there is not time for anything else in summer  But I love it
Below my bell flower


----------



## jules92207 (Jul 21, 2015)

With the drought we couldn't do near what I had hoped this year but we do have a peach tree and an orange tree.

You can see my peaches to the left and tomatoes our gardening friend gave us this summer.


----------



## Obsidian (Jul 21, 2015)

Peaches are one of my favorites, wish I could grow them here but its too cold. Love the weird tomato with the nipple lol.


----------



## jules92207 (Jul 21, 2015)

Yeah, we called that one the happy gentleman tomato, till my son tore it off. Lol!


----------



## snappyllama (Jul 21, 2015)

jules92207 said:


> Yeah, we called that one the happy gentleman tomato, till my son tore it off. Lol!



Mazel tov


----------



## Ellacho (Jul 22, 2015)

Wow! Beautiful blueberries! I love them!Yum!


----------



## not_ally (Jul 22, 2015)

Gorgeous garden, Dahila.  Clearly the result of a lot of love and care.  I am totally jealous.


----------



## Sagebrush (Jul 22, 2015)

Wow, Obsidian...those are gigantic! It looks like you're in Idaho. Have you guys been having an unusually hot summer? I'm in the Seattle area and we've been having lots of hot weather which is making everything grow fast and abundant. All the berries and produce have been early this year and it's so wonderful!


----------



## Obsidian (Jul 23, 2015)

Yeah, its been really hot but is back to normal now. Quite a bit has ripened early but somethings just dried up on the vine. A couple of the varieties I grow produce big berries, I should get even bigger ones next year


----------



## Sagebrush (Jul 23, 2015)

That's awesome!


----------



## spenny92 (Jul 26, 2015)

Oh, they look sooo good. I can't wait til blueberry season returns here. I discovered a little roadside stall 10 mins from where I live that sells the best blueberries I've ever eaten, I think I used to go through a bag a day. One day in February, I headed off to get my daily blueberry fix and stumbled upon a sign at the stall saying that blueberry season was over - it was SO disappointing, as I had only found the stall maybe 2-3 weeks prior.

I can't wait til December rolls around...


----------

