Do the Duke!

Well, I managed to take a pretty good picture of one of our early varieties - Duke.  It may have been named after Duke University researchers.  I really should look that up; I'm a teacher and that will just really bug me that I'm not sure of my facts!

One thing that's neat about the Duke is that even if you pick it a little green or have a little pink on the berry, it still tastes great.  It has a mellow flavor and is not sour at all.  The size is good and really most of the berries ripen fairly close to the same time.

With that said, you can tell that it's really fun to pick these berries.  The bucket fills quickly and it feels like blueberry heaven, or maybe a blueberry bonanza as you find the "mother lode."

I was like a kid in the candy store the other night (picking around 8:00 p.m.) and gaily rolling the berries into my bucket.  I'll have you know that I picked two gallons in an hour!  That's super fast and only happens when the bushes are all blue with berries.

Well, wouldn't you know it, I had about a pint of 1/2 green berries in there.  I sorted the berries on the grading table and took the pint and tossed it into my famous blueberry sauce this morning.  Since it was a bit green, I added a little extra sugar and it was great!

Blueberry Sauce:  2 Cups Berries, 1/2 cup Orange Juice, 2 1/2 Tbsp sugar, 1 Tbsp cornstarch, dash of cinnamon.  Bring to a boil for about 3 minutes or until it looks great, then serve on waffles.  Cover with whipped cream and VOILA!  A great breakfast experience awaits.

Till next time!