Blueberry Pie

Mom and I went blueberry picking today.  I wish I had remembered my camera, but I didn't.  When we went strawberry picking, I talked about the strawberries having a good view, but the view these blueberries have makes that seem like nothing.  There is just a mountain there.  It's crazy.

This was my first time at a new berry farm, and as nice as the view was, I wasn't looking at the view while I was picking -- I was concentrated on the berries.  I haven't switched allegiance from our local blueberry farm.  I mean, the picking was good, but it just wasn't the same.

We also picked some raspberries.  But it's the very end of the raspberry season, and it was hard picking.

And picking berries means baking.  It was just a question of what to bake.

Pies are my go-to fresh berry baked good.  And today was no different.  I mean, pies tend to use more berries than other baked goods do, so it makes sense to make a pie first.

I used Martha Stewart's pie crust recipe again.  It didn't work as well today though.  Mom told me to blame the weather: it was hot and muggy.  However, I will blame the fact that I used salted butter instead of unsalted butter.  I know it shouldn't matter, but I feel like the holes were my punishment.

I decided to use my new antique Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook for the recipe.  We usually use the recipe from mom's 1970s version, and who thought that pie recipes would change in 40 years?

Well, it did.  It was completely different.

Blueberry Pie
From My Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook


3 cups blueberries
3/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1/8 tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 Tbsp. butter

"Blend the sugar, cornstarch and salt.  Pour over the berries and stir until well coated.  Pour into an unbaked crust, adjust a top crust and bake in a hot oven (450 degrees) for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees for 20 minutes."


I ended up using almost 6 cups of blueberries in the pie.  It seemed like a lot, but it need
 that many to even look remotely full.  It was strange.  I kept the other measurements though.

It still wasn't my best-looking pie crust when I put it together.

I also forgot to put the butter on before the top crust.  I must have been distracted by my messy crusts.  Not really.  I forget the butter most of the time.  So, I stuck it in the holes.  Oops.

It wasn't my neatest or prettiest pie.  Oh well.

At least there were curlicues.

And it tasted like blueberry pie.  Usually I use tapioca as a thickener, but this recipe called for corn starch.  It was pretty runny, but it still tasted like my other blueberry pie.  And homemade whipped cream masks all sorts of messy pie making.