Summer is blueberry picking season!

Going out into our local blueberry fields and picking fresh, plump berries to my heart’s content is one of my favorite summer activities. However, I always seem to bring home way too many! I get to chatting with whatever friend I’m with, or I simply get distracted by all the fresh berry deliciousness. Before I realize it, I have far more pounds of blueberries than I intended!

This isn’t really a problem, though. There are so many things you can do with this versatile berry, including freezer jam and syrup to pour on top of your favorite breakfast foods. However, baking with blueberries is especially delicious! Muffins, pancakes, cobbler…it makes my mouth water just thinking about it!

One of our favorites around here is fresh blueberry pie. I originally chose this highly-rated recipe simply because it was low maintenance. You don’t have to do anything to the berries except toss them in a few dry ingredients. I could even use frozen pie dough from the store. It even works with berries you’ve frozen in your freezer.

Admittedly, I’m not a very experienced pastry baker. This was my first lattice top, and I got so intently focused on making sure my strips were the correct lengths that I didn’t pay enough attention to weaving the lattice correctly. I didn’t realize it until after I’d crimped the edges, also rather poorly.

But the taste was fantastic! I’ll work on appearance later. In the meantime, we’ll just call this “the rustic look”…

Blueberry Pie
(Original recipe: Allrecipes)

3/4 cup white sugar
5 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
4 cups fresh blueberries
1 recipe pastry for a 9-inch double crust pie
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 egg, white only
1 tablespoon decorative or sparkling sugar

Preheat oven to 375 F.
Mix sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Pour over blueberries and gently toss.
Line a pie dish with one pie crust and pierce the bottom with a fork. Pour the berry mixture into the crust, and dot the top with butter.
Cut remaining pastry into 1/2 – 3/4 inch wide strips and make a lattice top. Crimp and flute the edges. Brush the lattice top with egg white and sprinkle with decorative sugar.
Cover edges of the pie with foil to prevent burning. Bake for 45 minutes.
Remove the foil, and bake for another 15 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and the filling is bubbling and visibly thicker.
Remove pie from oven and allow to cool for at least 1 hour before cutting into it. This will allow the cornstarch to properly set the berry mixture.