Our Blueberries
One of our best selling products is our delicious blueberries. When Feather Village Farm began in 2010, we were selling blueberries from our crop of around 8 to 10 bushes. Since our humble beginnings, we have increased our production to about 250 bushes, which is why the delectable fruit appears prominently on our logo. Learn more about our varieties of blueberries, how to process and store them, and some fun recipes to try below!
Varieties and Cultivars
At Feather Village Farm, we specialize in growing the Rabbiteye variety of blueberries. Of the different Rabbiteye cultivars, we grow Tifblue, Climax, and Premier. Tifblue berries are typically smaller with a sweet-tart flavor and light in color. Climax and Premier berries are bigger, firm, have a sweeter flavor, and tend to be a darker shade of blue. However, Premier bushes tend to produce earlier in the season. Native to the southeastern part of the United States, these cultivars do best in areas with long, hot summers and may be more susceptible to the cold. The average height for a Rabbiteye blueberry is anywhere between 5-10 feet.
Picking and Processing
Our blueberry season typically begins mid-June and runs through July. Once the branches of the poor bushes are so heavy with berries they touch the ground, we know we have reached peak season. Each day we fill our buckets and carefully package them into pint containers.
Often, we have so many that we need to freeze them, and we recommend our customers do the same for later in the year. Plus, a handful of frozen blueberries makes for a refreshing treat for those extra hot days. If you’ve never frozen blueberries before, it's simple and easy to do.
Wash them over the sink in a strainer to drain the water.
Let them dry on a clean towel/paper towel laid out inside the bottom of a container. (Don’t want them to roll away!) You can then speed up the drying process by gently patting them with another towel/paper towel.
Once dry, we put the berries into gallon-sized freezer bags and store them in the freezer. Now you have blueberries ready for whenever you need them!
BLUEBERRY LEMON TEA BREAD
Ingredients:
6 Tbsp. butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup milk
2 tsp. lemon zest
1 cup blueberries
Lemon glaze ingredients:
1/3 cup sugar
3 Tbsp. lemon juice
DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350 F. Cream butter in a large bowl. Gradually add 1 cup sugar, beating at medium with electric mixer until well blended. Add two eggs, one at a time, beating well after each. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Add to creamed mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Stir in grated lemon zest, then fold in blueberries. Pour batter into a greased 8x4x3 inch loaf pan. Bake at 350 F for 55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Lemon glaze: Combine sugar and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Heat until sugar dissolves. Puncture top of bread in several places with a toothpick. Pour lemon juice mixture over warm bread, allowing mixture to soak into bread. Cool in pan for 30 minutes.
(Picture Credit: Kitchen Crew @JustaPinch )
BLUEBERRY CRUMBLE
INGREDIENTS:
1 pint fresh blueberries
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 to 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. salt
CRUMBLE TOPPING:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
1/2 cup light or dark brown sugar
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/2 tsp. salt
1 stick unsalted butter cut into cubes and softened but not melted
DIRECTIONS:
Preheat the oven to 375 F. Generously butter a 9-inch pie plate or cobbler dish.
Filling:
Toss the blueberries with the sugar, flour, lemon juice, and salt, adjusting the amount of lemon juice according to the relative sweetness or tartness of the blueberries. Pour the blueberries into your cobber dish or pie plate.
Crumble topping:
In a large bowl, stir together the flour, oats, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt. Blend in the softened butter, using a fork or a pastry cutter, until well combined. Sprinkle the topping over the berries. Bake 25-35 minutes until filling is bubbling and the crisp oat topping is set and browned in places. Let cool 10-15 minutes before serving.