Pancakes anyone?

   We have a ton of blueberries again. The result of going to a pick your own blueberry place out near Tamarak Lake. At only $2 a pound, we spent $26 dollars and emptied out a minifridge to make room for our 13lbs of blueberry goodness! This means that we had to brain storm on what to do with all these berries.
   The normal suggestions came up, like pies or jam. But we made those with our last batch of blueberries. One suggestion kept popping up though, that we couldn't ignore. It is the one food item that almost every person loves, and almost any person can make. Thats right, its a PANCAKE post!
      Pancakes are fantastic just based on the fact that they require minimal equipment and ingredients, and even less culinary specialty. The best part of pancakes though is that you can add just about anything to them. Chocolate chip pancakes, bananna pancakes, strawberry pancakes,whole wheat pancakes, apple cinnamon pancakes, blueberry pancakes, cinnamon roll pancakes... I think you get the idea.
     But why stop at just pancakes? Sure, blueberry pancakes are fantastic just as they are, but this summer is about experimenting and exploring. We have so many berries that we figured we would make BLUEBERRY SYRUP to top them with!
   We made our syrup ahead of time, and canned most of it so we can enjoy it all school year long. The recipe comes from the Ball canning cookbook, although we left out the lemon zest they suggested.

BLUEBERRY SYRUP
Ingredients:
8 cups blueberries
3 cups sugar
6 cups water (split 2/4)
2 tablespoons lemon juice


We started by measuring out 8 cups of blueberries into a flat bottomed bowl, or in our case, our dutch oven. From there, we went crazy smashing up the berries with a good old fashion potato masher. Its harder than it looks as we found out, but with enough muscle the blueberries start looking more like a soupy puddle. An easier way to do this would probably be in a blender, but we went oldfashion (and non of us have a big blender).


You then simmer the blueberries with two cups of water for about 5 minutes. Then it is time to strain. You can use any type of cloth that has enough weave to allow juice out, but thick enough to keep seeds and skins in. We used the thicker cloth you find in first aid kits to wrap wounds or make slings. Slowly but surely, we ended up with a bowl of berry juice. The dark shade of the juice made it so that even after we scrubbed our hands, we were still red handed!

Homemade bowl of blueberry juice!

As we were juicing, the other half of the group got the syrup going. The syrup is a mix of 4 cups water and three cups water brough to a boil until all the sugar is dissolved.


Once the syrup is ready, we poured it into the dutch over along with the juice, and brought it to a boil for about 5 minutes.

At this point, we ladeled the syrup into prepped half pint jars (washed and sterilized in boiling water for at least 15 minutes) and then placed the bottles in their hot water bath for 15 minutes (because we are at a higher elevation). The syrup that was left over we put in a jar that went straight into the fridge for pancakes this week.

Soo many jars of syrup!

PANCAKES!
Ingredients:
1 cup flour
2 T sugar
1/2 t baking powder
1/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1 cup milk
2 T oil
1 egg


Mix together the dry ingredients, and then add the wet. The batter should be lumpy. Heat a greased pan or skillet until water dances when sprinkled on it. Pour on a spoonful of batter, flip it when bubbles appear throughout.


We made blueberry pancakes and banana chocolate chip pancakes. We heated the syrup and thickened it with corn starch. We served it with home-style potatoes (thinly sliced potatoes spiced with salt, pepper, chili and garlic powder and cooked in oil over medium heat to soft) and freshly scrambled eggs.

There would be a picture here, if it wasn't for the fact that before we even set everything on the table it was being nibbled at and eaten (the result of being hungry students!). It wasn't until we had finished off every last bite that we realized we had no picture to show you! 

Canning: Blueberry Adventures

I grew up with a Mom who canned. It was not surprising to have cans of homemade apple sauce or jam sitting in our pantry or gracing the shelves of our refrigerator. So of course, I had to try it for myself. 

As a first time canner, I had a lack of supplies. Thankfully, Lehman Brothers understands what a newbie like myself requires. They sell a starters kit at a great price that comes with everything you need to start canning right away. The Beginner's Home Canning Kit arrived shortly after I ordered it, and besides the strange looks I got carrying the huge box across campus, I was so excited to get it in the mail. The best part of the kit is that it includes the Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving that I read before bed and during my lunch break a few times through before attempting anything on my own.  

My first adventure in canning came down to four half pints of blue berry jam, and one quart of blueberry preserves. Of course the blueberries were local, I picked them while visiting my parents for a weekend. Can't get anymore natural than blueberries from wild bushes that are handpicked and brought back to campus only a day or so after they were gathered. 

Waiting to see if the jam sealed...IT DID!

What I learned: 
1) Dormitory kitchens only have three burners on their stoves, and you really need four when you are canning. One to cook on, one to heat the canner, one to sterilize the jars on, and one to sterilize the lids. 


2) Don't can in a dormitory when it is over 90 degrees out. Not only will you get warm and toasty, so will the  rest of the lounge, and there are no fans in the windows there. Luckily, I had friends who hung with me and braved the heat to supply moral support and make dinner when I was done. 


3) Wear an apron. I wore one, and thank goodness I did because there is no neat way to can. 


4) Pot holders are your friends. Boiling water = hot things. Don't burn your fingers thinking anything will be cool to the touch. 


5) Don't expect perfection. Canning is an art, and it has a learning curve before you can become a master. My first jam tastes good according to my friends, but I know it came out a little thicker than I would have liked. They joked that at least this way it won't melt and mix with the peanut butter when they make PB&J sandwiches for work.