B & B -Buckwheat & Blueberries

B & B -Buckwheat & Blueberries

The heat of the summer reminds me of only one thing: that sweet burst of blue fruit,the blueberry! Today while I was at Mom’s house rummaging through the freezer full of 5-10 year old freezer-burnt food, I found none other than a bag of blueberries we picked last summer. I stealthily tucked them into my purse. She will never notice. As an adult, you can still do these things when you go home. Trust me. You parents have probably not actually looked into the depths of that extra freezer for years.

So, where was I? …Blueberries! My absolute favorite food. The food that brings back memories of summers spent at my best friend’s Sylvania family farm picking berries, eating barbecue on 4th of July, and warding off unwanted attention from her mullet-tastic cousin whose hair has not changed in 20 years.

Oh, I have so many blueberry stories, dear readers.

I will drive 4 hours away for blueberries, which is exactly what I did the last day of my summer final exams my junior year of college.

Exams finished, car packed, keys turned in for my apartment, while all the other students partied, I hopped in the car and drove to the deep South, past the peach trees in Fort Valley to a family farm smack- dab in the middle of podunk Georgia.

I thought I was lost for a while, because when I arrived to my blueberry- picking destination, a cute country house, no one was home. I knocked and knocked, and still no answer. So, I naturally did what any blueberry lover would do. I broke into the back yard to see where the berries were or if there even were berries there.

It did cross my mind that I might get shot because most country-folk have shotguns in their homes, but I soon forgot about that irrational fear when I saw the acres of heavily-fruited blueberry trees and came to the realization I was in complete peace and quiet with no human being in a 3 mile radius of me and these huge blueberry trees.

On a small shed in the backyard hung a hand-scribbled note:

“Put checks and cash in can.

1 gallon bucket of berries $5″

There sat an ancient metal can with some cash wadded up in it.

I thought days where the honor system was used for payment were dead and gone, but here I was in the middle of nowhere, and these people had trusted me to pay and not steal what was already in the can.

With renewed faith in humanity and knowledge that there are still good, trusting people in this world, I grabbed a bunch of the gallon-sized silver pails stacked next to the shed and picked as fast as I could for 3-4 hours in the sun, filling several trash bags to the brim with berries. Always bring trash bags to fill with berries, and a cooler too!

I wrote a check and thank-you note, and dropped it in the can with the other cash.

I will never forget that day, and never reveal where it is either!

And on that note, I give you the yummiest whole-grain muffin recipe you will ever taste: Buckwheat Blueberry Muffins

The browned butter and buckwheat along with the fresh berries provides an incredible depth of flavor. Give Buckwheat Flour some lovin’!

In case you are a nerd like myself and curious about the health benefits of buckwheat, then read this article.

Buckwheat flour is gluten-free. FANtastic. That seems to be all the rage these days. (If you are wondering if you should go gluten free, check out this blog post from Sarah B. of My New Roots).

Blueberry Buckwheat Muffins

Print recipe

Serves	12
Prep time	35 minutes
Cook time	20 minutes
Total time	55 minutes
Allergy	Egg, Milk, Wheat
Meal type	Breakfast, Snack
Misc	Freezable

These moist crumbly muffins pack an earthy, flavorful, and sweet punch from the blueberries and buckwheat!

Ingredients

7 tablespoons grass-fed or organic butter
1/3 cup whole milk
1 large egg
1 large egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour or white flour
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
3/4 cups sucanat or natural cane sugar
1.5 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoons salt
2 cups fresh blueberries
For Crumble Topping:
3 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter (cut into 1/2 in cubes)
3.5 tablespoons susanat or natural cane sugar
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry or white flour

Note

When browning the butter, be careful you do not let it burn!

Directions

Step 1
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line your muffin pan with paper or foil liners or grease it.
Step 2
Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Melt and cook down the butter until little brown bits appear in the pan. After the crackling the butter will begin to brown fairly quickly , so watch it closely. Remove from heat.
Step 3
Whisk together your milk, egg, yolk and vanilla until combined. Add the brown butter and stir to combine.
Step 4
Whisk together 2 flours, sugar, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl . Add milk and butter mixture all at one and stir gently to combine. Gently but thoroughly fold in the blueberries. Do not overmix!
Step 5
Divide the batter among muffin cups.
Topping
Step 6
To make the topping combine all of the topping ingredients in a bowl and rub together with your fingertips until crumbly. Sprinkle evenly over the batter in the cups.
Step 7
Bake until tops are crisp and a wooden pick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean, about 18-20 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.