Picking Blueberries and My Cobbler Recipe!

It has been our family tradition to go blueberry picking every Fourth of July. And, part of the tradition is Blueberry Cobbler with Vanilla Ice Cream. We have been doing the same thing for ten years, and each of us eagerly await the day.


Unfortunately however, waiting until the Fourth this year meant waiting too long. The farm operator where we pick said that this year's peak was two weeks earlier, which meant more difficult picking... and fewer berries. But, on the brighter side, we all had an opportunity to exercise contentment, gratitude and other positive character traits that need exercising from time to time.


We may not have left with enough blueberries to last all winter, but we did leave with plenty for cobbler (plus enough for breakfast these past few days... and for freezing a few quarts too).


My cobbler recipe is an adaptation from Sally Fallon's Nourishing Traditions. And I guess it is not technically a cobbler since it doesn't have dough on the top. It is more like a Blueberry Crisp. This time around, I increased the recipe by 50% because of the growing appetites in our family. This is one dessert recipe that I don't mind my kids eating a full portion of since it is mostly fruit.


I started with 8 cups of freshly picked, washed blueberries.

Then, I mixed 3 tablespoons of Sucanat and 1 1/2 tablespoons of Arrowroot Powder into the berries. The Sucanat takes a bit of the tart away while the Arrowroot thickens the juice. (You can find Arrowroot in the health food section of most grocery stores. I bought mine at Kroger. For info on Sucanat, check out this previous post and this one too.)

Pour the blueberries into a pan. Since I was increasing the recipe, I couldn't use a pretty tart pan, but used my 9x13 glass pan instead.

For the topping, mix together:

• 1 1/2 cups of whole wheat or spelt flour
• 1 1/2 cups of whole oats
• 3/4 cup of melted butter, we use an awesome amish butter
• 1/2 cup of Sucanat
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 tsp. real vanilla

Gluten Free Note: This can easily be a gluten-free dessert. In Sally Fallon's original recipe, she calls for equal amounts of arrowroot and almond flour instead of wheat and oats. We have tried all combinations of these four ingredients, and each have a very distinct flavor. The arrowroot and almonds have a unique flavor from the arrowroot. We like almonds and oats for its granola-y flare. (You can make your own almond flour by putting almonds in the food processor until they are powdery.) But this time around, I used grain flour for convenience.

Gently press the topping over the blueberries and bake at 350 degrees for one hour. Serve with an all-natural or homemade vanilla ice cream... yum!


I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we do! For more recipes today, check out Blessed With Grace and Balancing Beauty and Bedlam.

Come Visit Me At Money Saving Mom!

After a day at the lake, I came home to a pleasant surprise! I'm a guest writer at Money Saving Mom today! Well, I did know that it was coming; I just didn't know when. My post is about our Frugal Food Night each Wednesday. You've heard me mention it in the "What's Cooking" sidebar... now you can read the details.

Crystal does a wonderful job keeping me in the loop with coupons and special deals. She also keeps me thinking frugally. I enjoy her blog and her positive perspective on mothering. So, hop on over to read my post and browse around on her blog if you have not been there yet!

Happy Summer!

Sunday Night Meals

When I was growing up, my parents always fed us popcorn for supper on Sunday nights. There may have been several reasons for our family practice. But, I really only remember one. I remember my parents saying it was good for us to not be full -- that millions of people around the world would go to bed feeling hungry.

Sometime in the beginning of our marriage, my husband and I adopted this practice as well. We made just popcorn for a few years, but with pregnancies and such, we added a smoothie to the menu. For the last six or seven years, we have had popcorn and smoothie on Sunday nights.

It is certainly nice to have a night free of cooking and clean up. And, this simple meal really helps the weekly budget. But more than that, we are teaching our children a concept that is often missed here in America. We don't have to be full.

I don't know if this practice would fit your family. I share it because I can see how it has benefited my children. We all do well with a weekly reminder that we eat to live rather than live to eat.

On a side note: we also have a Frugal Dinner night on Wednesdays. This meal consists of beans, rice or cornmeal in some very simple arrangement. Including the leftovers, this meal usually costs around three dollars for our family of six. We're saving money that can be spent wisely elsewhere, but we are also teaching our children that not every meal has to be totally scrumptious and filling.