March Kitchen Gardener: Blueberries!

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March 2012

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Greetings!

blueberry delicious You ought to have seen what I saw on my way

To the village, through Mortenson's pasture to-day:

Blueberries as big as the end of your thumb,

Real sky-blue, and heavy, and ready to drum

In the cavernous pail of the first one to come!

And all ripe together, not some of them green
And some of them ripe! You ought to have seen!

--Robert Frost, "Blueberries"

Sweet, juicy blueberries. We're celebrating them again in March...this time with a delectable blueberry coffeecake recipe and our annual Blueberry Daze. Stop in from March 23rd through April 1st to select from a range of blueberries in every shape and size. Now is the perfect time to plant blueberries for fruit from late May to August.

We recommend the following varieties for Bay Area gardens.

**Early flowering Southern Highbush varieties will ripen fruit in May/June:

Misty, Oneal, Sharpblue

**Mid flowering Southern Highbush varieties will ripen fruit in June:

Jubilee, Southmoon, Sunshine Blue, Emerald

**Early flowering Northern Highbush varieties ripen fruit in June/July:

Bluejay, Earliblue, Patriot, Reka

**Mid flowering Northern Highbush varieties ripen fruit in July:

Bluecrop, Bluejay, Blueray, Hardyblue, Draper, Chandler

**Late flowering Northern Highbush varieties ripen fruit in July/August:

Chandler, Elliott, Jersey, Legacy

Growing Blueberries

Blueberries grow well in the Bay Area, but they need acidic soil and regular feeding. Amend soil with E.B. Stone Azalea, Camellia and Gardenia Mix. If planting in containers, this mix can be used straight from the bag.

Supplement with F.S.T. (an acidifying agent containing the nutrients iron, sulfur, manganese, and zinc) in early spring and again in late summer. Feed plants monthly once they have leafed out with Maxsea Acid formula.

Regular/average irrigation is needed, especially when the plants are setting berries. Use mulch to keep the shallow roots cool, prevent weed competition and reduce soil evaporation. Blueberries want full to part sun.

In the ground, space plants 3' apart if creating a hedge. Allow 4' to 5' for freestanding shrubs. Planters should be a minimum of 18" for individual plants. A wine barrel will accommodate 2 or 3 plants comfortably.

Keep this handy dandy info nearby when planting blueberries!

www.sloatgardens.com/grow-vegetables/growing-blueberries.htm

Blueberries in the landscape

fall color

blueberry flower What a useful plant! Blueberry plants are beautiful shrubs which will add year round ornamental beauty to your garden and landscape. We love their delicate flowers...and the bursts of vibrant color in the fall. They're a favorite!

Blueberry Yogurt Coffee Cake

2 cups flour (regular flour or whole wheat flour)

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

3 Tb. sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

4 Tb butter, at room temperature

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup plain yogurt

1 cup fresh blueberries (or frozen and thawed)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch square cake pan. Mix together flour, baking soda and salt. In a separate bowl, stir together the granulated sugar, cinnamon and walnuts.

In a large bowl, beat the brown sugar and butter until fluffy. Beat in the eggs, 1 at a time, until fully combined, then beat in the vanilla and yogurt.Add the flour mixture in 2 batches, stirring until just combined.

Add the blueberries to the batter and gently combine. Spoon the batter into the pan, and then sprinkle the nut mixture over the cake. Bake until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean -- about 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool and cut into squares.

Even more blueberry recipes!

Blueberry and Goat Cheese Tarts
www.sloatgardens.com/recipe-garden/blueberry-and-goat-cheese-tarts.html

Blueberry Buttermilk Pancakes

www.sloatgardens.com/recipe-garden/buttermilk-blueberry-pancakes.htm

Blueberry Tartlets with Buttermilk Vanilla Cream

www.sloatgardens.com/recipe-garden/blueberry-tartlets.htm

Sloat Notes:

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If you've been reading the Sloat Gardener's Notebook Online, you've likely noticed that rhododendron is our March plant pick of the month. But, did you know that rhododendron flowers produce delicious juice? These flowers have a high moisture content and when pressed in a fruit-juice extractor, the result is deep red juice that tastes pleasantly sour and can be consumed after adding some sugar. According to Ayurveda physicians, it has a cooling effect on the body. In India, roadside vendors extract and sell rhododendron juice along the roads near the Himalayan rhododendron forests. Rhododendron flowers are also used in chutney and the seasonal snack, kachru.

seminars

Sloat Recipe Box

Need more recipe ideas? Check out our recipes from the garden.

Have a garden recipe to share?

Send it to sloat@sloatgardens.com. If we pick your recipe we'll mail you a $25 Sloat Garden Center gift card! (Note: Recipes need to include vegetables, fruit or herbs you can grow).

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