It's BC Blueberry Season In My Kitchen with Go Blue BC

Fresh blueberries are in season and I am delighted to be a BC Blueberries Ambassador! To kick off the season, the BC Blueberry Council has launched a virtual campaign to celebrate this special time of year: Go Blue BC. In celebration, I’m sharing more about the campaign, as well as some recipes straight from my kitchen! Now til August 3rd, BC Blueberries invites you to visit Go Blue BC – their interactive website – for a chance to win $1000 in gift cards from White Spot and Triple O’s.

Go Blue BC was created as a virtual hub for berry lovers. You’ll find a ton of great resources including videos, where to find berries, BC restaurants that are featuring special menu items with BC Blueberries, recipes, facts and an amazing contest with prizes including $1000 in gift cards. There’s fun for the whole family!

Did you know that BC is one of the top high bush blueberry growing regions worldwide? Fresh or frozen, BC blueberries are not only summer’s essential ingredient, but they’re a staple in my home throughout the year! During summer, I stock up on the fresh juicy berries from the produce section or farmer’s market. The rest of the year, you’ll always find frozen packages in my freezer. When shopping for frozen berries, I’m always sure to look for the “BC Grown” label! Today I will be sharing two recipes using fresh BC Blueberries, but frozen would work just as well!

A versatile sweet treat with so much more to them, blueberries are my go-to fruit to add to smoothies, yogurt, and oatmeal – but I also love them au natural! They are a good source of fibre, plus they contribute vitamins and minerals including vitamin C, vitamin K and manganese. #poweredbynature with antioxidants and nutrients, blueberries truly are nature’s superfood and I am all about these locally-grown gems for my family!

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blueberry recipes

Something old, something new, something borrowed… something BLUE!

I have been spending a lot of time with my grandma Violet lately. I’ve been helping her with her groceries and errands since quarantine began. On one of our visits, I was excited to mention to her that I was selected as a BC Blueberry ambassador. She immediately told me she had a great recipe for a blueberry cake. I of course knew the one she was talking about… she often made it throughout my childhood, sometimes with other fruit, but the blueberry version was always the best!

The next time I saw Grandma, she had packaged together a small stack of recipes she had snipped from over the years! She noted that she always liked the recipes from Edith Adams who had a Column in the paper years ago. Being in graphic design and publishing, I was fascinated by the old samples of print… and also the long history of Celebrating blueberries here in BC. How fun to be part of it!

Seeing everyone posting their blueberry recipes, family picking adventures, and taste testing restaurants with the #GoBlueBC #BCBlueberries #PoweredByNature hashtags is proof that we can all be part of this feel-good celebration!

Okay… so onto the recipe…

Blueberry Cake Recipe

Make in an 8” x 8” baking dish

INGREDIENTS

Cake:
1 cup all-purpose (I used Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour)
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg
1/3 cup buttermilk
1/3 cup butter - melted and cooled to room temperature
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cups BC Blueberries

Crumb Topping:
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons flour

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DIRECTIONS

For the cake – in a bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

In your mixer or a second bowl, beat together the egg, buttermilk, butter and vanilla until smooth.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet and stir until combined.

Spread batter evenly in a greased 8” square baking pan. Evenly place BC Blueberries on top.

Combine the topping ingredients to form fine crumbs and sprinkle over the BC Blueberries.

Bake at 375 F for 35 - 40 minutes. Allow cake to cool on a rack until warm.

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SUMMER DRINK RECIPE

(this is the something new!)

I failed to mention what a hot day it was while I was baking away in my kitchen. (Hence the fan in the earlier photo!) If you follow me on Instagram @ilikeherstylevancouver - you may have seen my insta stories that day.

While my grandma’s blueberry cake is more of a traditional recipe, I wanted to create a recipe of my own with a modern twist. These BC Blueberry Kombucha Lemonade’s were the perfect refreshment. Truth be told, I drank both that day myself! lol

Sweet and fizzy, Kombucha is a beverage made of yeast, sugar, and fermented tea. It has a number of supposed health benefits, including gut health, liver function, digestion, diabetes, strengthening the immune system, reducing blood pressure and being detoxifying. I just love the twang when I drink it, and will take the possible health benefits too!

Of course, you can sauce this up by adding your favourite adult beverage such as a shot of vodka, but I didn’t add that to the formal recipe because that can be our little secret!

Blueberry Kombucha Lemonade Recipe

Make to taste

INGREDIENTS

BC Blueberries
Sugar
Water
Lemonade
Ginger Lemon Kombucha (I used Brew Dr.)
Ice

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DIRECTIONS

Optional: I first rimmed the glasses by dipping them in lemon juice, then sugar (each on a small saucer). I also created a fun stir stick using a skewer threaded through 5 blueberries and a sugared lemon round.

In a blender (a Magic Bullet works great), create your blueberry purée by combining about half a cup of BC Blueberries with sugar to taste.

Pour over ice to fill the bottom third of the glass.

Add Kombucha to fill the 2nd third of the glass.

Add Lemonade to fill the rest of the glass.