Oregon Berries – Blueberries!

Blueberry Facts:

• The annual harvest of North American blueberries would cover a four lane highway from Chicago to New York if spread out in a single layer.

• Blueberries contain more antioxidants than most other fruits or vegetables and may help prevent damage caused by cancer, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s.

• Blueberries were commonly used by native Americans to make pemmican, a jerky type of dried food packed for sustenance on long journeys. They also used blueberries in non-traditional ways like making dye from blueberry juice for textiles and baskets.

Summer Blueberry Salad

4 Cups of diced watermelon (Hermiston is our favorite!)

2 Cups of diced

honeydew & cantaloupe

1 Cup of fresh blueberries

Juice of 2 limes

Garnished with Fresh Mint

Directions:

Toss all ingredients together,  garnish with mint and fresh lime juice & enjoy!

 

 

Blueberry Cream Cookies

These rich, creamy cookies taste the best with fresh, local, organic blueberries—available every summer at First Alternative Co-op in Corvallis. In the off season, substitute frozen blueberries for for a little taste of that summertime sunshine.

1 cup sugar

½ cup butter, softened

1 egg

⅓ cup sour cream

1 tsp vanilla extract

3 Tbsp. vanilla pudding mix

½ tsp. salt

½ tsp. baking soda

2 cups flour

½ cup dark chocolate chips

½ cup chopped hazelnuts

1 cup blueberries

Preheat oven to 350°F. Cream sugar and butter. Add egg, sour cream, pudding mix, salt, soda, and vanilla extract. Mix until smooth. Add flour 1 cup at a time, mixing until smooth between additions. Mix in chocolate chips and hazelnuts. Carefully stir in blueberries. Bake on a greased cookie sheet for 11-15 minutes.

Blueberry, Aronia, Pistachio, & Chocolate Gluten Free Biscotti Bites!

Ingredients:

3 Cups Gluten Free Flour

1 TSP baking powder

1/2 Cup pistachios, chopped + more for sprinkling

1/2 Cup Dried Blueberries & Aronia berries

1/3 Cup Unsweetened Almond Milk

1/2 Cup Coconut Sugar

2 TSP Vanilla

2 Eggs

3 TBSP Olive Oil

3/4 Cup chocolate chips for decoration

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 350F Degrees, on a baking sheet, lined with parchment paper & set aside.

2. In a medium bowl combine almond flour, coconut sugar, & baking powder.

3. Add chopped pistachios, dried berries, & mix again.

4. Add eggs, oil, almond milk, and vanilla to the dry ingredients. Mix until a dry cookie dough batter forms, for best results use hands to mix.

5. On prepared baking sheet, make two logs with the biscotti batter. To make more bite-sized pieces make the logs long and more narrow about 1 1/2 inches to 2 inches in diameter.

6. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool completely (about 30-45 minutes). 7. Slice biscotti on an angle and place them back on the baking sheet, side down. Bake for another 30 minutes, flipping the biscotti halfway through.

8. Let cool completely on a cooling rack before dipping in chocolate.

9. Melt chocolate in preferred way (I like using the microwave for convenience), dip biscotti in chocolate and sprinkle with nuts then let cool on cooling rack. Once cool store in an airtight container.

These biscotti will stay fresh for up to 2 weeks in a container or you can freeze them for longer.

 

 

Mini Berry Hand Pies

Ingredients:

Filling:

4 cups *SVOrganics Aronia & Blueberry mix

2 tsps cornstarch mixed into 1/4 of water

Crust:

2 1/3 c Bobs Red Mill whole wheat flour 2/3 c Vegetable shortening

8-10 Tbsp ice cold water

1 tsp ground cinnamon (This recipe is for a double crust you can definitely cut it in half for a single crust or you can even use pre made pie crust)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease a cupcake pan (12 cavities) and set aside.

2. In a medium sized bowl add the flour, cinnamon, shortening. Using your hands combine well until there are no clumps of shortening.

3. Slowly add in the water and combine well. If the mixture is too dry continue to add water a couple tablespoons at a time until the dough holds together.

4. Chill for an hour.

5. For the filling combine SVO Aronia and blueberry mix with the cornstarch mixture. Cook over medium heat for about half hour and set aside.

6. When your dough is chilled. Roll out to about 1/8 inch. Remember to dust your rolling surface and roller to avoid sticking.

7. Using a 3 in. cookie cutter, cut out some circles and place into the greased cupcake pan.

8. Add the berry mixture. At this point you can put it into the oven. But I had a bit of dough left over so I added a few fun toppings.

9. Cook at 375 for about 20 minutes or until the edges are golden brown.

10. Enjoy!

*Sunset Valley Organics

 

Recipes Compliments of:

First Alternative Co-op in Corvallis

Blueberry Cream Cookies.

Sunset Valley Organics in Corvallis

Summer Salad

Biscotti Bites

& Mini Hand Pies

Photos: Jennifer Wilt, Sunset Valley Organics