Seasonal Pantry: Enjoy the sweet flavor and power of blueberries

Depending on your exact location, it has been a good year or a bad year for blueberries. White Fox Farm, located above Freestone Valley, lost a lot of their crop to late rains. This year, they are selling only at the Occidental Bohemian Farmers Market on Friday afternoons.

On the other hand, Duckworth Farms, in the Canfield Road region of south Sebastopol, has its best crop ever, thanks to winds that kept the berries dry during spring storms.

Sonoma Swamp Blues, on the edge of the Laguna de Santa Rosa at the foot of High School Road in Sebastopol, is open for business and is selling their plump blueberries at the Sebastopol Farmers Market (10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Sunday in the town plaza).

This year, Duckworth Farms berries are as delicious as they’ve ever been, the best in recent memory, with a pleasing texture and engaging juiciness. Because they are not at all mushy or overripe, they work beautifully in both sweet and savory dishes. Duckworth Farms blueberries are available at Oliver’s Markets and Community Markets; they come in little compostable boxes and are certified organic.

As we’ve explored before, blueberries are like little vitamin pills. They contain more antioxidants than any other food, along with vitamins A, C and E and small amounts of B vitamins, including niacin, riboflavin and folic acid. Their trace mineral profile is good, too, with potassium, copper, iron and zinc. They have plenty of dietary fiber and 3½ ounces, one scant cup, contain just 57 calories.

You’ll notice that in today’s recipes that the berries should be cut in half or quarters, which can seem like a tedious task until you actually do it. It doesn’t take long, especially if you have the right knife. The best is a porcelain paring knife or tomato knife from Kyocera and available at local cookware stores such as Cultivate Home in Sebastopol. These knives retain their sharp edge for a long time, are inexpensive and will be replaced at no cost if they break.

At “Eat This Now” (at pantry.blogs.pressdemocrat.com), you’ll find links to blueberry recipes from the Seasonal Pantry archives, including pasta salad with blueberries, cucumbers, feta and fresh herbs; blueberry and corn relish; chilled blueberry soup with burrata; warm chicken liver salad with poached eggs, bacon and blueberries; blueberry chutney; blueberry barbecue sauce; blueberry vinaigrette; blueberry cole slaw; blueberry shrub and more.

This simple risotto makes a delicious dinner on a hot night and is even better when paired with the butter lettuce salad that follows this recipe. It is also delicious served with duck, chicken, seared chicken livers, pork and venison.

Blueberry Risotto with Burrata

Makes 3 to 4 servings

5 cups homemade broth or stock, hot

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 small shallots, minced

¼ teaspoon ground clove

- Kosher salt

¼ cup Carnaroli or Vialone Nano rice

2 cups local blueberries, cut in half

1/3 cup Thai basil leaves, torn into?pieces

3 tablespoons mascarpone

1 round of burrata

3-4 lemon wedges

Add 1 cup of water to the stock and keep it hot over a low burner.

Set a wide deep pan, such as a saucier, over medium heat. Add the butter and olive oil. When the butter is melted, add the shallots and sauté until soft and fragrant, about 7 to 8 minutes; do not let them brown.

Add the ground clove and season lightly with salt.

Add the rice, increase the heat to medium and cook, stirring constantly, until each grain is milky white. Add half the blueberries, and stir. Reduce the heat to medium, add ½ cup of the stock, and stir until it is absorbed by the rice. Continue adding stock and stirring until the rice is just tender, about 18 minutes. (If stock runs low, add more water.) When there is about ¾ cup of stock remaining, fold in the remaining blueberries and stir gently.

Add half the remaining stock, stir and taste; correct for salt and pepper. Stir in the mascarpone, half the Thai basil and the remaining stock and remove from the heat.

Ladle the risotto into soup plates. Quickly cut the burrata into 3 or 4 pieces and set on top of the risotto. Add several turns of black pepper, scatter the remaining basil on top, garnish with a lemon wedge and enjoy right away.

It takes just a few minutes to put this salad together if you have all the ingredients on hand.

Butter Lettuce with Pickled ?Onions, Avocado, Blueberries?& Blue Cheese

Makes 2 servings, easily doubled

½ cup, approximately, fresh blueberries

1 medium butter lettuce, outer 2 leaves removed

- Kosher salt

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

¼ lemon or 2 teaspoons blueberry vinegar

¼ cup pickled onions (recipe follows)

½ firm-ripe avocado, cut into thin diagonal slices

½ ounce blue cheese, broken into small pieces

- Black pepper in a mill

Use a sharp knife - a porcelain paring knife is ideal - to cut each blueberry in half; set them aside briefly.

Put the lettuce into a salad bowl, tearing large leaves in half or quarters. Season with salt, toss gently, drizzle with the olive oil, and toss again. Add the lemon juice or vinegar and toss another time.

Scatter the onions over the salad, followed by the avocado, blueberries and cheese.

Season lightly with a bit more salad, add several generous turns of black pepper, and enjoy right away.

Pickled Onions

Makes about 1 pint

1 medium red onion, peeled, halved and cut into thin half-rounds

½ cup unseasoned rice vinegar

1/3 cup granulated sugar, plus more to taste.

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 bay leaf

Pack the onions into a clean glass pint jar. Cut a double square of wax paper somewhat bigger than the lid and set it aside.

Put the vinegar, sugar and salt into a bowl, and stir until the sugar and salt are dissolved. Taste and add more sugar if the mixture is too tart for your tastes. Tuck the bay leaf into the jar, pour the vinegar mixture into the jar, and set the wax paper square on top. Add the lid and ring, close tightly and shake.

Refrigerate for at least two hours before using. The onions will keep for several weeks and you can top off with more sliced onions as you use them.

Enjoy this salsa spooned over cheese - cottage cheese, mozzarella, burrata, feta, blue - and enjoy it with simple fish tacos (just sautéed fish tucked inside two warm soft corn tortillas). It is also excellent with grilled cabbage wedges and most grilled meats.

Blueberry Salsa

Makes about 2 cups

2 cups blueberries

1 small red onion, in small dice

1 serrano or jalapeno, minced

1 tablespoon lime juice, plus more to taste

- Kosher salt

- Black pepper in a mill

3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro leaves

2 teaspoons freshly chopped basil leaves

Cut the blueberries into quarters, and put them into a medium bowl.

Add the onion, serrano or jalapeño and lime juice, toss and season with salt. Stir in the olive oil, and add the cilantro and basil.

Cover and set aside for 15 to 20 minutes. Stir, taste, and correct for salt and acid balance.

Enjoy right away or refrigerate, covered, for a day or two.

Michele Anna Jordan is the author of 24 books to date, including “The Good Cook’s Book of Oil & Vinegar.” Email her at catsmilk@sonic.net