The month of June is blueberry harvest season here in my central Virginia garden. Planted four years ago, the O’Neil high bush variety thrives, sans disease or insect pressure. The ongoing 2015 harvest is a banner year!
This season I decided to use tulle instead of bird netting to keep the harvest bird-free.

I draped the blueberry plants in tulle and used clothespins to hold in place, a much improved method over bird netting. This idea was shared by a veteran garden friend. What do these blueberries remind you of? Ghosts or runaway brides?

O’Neil blueberry high bush variety is my favorite here in my Virginia gardens. Large, juicy fruit greets me every day for nearly one month in June.

After harvesting in the early morning, I place the unwashed fruit on a sheet pan and let them rest at room temperature for twenty-four hours. Any unripened berries will continue to ripen, and of course, I can snitch a handful as I go by during the day! As the fruit ripens, I place in glass jars in the freezer. I am not a fan of plastic…

Sunday mornings I crave a wee breakfast that is special; a meal that celebrates the end of a very long week. Here I whipped up a quick batch of popovers and served them with fresh blueberry conserve and whipped cream! Yum!

using Rachel Saunders’ technique of sterilizing the jars in the oven, the final jam returns to the oven for 15 minutes longer to seal ~ a huge improvement over the boiling kettle process

with July 4th just around the corner, blueberries make a stunning dessert presence ~ simple, fresh, delicious
Blueberries are a very old fruit, and are native to the US. They are reputed to have both health and nutritional benefits, and are very easy to grow. Recipes are handed down for generations, lauding this well-loved fruit. If you don’t grow blueberries, find a local pick-your-own farm, load up the kids, and have a morning of flavorful fun.

wishing you and yours a pleasant and safe summer, while the flutterbies keep me company here at Swallowtail Cottage. Bon Appetit!
Copyright © 2015 by Diane LaSauce All Rights Reserved
That popover looks awesome……I think I made them once about 42 years ago!!
~from Sally via email
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Your breakfast looks scrumptious. I have about twenty wild blueberry bushes that grow around the edge of the garden but they are a very tiny variety and takes forever to get enough just for one pie. Your plants look very bountiful.
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You will miss them when you are in FLA!!!
How is the house sale going, Karen?
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We have had two couples that are very interested. Fingers crossed.
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Indeed the three O’Neil highbush variety at four years old are now producing more than can eat, so they go into the freezer, make jam, and some are sold at market. One of the most pleasant plants to grow here in central Virginia…sans pressure from insects and the tulle detours the birds…
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Yum, yum. I love blueberries.
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As many as I consume, I should live forever! 😉
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Everything you make looks sooooooo good!
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Thank you Jeanne! I do enjoy the process. 😉
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Your blueberries look great. I am going to have to do that as well in the coming years. It has been a constant battle between me and the birds.
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And so easy Mike…
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I take it the bushes are not harmed at all?
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What do you mean by “harmed”?
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I mean, the netting does not hurt the bushes themselves?
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Does not appear to. Just gives them bad hair…;-)
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Good read!
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Thanks Bear…come eat some!
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I could smell the berries. Yum. Everything looks divine.
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Thanks Jack! Wish you were here to share in the harvest…garden on! D.
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Come pick some cousin!
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