Blueberry Buckle

'Tis the season to be thinking of berries to go along with all our fresh vegetables. I have a few packages of blueberries in the freezer that are left over from last year's crop. Not our personal crop. Three blueberry bushes do not make a crop. But we've been blessed to have friends and family who have ample blueberries and they share.

My father decided last year that he really wanted to grow blueberries. We supported that decision. The berries are wonderful to eat. I dreamed of picking handfuls or berries from the bushes and eating them right there. I realize that was a stretch. Three blueberry bushes don't make that many. Especially since I'm not the only one who had that dream. Little Guy loves blueberries. Who knew that dogs will pick blueberries? We're down to one bush now. He has a little trouble picking them without destroying the bush.

This recipe for Blueberry Buckle is one I happened on when I was searching for a Blueberry Cobbler recipe. I found it in The Southern Heritage Just Desserts Cookbook. It's quite good. Serve it warm with a little Blue Bell vanilla ice cream. You'll have folks coming back for seconds.

Blueberry Buckle

1/4 cup shortening
1 3/4 cups sugar, divided
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
2 2/3 cups all-purpose flour, divided
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups blueberries
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup butter or margarine

Cream the shortening with your mixer. Add 3/4 cup of sugar and the egg. Beat well. Add the milk to that, beating well.

Combine 2 cups flour, baking powder and salt. Slowly add that to the creamy mixture, beating well as you go. Stir in the blueberries with your spatula. If you're using fresh blueberries, be sure to wash and drain them before adding them to the mixture. Since I used frozen blueberries, I thawed them in the microwave and drained them first.

Spread this mixture into a greased and floured 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking pan. I always try to use a pan that is dark colored so I don't have to worry about staining.

Combine the remaining 1 cup sugar, 2/3 cup flour and cinnamon in a small bowl. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender until this mixture resembles coarse meal. It's perfectly okay to use a fork to do this.

Sprinkle the crumbly mixture over the blueberry mixture.

Bake the Blueberry Buckle at 375 degrees for 40 minutes or so. The original recipe calls for 45 minutes but that is too long in my oven. When overcooked, the Blueberry Buckle is hard around the sides. Just cook for 35-40 minutes, then check it.

The recipe says it serves 12 to 15 people. They don't know Southern eaters. It serves about half that many. It really is good!