Blueberry season in the Fraser Valley

Did you know that BC is one of the largest blueberry producers in the world? 

There are over 800 growers of highbush blueberries in British Columbia, making Canada one of the world’s largest producers and exporters of cultivated blueberries.

The majority of their harvest is shipped to the United States and sold in Great Britain, Singapore, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines and Dubai.

In 2016, Canada exported over 53,500 tonnes of cultivated blueberries.

cbc.ca report

Of course we have other blueberry growing regions in Canada like Nova Scotia and Quebec. My mother told me stories of when she used to pick blueberries as a child in Quebec. We always looked forward to blueberry season because she would make “Poudding aux Bleuets”, translated as an upside down blueberry cake or blueberry cobbler.  One day, I asked her to give me the recipe as I sensed she wouldn’t be around that many more years and then I would never again be able to eat my favourite dessert. In her typical way, she went about making the dish while I tried to get some measurements down.  My mother didn’t use many recipes.  I have developed the same habit over the years, but back then, I wasn’t much of a baker, so I needed to be more precise.

Although, the recipe calls for fresh blueberries. I think my mother would sometimes use frozen sweetened blueberries. They are watery, so you don’t need to add as much liquid as with fresh blueberries.

Another crucial part of the recipe is the baking pan that must be able to be heated on the stovetop so the blueberries are bubbling hot before you add the batter and put the whole thing in the oven.  If you don’t have such a pan, you might try a glass dish that you can microwave till the berries are bubbling. However, make sure the temperature of the blueberries is even in the pan or you might end up with some undercooked parts to the cake.

Here’s the recipe I adapted for fresh blueberries:

3 tbsp melted butter

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg beaten

1/2 cup of milk

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

Blend all ingredients with a fork. Batter will be thick.

2 cups of sweetened blueberries (you can add about 1/4 c of sugar to fresh blueberries)

Cover berries with water and heat on the stovetop till they bubble.

Pour batter over the berries and cook for 20 min at 400F.

Serve warm with ice cream or as we would have it, table cream.

Note:  I’ve had to experiment with a lot of my favourite recipes since going gluten and dairy free.  I substitute regular flour with gluten free flour and milk with almond milk. I still use butter.  The recipe comes out relatively the same if not a bit heavier.