Asbury Park Press from Asbury Park, New Jersey • Page 43

Food Jufy Means the Fresh Blueberry Season Is Upon Us Peak of the Harvest 4 Jelly Made At Home Is Special Runs to August 10 Asbury Park Press and Mrs. Kathy Sheehan take advantage of fresh blueberries to make their own preserves. It's jelly making time in the Howell Township home of Mrs. Karen Pitzner (left). She, Mrs.

Cynthia Ellis (center) County Extension Service Programs Aid Consumers The berry season is upon us, and what pjflects it better than blueberries. They reach their peak of freshness right about now through the end of summer. Blueberries are perfect for those on a diet. A half-cup serving contains only 42 calories and has the distinction of being lower in rarbohydrates and calories than other members of the berry family. I Blueberries can be stored in your refrigerator for as long as two weeks or in your freezer for as long as two years with little or po loss of flavor.

Simply cover the box with lear plastic and leave the berries unwashed. AMERICAN housewives have come up Vith ways of using blueberries in everything rom Irish soda bread to puddings, cakes, ties, and gelatin molds. Courvoisier cognac, Wong with vanilla and whipped cream, help Jo make a gourmet dessert treat. 1 Historicaly, the wild scrubby blueberry plant dotted areas through Europe many hundreds of years ago. Housewives in Russia iave used blueberries since the days of the Tartars as a food and as a medicine to soothe tummy aches.

In Scotland, they were used by French cooks working in the service Of James in the early 1500's. Indians had adopted the fruit in America long before the early colonists, and blueberries usually graced the tables of the first settlers. Some Eskimos use the fruit as part of their diet since blueberries grow as far north as Alaska. DURING COLONIAL times, when sugar was in short supply, the pioneering housewife learned to substitute blueberries wherever possible when a recipe called for an addition of sweetness. There's a bit of folklore about the origin of "Anadama Bread." It seems that an early settler had a terribly lazy wife, and was forced to do his own cooking.

He added blueberries to bread he baked, and the result was tasty. In a burst of dubious affection for his wife, he called the concoction "Anna, Damn Her," which forever would become known, according to legend, as "Blueberry Anadama Bread." Today, "Blueberry Anadama" can be made with cultivated berries as large as marbles. Researchers have developed some almost the size of golf balls. Thing! to know when buying blueberries: Blueberries should be plump, fresh, clean, dry, and free from stem. Ripeness is Indicated by color, with shades from light-blue to dark to blue-black.

If the berry has a light-colored bloom, It is only a natural protection wax (depending on variety). Although blueberries should be dry, moisture inside the package is only from condensation when the fruit is put on display at room temperature after being held in the cooler. Blueberries held too long after picking take on an appearance similar to that of overripe fruits. BLUEBERRY ANADAMA BREAD 6 cup yellow cornmeal 1 cup boiling water tablespoon butter or margarine ft cup unsulphured molasses 1 egg, well beaten 1 package active dry yeast yt cup lukewarm water 3 cups all-purpose flour (about) 2 cups fresh or frozen dry-pack blueberries rinsed and drained STIR CORNMEAL into boiling water. Stir in butter, molasses and egg.

Dissolve yeast in lukewarm water. When cornmeal mixture is lukewarm, stir in dissolved yeast. Beat in flour until a stiff dough is formed. Knead dough on a heavily floured board until smooth and elastic. Let rise in a warm place until double in bulk.

Punch down and roll dough to a 10-inch square. Sprinkle blueberries over dough, pressing them into dough. Roll up like a jelly roll. Tuck ends of roll under to seal ends and put seam-side down into a well-greased loaf pan 9x5x3. Let rise until double in bulk in a warm place.

Bake in a preheated moderate oven (375 degrees F) for 45 to 50 minutes. Turn out and cool on a rack, cool thoroughly before cutting. Serve with butter. Yield: one 9x3x5 loaf. BLUEBERRY SAUCE Vi cup granulated sugar 1 tablespoons flour 4 teaspoon salt 1 generous teaspoon lemon juice 1 scant cup hot water 2 teaspoons sweet butter 2 tablespoons dry sherry 1 cup blueberries MIX IN A SAUCEPAN or in the top pan of a chafing dish sugar, flour and salt.

Stir in gradually lemon juice and hot water. Stir until the mixture is smooth and begins to thicken. Add blueberries and continue to cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thick. Remove from the heat and beat in sweet butter and sherry. Serve hot or warm.

BLUEBERRIES NAPOLEON 2 cups fresh blueberries cup Courvoisier 1 cup whipped cream teaspoon vanilla WASH BLUEBERRIES. Place in bowl and cover with Courvoisier. Leave in refrigerator to marinate about six hours or overnight. Immediately before serving, blend whipped cream and vanilla. Blueberries can be served in regular dessert dishes or over sponge cake or pastry shells.

Top with whipped cream. Serves 4. BLUEBERRY LIQUEUR 4 cups blueberries, fresh or frozen 3 cups gin or vodka 1 cup water 4 teaspoon whole cloves Vj teaspoon whole coriander 2 cups granulated sugar THAW BERRIES If frozen. If fresh, wash and drain. Mash berries in glazed ceramic container or glass.

Commercial jars are good, opening should be large enough for fruit to pass through. Add gin or vodka, water, cloves and coriander. Cover container and let stand at room temperature tor 10 days. Mixture should be a dark bluish-black color. Strain mixture through a fine sieve into another glass or ceramic container.

Discard residue. Add sugar and stir until sugar is dissolved. Let stand at room temperature for jii- 4 1 Li' Blueberry doughnuts provide a new together flour, baking powder, sugar and salt. Beat eggs and milk together and stir into flour mixture. Stir in butter and lemon rind.

Fold In fresh blueberries. Knead dough lightly and roll out about -inch thick on well-floured board. Cut with a doughnut 1 3 2 1 3 1 HOWELL TOWNSHIP With the arrival of fresh blueberries in the markets and in the fields, four local women turn their hands to jam and jelly making. Mrs. Suzanne Veitengruber is an old hand at the process.

Her friends, Mrs. Karen Pitzner, who picks her own blueberries; Mrs. Kathy Sheehan, and Mrs. Cynthia Ellis are more recent converts to the homemade sweets. Mrs.

Pitzner relies on the recipe that comes with commercial fruit pectin. "I follow it exactly," she says. Mrs. Veitengruber varies hers to make a Spiced Blueberry Jam that she is willing to share. In making any jams or jellies, Mrs.

Veitengruber stresses that the protective parafin that goes on top "should never be melted directly over a flame since it may ignite. "A double boiler or a can (holding the solid parafin) inserted in a small amount of slow boiling water is what I use." Here is Mrs. Veitengruber's recipe for: SPICED BLUBERRY JAM 2 quarts blueberries 6 cups sugar 1 tablespoon lemon juice teaspoon ground cinnamon teaspoon ground cloves 1 pouch (of the powdered) Certo or the liquid equivalent SORT, WASH and remove stems from blueberries. Crush berries (Do not use blender.) In an 8-to 10-quart kettle, combine berries, sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and lemon juice. Bring mixture to a full rolling boil (one that cannot be stirred down).

Boil hard, uncovered, for one minute, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Stir in Certo. Quickly skim off foam with a metal spoon. Pour hot jam at once into sterilized jars.

Seal with melted parafin. Makes 6 to 7 half pints. Cook Designs New Version Of Dessert By CECILY BROWNSTONE The Associated Press We've discovered one of the lovelist desserts to make during the fresh blueberry season. And it's quick and easy. It's a take-off from Bananas Foster, made famous by Brennan's restaurant in New Orleans.

Recently, a good cook had the wit to try Blueberries Foster and we followed suit. You may want to do the same thing. It's a great last-minute company dessert. We've never known who or what the "Foster" in Bananas Foster stands for. If anyone does, we wish he or she would tell us.

It's always fun to store up such bits of lore and sometimes they lead to merry culinary chases. BLUEBERRIES FOSTER 2 tablespoons butter 1 large firm-ripe green-tipped banana, diced yt tablespoon sugar mixed with y2 to teaspoon ground cinnamon 3 ounces (6 tablespoons) blackberry or raspberry liqueur 2 cups fresh blueberries, rinsed and drained 3 ounces (6 tablespoons) brandy Vanilla ice cream IN A 10-INCH skillet over low heat, melt butter. Add banana. Sprinkle with sugar-cinnamon mixture. Cook gently, stirring, until sugar is dissolved.

Stir in liqueur, then blueberries. Cook gently, uncovered, for about 5 minutes. Pour brandy over entire surface of blueberry mixture and light with a match. When flames die down, stir sauce once and serve hot over ice cream. Makes about 2yt cups sauce.

Note: You can use the top part (blazer) of a chafing dish instead of the skillet on the range. Before adding brandy, place blazer over water pan (filled with very hot water) on chafing dish stand over lighted fuel. Add brandy and Ignite in a darkened room. Numerous Plants Keep Insects Away CHICAGO To reduce the use of pesticides, many vegetable gardeners now use iasect-deterrent plants. Calendulas, asters, geraniums, chrysanthemums and honbit deter most insects.

Nasturtiums keep away aphids. squash bugs and striped beetles. Horseradish, if placed at the corners of a potato patch, will deter potato bugs. about 24 hours. Pour through a fine-mesh strainer of cheesecloth, bottle, and cap.

Yield quart. NOTE: To keep sediment out of serving glasses pour carefully and slowly from bottle. BLUEBERRY GRIDDLE OR DOLLAR CAKES lVj cups sifted all-purpose flour teaspoons baking powder tablespoons sugar 4 teaspoon salt legg cups milk tablespoons butter or margarine cup fresh or dry pack frozen blueberries washed and drained IN A BOWL mix flour, baking powder sugar, and salt. Stir in egg, milk, and butter. Stir only until mixture is just blended.

(If making dollar cakes as a luncheon dish add teaspoon each of cinnamon and nutmeg). For griddle cakes, drop mixture by Vt cupfuls onto a greased preheated griddle. For dollar cakes, use about 1 tablespoons for each cake. Sprinkle blueberries on top of each cake, dividing equally among all. Cook until bubbles appear on surface, turn and brown on other side.

Serve hot with butter and blueberry sauce or fresh blueberries. Yield: 10 6-lnch griddle cakes or 30 2-inch dollar cakes. If you want to pick your own blueberries, the Cooperative Extension Service of Cook College, Rutgers University, lists farms where you can do so. To save disappointment, it's wise to call ahead to ask if there is a crop available.and check costs. In Monmouth County Shwahla Farms, Fort Plains Howell Township, owned by M.

S. Shwahla. In Ocean County you can try The Emery Farm, Long Swamp New Egypt, owned by Mrs. Raymond Emery, or Sweetwater Farm, Lower Shore Barnegat, owner Elmer Seaman, Jr. for Old Treat rip vr" twist to an old favorite for snackers.

ter and fry in deep hot tat (360 degrees When doughnuts come to the top (about 5 minutes), turn and brown on the other side. Drain on paper towel. Serve plain or dusted with powdered sugar. Yield: about 2 dozen doughtnuts. 1 iBerry Doughnut New Twist Home Economist clip this recipe now.

The cabbage and carrot salad is another different and nutritional use of comrribn and usually inexpensive vegetables. Personally, I like to add a few peanuts andor raisins to the salad. If you would like to contact us for more information about the Cooperative Extension Service home economics programs you may write: In Monmouth County: Sylvia M. Griffin, Extension Home Economist, 20 Court Freehold, N.J. 07728.

In Ocean County: Sonia W. Butler, Extension Home Economist, Agriculture Center, Whitesville Road, Toms River, N.J. 08753. In Monmouth County someone will be available to answer telephone questions on Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

In Ocean County, you should call on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from 1 to 4:30 p.m. The numbers are in the phone book. MILK-VEGETABLE SOUPS Milk-vegetable soups are made from cooked vegetables (chopped or sliced) and milk slightly thickened. The vegetables may be asparagus, peas, beans of various kinds, celery, potatoes, turnips, carrots, spinach, onions, corn, cabbage, or almost any other vegetable. Some of these are good in combination, such as potatoes and onions, potatoes and turnips, or turnips and carrots.

2 cups milk 1 tablespoon flour or less 1 tablespoon butter Salt cup cooked vegetables, mashed, or strained finely chopped, THICKEN THE milk with the flour as for white sauce. Add the other ingredients. If the vegetable is starchy, use less flour or thin the soup with milk. The vegetables should be finely chopped, mashed, or strained, so that they will blend well with the thickened milk. SHEPHERD'S PIE Crease a 2-quart baking dish and cover the sides with a thin layer of seasoned mashed potato.

Use about 24 cups potato. Fill the center with about 4 cups well-seasoned, slightly thickened stew, creamed chicken, or creamed fish. There should be no potatoes in the stew. Cover the top with 1 cup mashed potato and bake in a hot oven (400 degrees) until the pie is hot enough and slightly browned on top. BAKED CUCUMBERS 3 good-sized cucumbers cup fine dry breadcrumbs 3 tablespoons butter teaspoon salt 14 tablespoons chopped onion 1 teaspoons finely chopped parsley 1 tablespoon chopped celery 1 cup tomatoes cut in pieces WASH CUCUMBERS and cut in half lengthwise.

Scoop out as much as possible of the pulp without breaking the skin. Brown the onion In the fat, add other ingredients mixed with the cucumber pulp. Stir constantly, and cook five minutes, or until dry. Place the filling in the cucumber shells and bake until the shells' are soft and the mixture is brown on top. CABBAGE AND CARROT SALAD USE EQUAL parts of grated carrots and finely shredded cabbage.

Mix the carrots and cabbage together with salad dressing until well blended. Serve on crisp lettce. By SONU W. BUTLER Did you ever hear of Uncle Sam's wife? Her name was Aunt Sammy, and she came to life on October 4, 1926. Aunt Sammy was the creation of home economists in the United States Department of Agriculture.

She was the major character in a radio broadcast series called. "Housekeeper's Chat." The highlights of Aunt Sammy's show were the menus and recipes, but Aunt Sammy also talked about clothing, furniture, appliances, and other family matters. Aunt Sammy wasn't just a homebody, however. She commented on world af fairs, reported the latest fads, and told jokes. The talk moved easily from one subject to another, always natural and entertaining as well as informative.

Aunt Sammy was so popular that 43 radio stations carried her program at the end of the first year and by 1932, 194 stations were broadcasting Aunt Sammy's show. So many listeners wrote for copies of the recipes that a weekly mimeographed sheet was soon distributed. In 1927 the most popular recipes were assembled into a pamphlet. The demand was so great that it had to be reprinted after only a month. "Aunt Sammy's Radio Recipes" was revised and enlarged three times between 1927 and 1931.

In 1932 it became the first cookbook published in braille. Aunt Sammy was discontinued after 1932. However, the Cooperative Extension Service, which is jointly sponsored by the United States Department of Agriculture, the land-grant college (Cook College of Rutgers in New Jersey) and locally by the Monmouth and Ocean County Board of Freeholders, continues to bring you a "learning for living" program. Because the Extension programs are developed with the help of local homemakers, they reflect current needs and concerns. Presently, you will see an emphasis on getting the most from your food dollars, coping with inflation, parenting, nutrition, and family money management.

Mrs. Griffin, in Monmouth County, and in Ocean County, use many methods to reach you, our audience. Like Aunt Sammy's recipes, this food column has been very popular. We both write monthly newsletters, conduct home study and other classes. All Cooperative Extension Service programs are open to all regardless of race, color, or national origin.

Mrs. Griffin has been involved in radio work for several years. I will soon start a cable television program. Although our work has followed similar themes for many years, the content is constantly changing because the needs of people change. Aunt Sammy's recipes used a lot of hamburger.

I'm sure she never imagined the prices we are paying for hamburger today. Aunt Sammy's recipes were often time consuming. Our large percentage of employed homemakers was unknown in her day. Aunt Sammy printed a lot of dessert recipes containing a lot of calories and limited nutrient value. In her day people were less weight conscious and not as aware of so-called "empty calories." However, many of Aunt Sammy's recipes are low cost and time saving for today's homemaker.

In choosing these recipes, I picked the milk-vegetable soups and shepherd's pie because they make good use of leftovers or can save the cook time if she prepares extra vegetables, mashed potatoes, or stew when she's cooking earlier in the week. The baked cucumbers were chosen because I always get a lot of telephone calls in the early fall from people who don't know what to do with all the cucumbers they've grown. So if you've planted cucumbers, V4 Wgi People keep looking for new ways to use fresh blueberries. The old-fashioned blueberry slumps, flummeries and grunts are great. And everybody has an heirloom recipe (or a pie.

-i But, as one young mother said recently, kids will remember me for my Blue-' berry Doughnuts. It's bound to happen, be- cause as soon as the fresh blueberies are In the market they want them in doughnuts every day." This blueberry doughnut recipe came i about when she was making a big batch of 'doughnuts for the church school picnic one summer. One of her children who likes blueberries in and on top of everything threw a handful Into the dough. It seemed like a good idea, especially when the first 'doughnut came out of the hot fat. It had to be the best doughnut anybody had ever tasted.

Blueberry doughnuts are a delicious homemade snack for youngsters when they 'come 4n from play or summertime chores. Try them, too, with a scoop of ice cream on top for a Blueberry Fundae. They travel well and don't crumb. BLUEBERRY DOUGHNUTS 1 cup fresh blueberries 2 cups flour 2-H teaspoons baking powder V4 cup sugar yt teaspoon salt 2 eggs Vi cup milk 3 tablespoons melted butter 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind WASH FRESH blueberries and drain thoroughly. Sprinkle lightly with flour.

Sift Ocean County Extension The author Is Home Economist. i Aftii tiiiS1ii.Jl-Iiii ft Ito. if" A ill ii A A A A A Ai A ii A ri ri i A Ai -f III il tfti iA iA nrf 4 nilf nlf -i i-4 -ri' ii Hnl.