This weekend, our family will head down to one of our favorite farms to pick blueberries: Pleasant Hill Organic Farm in Fennville, Michigan. It's one of the most beautiful pieces of farm land. They have peaches and strawberries, maple syrup and a beautiful sprawled out blueberry farm. Every visit, I take time to admire Joan's personal vegetable garden as well as John's incredible work ethic to run that farm.
Every time we go, time slows down. There is no rush. We are not hurried. We breathe more slowly, more deeply. It's peaceful. It's quiet. We listen to nature singing songs to us and if we're lucky in this mid-July heat, feel a gentle breeze. My boys feast on gobs of blueberries while picking and surely when we get home. This place is a little slice of Heaven. We always leave with a deepened appreciation for our farmers and for what it takes to run a farm, let alone an organic farm.
So in honor of blueberry season, I'll share with you a family fave dessert I've adapted from the recipe in Shauna Niequist's book Bread & Wine. It's lovely to make in the summer with freshly picked blueberries but be sure to freeze gobs of blueberries so you can look forward to this warm comfort dish in the fall & winter.
Blueberry Crisp
Recipe adapted from Shauna Niequist's recipe: Blueberry Crisp in her book Bread and Wine
5-6 cups blueberries
1 cup old fashioned rolled oats*
1/2 cup almond flour
1/2 cup raw pecans, crushed into bits
1/4 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup coconut oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
Preheat over to 350 degrees F.
Place blueberries into an 8x8 pan, greased with coconut oil.
Combine oats, almond flour, pecans, maple syrup, coconut oil and sea salt with a fork until thoroughly combined. Scatter crisp topping atop the apples. Bake at 350 degrees F for 40-45 minutes (longer for frozen blueberries) until fruit is bubbling and topping is crisp and golden.
*Use gluten free rolled oats to make this gluten free.