I love summer’s berries. We eat them fresh all summer and we want to save some for later in the year. Freezing them saves the sweetness and the frozen berries ^[1] can be used in so many things!

Here’s how you do it:

Most fruits and vegetables require a quick blanching to keep them fresh in the freezer – but no so with berries.

Start by washing them gently, then letting them dry.

I have a cotton dish towel that has been named “the berry towel”. Berries will stain, so this just gets used for drying berries.

Lay them out on a towel or paper towels and let them dry for a couple of hours. You want to make sure there is no water on them that can cause frost to develop while they are in the freezer.

Lay a sheet of wax paper on a sheet pan. Lay the berries, in a single layer on top.

Freeze for three to four hours. Once they are frozen, transfer them to a labeled freezer bag. Make sure the bag is made for the freezer. Regular storage bags don’t protect the berry.

Freezing them on the sheet pan keeps them separated – each berry individual in the bag. This means you can take out what you need without thawing out the whole bag. Great when you like to use them as ice cubes in sparkling water like I do!!

These are boysenberries, but it’s the same process for all berries, including blues.

© Copyright 2022 The Lazy Gastronome

We were featured!!

Here are some things that are perfect to use for this recipe!

Disclosure: The items below are affiliate links through Amazon.com. If you purchase any of these products through the links, I receive a small commission at no cost to you. Thanks for your support!

I’ve been trying to use up the frozen vegetables and berries in my freezer in anticipation of the new harvest to come. And I had a lot of blueberries. We got tired of blueberry muffins and  blueberry waffles and pancakes….

Well, this was supposed to be a no bake cheesecake, but it never set up. Even though it was cheesecake consistency, it was really good! It was more like a blueberry cream pie ^[6]. My husband ate most of it – in one day!!

How to Do it:

Start with the crust.

Toast the pecans in a heavy skillet until the begin to brown and smell lightly fragrant.

Add all the other crust ingredients to a food processor and process until it’s well mixed and crumbly.

Put a circle of parchment paper on the bottom of a pan with a removable bottom,

then spread butter on all sides and the bottom.

Next lay the crust on the bottom and on the sides,

pressing it in to hold it in place.

Cover and refrigerate at least one hour.

Next make the filling.

Whip the heavy cream until it is firm and very stiff peaks form.

In another bowl, mix the remaining pie ingredients,

except the blueberries, until they are well blended.

Carefully fold in the (fresh or still frozen) blueberries, then the whipped cream, mixing gently until they are all blended.

Pour the mixture onto the crust, then cover and refrigerate at least six to eight hours.

While it’s chilling, make the topping.

Place all the blueberry topping ingredients into a small saucepan and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the liquid is reduced by at least half.

Push the berries with a fork to break them up a little. Add more sugar if desired.

When it reaches a syrupy consistency, spread it on top of the pie and serve cold.

When you are ready to serve, gently loosen the sides, then lift the bottom of the spring pan to remove the whole pie.

Slice and serve!

© Copyright 2022 The Lazy Gastronome

Here are some things that are perfect to use for this recipe!

Disclosure: The items below are affiliate links through Amazon.com. If you purchase any of these products through the links, I receive a small commission at no cost to you. Thanks for your support!

Summer berries…

One of the best parts of summer for me are the berries that grow here in the Northwest. Blackberries are everywhere! And there are u-picks for blueberries and raspberries too. But I AM the lazy gastronome. I bought from the we-pick stand.

I like to freeze some for later smoothies and set some aside for our cereal in the morning. Sadly, these fruits don’t have a long shelf life, so I decided to make dessert!

Here’s How to Do it:

Start by mixing the berries with 1/4 cup of the white sugar in an oven proof dish. Allow to sit for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 350°

Stir 1 Tablespoon of flour into the berries and mix well.

Cut 2 Tablespoons of the cold butter into 8 small chunks and spread them evenly over the top of the berries.

Melt the remaining butter and mix into the remaining white sugar, brown sugar and flour until you have a crumbly mixture.  Spread over the top of the berries and butter chunks.

Bake for about 20 to 30 minutes or until the berries are bubbling and the top is crisp and golden.

Put one ice cream bar on the plate

and top with berries, then top with whipped cream.

Serve warm or cold with whipped cream or ice cream. It’s good with vanilla yogurt too!

© Copyright 2019 The Lazy Gastronome

Here are some things that are perfect to use for this recipe!

Disclosure: The items below are affiliate links through Amazon.com. If you purchase any of these products through the links, I receive a small commission at no cost to you. Thanks for your support!

Blueberries are one of the healthiest foods around. They are full of fiber and anti-oxidants – and vitamins K & C as well as manganese. So let’s join forces and celebrate these sweet little nuggets for National Blueberry Day!

Maine is the leader for producing the most wild blueberries and the cultivated leader is Michigan (followed closely by Washington, Oregon and Georgia). The leader changes every year. Last year my home state, Oregon, held the record for most berries produced.

But regardless of where they came from, they are delicious little morsels that are good with almost anything, sweet or savory.  Here we have gone with the sweet…

Here’s How to Do it:

Start by mixing up the eggs and milk. In a shallow bowl add 1 Tablespoon of the sugar, the eggs, cinnamon, cardamom and milk. Whisk it all together until frothy.

Mix the remaining sugar with the berries, then set aside.

Dip the bread into the egg mixture and let it sit for about 1 – 2 minutes.

Melt the butter in a heavy skillet on medium heat.

Lay the bread gently into the hot butter and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes on each side,

or until the bread is brown and crispy, but custardy in the middle.

Move to a plate and heap on some blueberries and syrup. Garnish with mint leaves.

Serve hot!

© Copyright 2019 The Lazy Gastronome

Here are some things that are perfect to use for this recipe!

Disclosure: The items below are affiliate links through Amazon.com. If you purchase any of these products through the links, I receive a small commission at no cost to you. Thanks for your support!

Have a lot of blueberries? Try these blueberry oatmeal muffins ^[17] – and they freeze nicely too!

^[17]

Now you have some ideas – go out and grab some fresh blueberries while they’re still in season! They’ll be gone before you know it!

I froze so many berries this summer – and I’m glad I did!  We had guests over and I made some delicious blueberry pancakes for breakfast.  And because I knew where I picked them and how I froze them, I knew they were healthy and delicious!  But this recipe works with store bought fresh or frozen – It’s all good – deliciously good!

How to Make some delicious blueberry pancakes:

Sift the two flours, baking powder and salt together. When you sift the dry ingredients, you can make sure they are well mixed together. Give them a gentle stir after you sift them.

Stir in the sugar. Make sure it’s well blended with flour mixture.

Beat the milk with the egg and mix gently into the dry ingredients.  Stir in the berries.

Heat the oil in a skillet and pour the batter in by the spoonful.  Cook until the batter bubbles over the surface, then flip and cook until lightly browned on both sides.

Serve with honey or your favorite pancakes syrup.  A couple of sausage links on the side is a great addition to the meal too!

Makes about 4 servings of two pancakes ^[21] –

© Copyright 2017 The Lazy Gastronome

Try these blueberry recipes too!

Leave me a comment – I’d love to hear your thoughts!