I’ve been on a blueberry kick lately. My friend Terry turned me on to Burke Hill Farm in Cherryfield, Maine. They grow organic wild blueberries and best of all, they deliver them in our area. 

I love wild blueberries. They are so different than the cultivated blueberries you find in grocery stores today. Sweeter, tangier, less water, more antioxidants. And they remind me of picking wild blueberries growing from scrubby low bushes under high tension power lines when I was a kid. 

Plus, my college roommate Cathy had a family house in Cherryfield, so the name brought back lots of great memories. I felt that was a sign that I needed to try these blueberries. I know. That’s weird. But it’s true!

I went to the Burke Hill Farm website and clicked on the Order Berries for Delivery button. There are maps that tell you when and where they will be delivering. So I chose a location to pick up my berries from and filled out the form.

The process was a lot like my romanticized imaginings of an illegal drug deal or an FBI informant connecting with their handler. “Meet me in the Panera parking lot at the Whitney Field Mall and we’ll exchange the goods”. It was exciting.

I went to the Panera parking lot a little before the appointed time. There were 10 or 12 cars with people sitting in them, just waiting. So, I was in the right place!  At exactly the appointed time, a white van with the Burke Hill Farm logo on it slowly came into the lot. And all of the people waiting in the cars got out and began milling around.  This deal was actually going down!  Woooo Hoooo!

The van door opens and, voila, stacks and stacks of 5 lb. boxes of frozen wild blueberries. It was like hitting the healthy, organic motherlode. You tell them how many boxes you ordered, put your money in the bucket (COVID precautions – they can’t touch money or make change), and I was now the proud owner of 20 lbs of delicious blueberries. 

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I was absolutely not disappointed. These were the best blueberries I’ve had. I make my daughter Taylor, who is a runner, a blueberry smoothie every morning. I have blueberries with my breakfast oatmeal, and a bowl of blueberries with whipped cream in the evening. I’ve made blueberry balsamic vinaigrette and these amazing wild blueberry muffins.  Next on my cooking agenda is a recipe I found for risotto with wild mushrooms and blueberries, and of course, blueberry pie. 

Here is the recipe for the Wild Blueberry Muffins. It is based on my grandmother’s muffin recipe, but I’ve added some brown sugar and yogurt that makes them a bit sweeter and moister. 

Don’t thaw the blueberries if they are frozen, just add them as is.  And remember, don’t overmix. I also sprinkled a bit of sugar on top before I baked.

The results were a beautifully light muffin, filled with tangy pockets of blueberry and a top with a bit of a sweet crunch. So yummy.

I may try this with a streusel topping at some point, so I’ll update this if I do. 

If you give this recipe a try, send me a message and let me know what you think.

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Wild Blueberry Muffins

Prep Time: 15 min      Cook Time: 20 min      Total Time: 35 min
Yield: 18

Ingredients

• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1 tbsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• ½ tsp. salt
• ½ cup + 2 tbsp. sugar
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• ½ cup plain/vanilla yogurt
• ½ cup milk
• ½ cup butter, melted & cooled
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 ½ cups fresh or frozen blueberries (if frozen, do not thaw)

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400° F. Spray 18 muffin cups with non-stick spray or use paper liners.
2. In a large bowl, toss together flour, ½ cup sugar, brown sugar, salt, baking powder and baking soda. Set aside
3. In a separate bowl, whisk beaten eggs, yogurt, milk, butter and vanilla. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, and stir until just mixed (don’t over stir, or they will get tough.)
4. Gently fold in blueberries.
5. Divide batter into 18 muffin cups. Sprinkle muffins with remaining sugar. 
6. Bake 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Don’t overbake, or they will be dry.
7. Let cool 5-10 minutes and enjoy warm!