Blueberry season is upon us! I have a few bushes in our yard, but they have yet to produce any blueberries for us. There’s a resident of our town that has a substantial blueberry patch in their yard. I pass their house on my way to town whenever I go to the post office, grocery store or library. When the blueberries are ripe, a sign goes up in their yard and they welcome passers-by to stop and pick your own blueberries. It doesn’t get any fresher than that!

As a kid and teenager, my family used to vacation in the Poconos of Pennsylvania. It started as a long weekend in a cabin on a lake with another family over the Labor Day holiday when I was young. As I became a teenager, that long weekend turned into a week-long summer vacation. We all loved spending time at Twin Lakes, swimming, sailing, fishing, rowing across the lake (no motor boats allowed!) & enjoying warm summer days. Evenings were reading & playing cards & games. (There was no TV!) Little Twin Lake (the lake we stayed on) was the smaller of the two lakes. The shoreline was just over a mile long. When we got tired of the water, we would venture out for a walk around the lake. There were a few places along the trail where wild blueberries grew. I think that was usually the point of the walk, to stop & eat blueberries that we found on our “hike”! Occasionally, some of the blueberries made it back to the cabin to be put in pancakes for breakfast, but most of the time, my sisters & I just ate all the berries we picked.

Blueberries are still a favorite of mine. I have them with yogurt for breakfast in the mornings and when the mint is growing like crazy, we also have blueberries in our evening cocktails!

Blueberry Mojito

Blueberry Mojito (adapted from foodandwine.com)  Makes 1 drink

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
• 20-30 mint leaves
• 1 1/2 ounces simple syrup
• 3 ounces white rum
• 1 1/2 ounces lime juice
• a dash of bitters, if desired
• additional mint leaves & blueberries for garnish

Instructions:

In a cocktail shaker, muddle the blueberries, mint, and simple syrup until well pulverized.

Muddle the blueberries with the mint & simple syrup.

Add the rum, lime juice, and bitters to the shaker. Add ice to the shaker, cover, and shake vigorously for 30 seconds.

Strain the cocktail into an old-fashioned glass, allowing some of the mint and blueberry pieces to flow through. Garnish with additional mint leaves & a few blueberries, if desired.

Blueberries add a great twist to summer mojitos!

This is an excellent way to enjoy more blueberries this summer!  ~Linda

Blueberry Mojito (adapted from foodandwine.com)  Makes 1 drink

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
• 20-30 mint leaves
• 1 1/2 ounces simple syrup
• 3 ounces white rum
• 1 1/2 ounces lime juice
• a dash of bitters, if desired
• additional mint leaves & blueberries for garnish

Instructions:

In a cocktail shaker, muddle the blueberries, mint, and simple syrup until well pulverized.

Add the rum, lime juice, and bitters to the shaker. Add ice to the shaker, cover, and shake vigorously for 30 seconds.

Strain the cocktail into an old-fashioned glass, allowing some of the mint and blueberry pieces to flow through. Garnish with additional mint leaves & a few blueberries, if desired.