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It’s blueberry season, so it’s time to make muffins | Daily Gazette Food & Drink

In the winter, the blueberries on the market come from South America. I always look at the label for the origin. This winter, the blueberries I bought came mainly from Peru.

According to the website of the American Highbush Blueberry Council, it is always summer somewhere and in the winter the berries come from Mexico, Argentina and the largest producer of winter berries: Peru.

As the warm weather approaches, the source of the berries moves north. I buy packages from Florida, then Georgia, North Carolina, and now New Jersey.

My mother always checked where the produce she bought came from and often asked the person working in the supermarket. If she didn’t like the answer of the fruit and vegetable clerk, she would tell her what she thought. I hid behind the shopping cart.

So I always check the packaging to see where the berries come from, but I don’t bother the employees. They probably can’t answer questions about the products anyway.

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California produces the most blueberries in the US. July is National Blueberry Month, recognized by the United States Department of Agriculture. We just missed National Blueberry Day, which was on July 8.

You can now go blueberry picking, as my niece just did, at Bacon Hill Blueberry Farm in Schuylerville. She and her son picked a bucket full of beautiful, large, white-flowering berries.

Here’s one of my mother’s blueberry muffin recipes. Its origins are probably Long Island’s Newsday, given the font and age of the paper. It features the crumb topping she’s used on cakes, muffins, pies, and breads for centuries. That part alone is a keeper.

It’s easy to make and best done early in the day at this time of year. It comes together like a quick bread: beat the butter and sugar, add the egg, then the dry ingredients and milk alternately.

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If, like me, you can’t find your pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour, sugar, and cinnamon with two knives and rub the cold lumps into the gritty stuff with your hands. You’ll get your hands in it anyway when you sprinkle it over the muffins. That’s how my mother did it.

Blueberry crumble muffins

For seizure

  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/4 cup butter or margarine at room temperature
  • 1 egg
  • 2 1/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
  • 4 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 1/2 cups rinsed and drained fresh blueberries

For garnish

  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1/4 cup cold butter or margarine

Steps

  1. 1. In a mixing bowl, mix the sugar and butter until fluffy. Beat in the egg.
  2. 2. Mix the flour, baking powder and salt.
  3. 3. Add the dry ingredients alternately with the milk to the sugar/egg mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.
  4. 4. Add vanilla and beat well. Gently fold in the blueberries.
  5. 5. In a small bowl, mix together sugar, cinnamon, flour, and butter until crumbly. Sprinkle over muffins.
  6. Bake in a 375 degree oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm. Makes 12 muffins.

Remark: She always doubled the amount of spices, especially vanilla. Use 2 teaspoons here and scoop the cinnamon into the measuring spoon for the crumbs.

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