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Blueberries pack this homey dessert

Recipe: Blueberry buckle has a touch of sour cream

Sacramento Digs Gardening
BY Debbie Arrington PUBLISHED AUG 2, 2020

Slice of blueberry coffeecake — Blueberry buckle is chock full of juicy fruit. (Photos: Debbie Arrington)

Blueberries in colander — Our blueberry season is ending. It's a great time to

make a buckle.

Blueberry season is wrapping up now in California. The fact that there is even such a thing as a "California blueberry season" is thanks to modern hybridizing, which created blueberry varieties that require less chill to produce fruit.

Packed with antioxidants, blueberries rank among the healthiest foods you can grow. That's helped make blueberries best sellers in produce markets and farmstands.

How to enjoy all those late-season blueberries? This buckle is a twist on an old-fashioned favorite (the difference is sour cream). Basically a giant biscuit with the fruit baked inside, blueberry buckle belongs to the same family of homey coffee cakes and desserts as cobblers, betties and crisps -- all with evocative names. Most of then have a crumbly topping, too.

How do blueberries "buckle"? As it cooks, the fresh blueberries turn into ooey, gooey, juicy filling, encased by sugary biscuit. Fruit packs this easy comfort food -- no ice cream or whipped cream necessary.

Chopped peaches, apples or pears may be substituted for the blueberries.

Pan with blueberry batter — This homey dessert goes together quickly.
Don't forget the sugary topping!

Blueberry buckle
Makes 9 servings

Ingredients:

1/4 cup shortening
3/4 cup sugar
1 egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup low-fat milk
2 cups blueberries

For topping;
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup butter

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Grease a 9-inch square baking dish; set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together shortening and 3/4 cup sugar. Beat egg and add to mixture.

This buckle is fresh out of the oven. Let it cool for a bit.

Sift together 2 cups flour, baking powder and salt. Stir together sour cream and milk. Add flour mixture and sour cream mixture alternately to creamed mixture, beating well after each addition. Batter will be stiff. Gently fold in blueberries.

Spread batter into prepared baking dish.

Make topping: In a medium bowl, stir together 2/3 cup sugar, 1/2 cup flour and cinnamon. Cut butter into cubes, then cut butter into mixture until crumbly. Spread topping over blueberry mixture in baking dish.

Place dish on baking sheet to catch any overflow from fruit. Bake at 375 degrees in center of oven for about 40 to 45 minutes, or until topping is golden and a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean (at least batter-wise -- the blueberries will be juicy).

Let cool a few minutes before serving. Cut into nine 3-by-3-inch pieces.

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RECIPE

A recipe for preparing delicious meals from the bounty of the garden.

Keywords:

baking recipes gardening Sacramento farmers markets summer fruit summer produce backyard produce produce management seasonal cooking blueberries

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Garden Checklist for week of May 5

Survey your garden after the May 4 rainstorm. Heavy rain and gusty winds can break the neck of large flowers such as roses. Also:

* Keep an eye on new transplants or seedlings; they could take a pounding from the rain.

* Watch out for powdery mildew. Warmth following moist conditions can cause this fungal disease to “bloom,” too. If you see a leaf that looks like it’s dusted with powdered sugar, snip it off.

* After the storm, start setting out tomato transplants, but wait on the peppers and eggplants (they want warmer nights). Pinch off any flowers on new transplants to make them concentrate on establishing roots instead of setting premature fruit.

* Trim dead flowers but not leaves from spring-flowering bulbs such as daffodils and tulips. Those leaves gather energy to create next year's flowers. Also, give the bulbs a fertilizer boost after bloom.

* Pinch chrysanthemums back to 12 inches for fall flowers. Cut old stems to the ground.

* Mulch around plants to conserve moisture and control weeds.

* From seed, plant beans, beets, cantaloupes, carrots, corn, cucumbers, melons, pumpkins, radishes and squash.

* Plant onion sets.

* In the flower garden, plant seeds for asters, cosmos, celosia, marigolds, salvia, sunflowers and zinnias. Transplant petunias, zinnias, geraniums and other summer bloomers.

* Plant perennials and dahlia tubers for summer bloom.

* Don’t wait; plant summer bulbs, such as gladiolus and tuberous begonias.

* Harvest cabbage, lettuce, peas and green onions.

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