Blue from the rain? Think of how big the blueberries are going to be!

Imagine my excitement when, while watching the nightly news, a story pops up about blueberries. The story was not just about any blueberries, but Jersey blueberries, which in my completely biased opinion are the best blueberries. Supposedly the days and weeks and months of rain we've been getting in the tristate area mean good news for the Jersey blueberry crop, and I don't think it would be too adventurous to say the Pennsylvania blueberry crop. Blueberries just love rain.

The reason why I said that I am little more biased towards the Jersey berries is because of the size and flavor of the Jersey (well and Pennsylvania if you must know) blueberries. Jersey berries are large and sweet. This is very unlike the tiny sweet Maine blueberries. I honestly never met a sour Maine blueberry, but I have met a few sour Jersey berries. It's half the fun of picking and eating I think.

My family has gone blueberry picking every summer since I was little enough to fit under the bushes and just pick from inside the bush. We would fill the bucket/eat them till our tummies hurt. One time my mom brought my dad's mom and my aunt picking. They were shocked by her picking skills. We were trained from an early age to be expert pickers. You have to grab a good branch and pull down so all of the blue ones fall happily in your hand and then as one of my favorite children's books says "kerplink, kerplank, kerplunk" into the bucket they go.

After seeing the news story I am super excited for blueberry season, which is pretty much here for the early berries. The berries should be nice and big which would be just perfect for fruit tarts and the blueberry chicken salad I saw on the cover of my Culinary magazine I just got in the mail.

The salad was really simple. It was a bed of dandelion greens, chicken that was sauteed and then finished off in the oven (grilled chicken would be just as good), and fresh blueberries. It looked delicious and so easy. I'm not sure what dressing I would put on it, but I bet it would be good with any dressing.

I hope you are enjoying the bounty of the summer season. Blueberries are such a delicious harbinger of summer. I think they are one of my favorite summer fruits. And to know that this year they will be at their finest just brings joy to my heart as I hope it does to yours.

Happy Eating!!!

Emily