Summer in the Pacific Northwest sometimes seems like a parade of berries. Early on, strawberries, the sweetest on earth ripen to tender red perfection. Then come the raspberries with their incomparable fragrance. And as we move toward August, the blueberries begin to ripen. Then, at last, the blackberries ripen and by the time they have ended, summer’s gone and cranberries arrive.   

Right now, we’re at the height of blueberry season and I learned recently from Tami Sakuma, whose family has been growing berries in the Skagit Valley for four generations, that blueberry season in the valley is the longest on earth. Long after other berry growing regions have surrendered their harvests, the Skagit keeps producing. Even in November, berries from the Skagit are sweet, firm and succulent. So we've got lots of time to enjoy them.

We like to tumble a handful of blueberries over a salad that’s topped with chunks of alder-smoked salmon, or just about any green salad. Like all berries, blueberries lend themselves to creative savory dishes. But we think their best and highest use might be in baked goods. We love blueberry pie and blueberry streusel coffeecake appears regularly on our weekend breakfast table as do buttery blueberry scones.

Please enjoy this week’s recipes for blueberry baked goods:
Best Blueberry Pie
Blueberry Streusel Coffeecake
Buttery Blueberry Scones