Wild Blueberry Pie

Even though fall is here my countdown of summer berries isn't over yet. The berry list so far is:

1. Raspberries
2. Red Currants
3. Black Currants

I will give you a hint about the fourth berry on the list. They're round, they're blue, they're delicious...if you guess blueberries you'd be right. I love blueberries and nothing beat wild blueberries. Each year we head out into the bush to stock up on firewood for the winter and one year I hit jackpot....wild blueberries.

The wild blueberry patch I found!

 Okay I admit wild blueberry picking comes with it's own set of dangerous, like bears picking with you in your patch. But my oh my you haven't had blueberry pie until you had wild blueberry pie. It is so good that it makes the bear scare total worth it!!! Next year I'm buy bear mace....

Wild blueberries are nature's antioxidant super fruit. With twice the antioxidant capacity of ordinary blueberries.They have cancer fighting and other disease benefits. Have cholesterol lowering properties and promote heart health. They have been called "brain food" and can help with Alzheimer's prevention. Are an excellent anti-diabetes food, both in prevention and control of the disease. In short they taste fabulous and are good for you.  

Fresh blueberries are the best for you but unfortunately they are usually only in season during summer months here. You can still find them in store at other times but they're just not the same. The next best choice is frozen, usually available year-round and I have even found frozen wild blueberries. 

I love using wild blueberries when I'm baking. 

You get twice the amount of blueberries when you use wild ones which means your baked goods have more berries in every bite. The wild one have more skin and less water so your berries bleed less, don't make your muffins/pies/scones soggy and pack more "blueberry punch." I say they next time your buying blueberry try the smaller wild variety you'll be hooked for life :)

My favorite thing to make with wild blueberries is....Wild Blueberry Pie. I use my adapt version of No Fail Pie Dough. I love this pie crust recipe because it absolutely NEVER fails!! Try my version or the original  Tenderflake No Fail Pie Crust recipe found here. Either way you will not be disappointed, it is the best pie crust recipe out there :)

~Wild Blueberry Pie~

5 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
1 lb chilled butter, cut into cubes
1 egg
1 tablespoon cold lemon juice
1 cup cold water

Stir the flour and salt together. Cut in the chilled butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until the butter is in pea size pieces.
In a small bowl combine egg, and lemon juice. Whisk the egg and lemon juice together, add the cold water.

Stir the liquid into the flour mixture. Stir with wooden spoon until all ingredients are thoroughly combine and you have a soft dough.  Gather the dough into a ball and cut dough (like a cake) into 6 portions.

Cover and refrigerate for one hour. You can chill the dough overnight but bring it to room temperature approx 15-20 min. before rolling out.

You can roll out the dough by lightly flouring work surface and rolling into circle. I always use my "up-cycled" cereal bags for this part, click here. 

Lightly flour two clean, wash cereal bags and roll the dough out between the bags. The dough rolls out easily, doesn't stick and you can use the bag to transfer and flip the rolled out pie crust right into the pie pan. 


~Blueberry Pie Filling~

3 1/2 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
3/4 cup sugar
3 tablespoon corn starch
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Combine the blueberries, sugar and cornstarch in a pot.  




Simmer on low heat until the blueberries, sugar and corn starch mixture starts to melt and the berry release their nature juices. 

Add lemon juice. 







Cook, while stirring, over medium heat until mixture comes to a full boil and is thick, approx. 5. Allow the filling to cool completely before adding to pie crust. 

You can use this filling for tarts, cake filling or cheesecake topping. I never add any extra water when I make this filling, just the juice from the berry so the filling is full of flavour. 

See how many more blueberries you get when you use wild blueberries.

Add top crust and brush with egg wash. Sprinkle with raw sugar or turbino sugar if desired. I love the added crunchy texture the sugar adds so I always sprinkle the top crust with sugar.

 Place the oven rack in the middle of the oven. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Bake for 40 minutes, check halfway through and turn the pie to bake evenly if needed. Cover the edges with a strip of foil if edges are getting too brown. 

Delicious Wild Blueberry Pie!

Don't you wanna piece now?

Look how flaky and golden the crust is, it always works out perfectly.

Blueberry pie is just one of the many ways you can enjoy these delicious  sweet little berries. Actual I made a batch of Blueberry Streusel Muffins recently and I used the Raspberry Almond Streusel Muffin recipe I posted earlier. You can find the muffin recipe here.

Blueberry Streusel Muffins

Well there you go, two great reasons why you should start using blueberries in your baking. Now get in the kitchen and bake up a storm. 

Thanks for stopping by. Have a wonderful weekend. See you soon!!

Love,
 Katya 

Homemade Fruit and Berry Herbal Tea

So I've decided to continue my summer berry countdown with: Red and Black Currants. This homemade tea has a lot more than currants to it but I think that it's safe to say that the two prominent flavours I get from this tea are definitely red and black currants. 

Seriously though if like drinking tea then just this once try making your own homemade tea. it's so easy to make and totally worth it. The best time to make it is summertime when fruit and berries are at their peak. It's still warm enough outside to sundry all the fruit, berries and leaves you'll need to make tea. 

Both currants are known for their high content of vitamin C which has vital protective antioxidant properties. Just by drinking the tea with these berries/berry leaves you add to your vitamin C intake. Both red and black currants can ease the symptoms of rheumatism, arthritis and gout.

They are both very high in fiber, which helps in the proper functioning of the digestive system as well as the development of the appropriate gut micro-flora. With all these health benefit associated with these to berries it only makes sense to add them to this tea not mention the delicious tart flavour it adds too!!

Just think while sipping on this homemade fruit and berry tea not only will you enjoy the delicious flavour but you'll be boosting your immune system too!! And it gives you one more tasty reason to take a break during the day to sit down, relax and drink tea. If anyone asks just tell them you're in therapy, even Dr. OZ says so!  

All you need for this homemade tea is your favorite fruit, berries and edible leaves. Here's my recipe:

~ Katya Homemade Fruit and Berry Tea ~

Dried red currants

Dried black currants

Black currant leaves

Dried raspberries

Dried raspberry leaves

Apple leaves

Wild blueberry leaves

Saskatoon berries

Fire weed flowers and leaves

Rose hips



Smaller batch - approx. 2 cups per ingredient
Larger batch - approx. 4 cups per ingredient 

Gather the berries when they are ripe and ready. Wash, dry and de-stem any berries that you need to. Place the berries on a cookie sheet single layer and place in a warm, sunny place to dry. You can use a dehydrator if you have one.

***Tip: Best place to dry the cookie sheet with fruit, berries or leaves is in your car. Sounds silly but it works great. In the summer your car has a tendency to be really hot, so it's the perfect place. It hot, bug free and you can usually get the tea ingredients dried in a day!! Bonus is your car smell fruity and great*** 

Collect nice, green fresh undamaged leaves from a clean area. Wash and dry the leaves, then dry single layer on a sheet or with a dehydrator. If you cut off a whole branch, of leaves, you can hang then from the ceiling to dry at room temperature. 

Make sure your fruit, berries and leaves are completely dry before storing to avoid mold.They should be stored in a glass jars in the dark, but Ziploc bags work too. You can mix the tea ingredients together or store each ingredient separately.

These are the fruit, berry and leaves I chose but you can use your own favorite ingredients: mint, lemon balm, strawberries, dried apple chunks, thyme....be creative. Only ever use fruit, berry and leaves from plants you can identify for certain.

If your making a smaller batch of homemade tea then use 2 cups per ingredient. Once the berries and leaves dry they will shrink to have the amount. I make a large batch right away because this tea is so good and I need it to last through the fall and winter. 

Smiley Face

~ Steeping your herbal tea ~

Combine 1/4 cup scoop of each tea ingredient in a bowl. Add the fruit and berry tea ingredients into a 

clean coffee press.....or

brew the fruit and berry tea in a pot...

 Pour boiling water over the tea.

Let it steep for 5-7 minutes. Keep it warm on a warmer and enjoy your tea all day. Most herbal teas are not bitter, so sweetener is unnecessary although a little bit of honey is always a great addition.

Nothing warms you up better than a warm cup of tea on a cold winter day!! 

Making your own herbal infusions is fun and easy!! No matter what the recipe, you'll feel good, literally, after drinking what you've made.

Homemade herbal teas also make great gifts! Try making some, you'll be glad you did !

If you like tea as much as me check out my tea inspire Pinterest page, it's all about tea!! 

Thanks for stopping by, 
time for some tea therapy for me. Till next time:)

Great news to all you tea lovers out there, Ikea has glass tea brewer, and the best part is they're cheap. 

Works like a charm too. My sister bought one for my mom and she loves it :)

Source: tumblr.com via Katya on Pinterest

Love,
 Katya