Barn Dances & Blueberries.

Let us, if we could, stray from vacation posts for a moment to celebrate some good old fashioned Americana...Barn Dances and Blueberries.

Happy Independence  Day folks!

The other night, while driving home on a dusty country road, we passed a hand made sign;  Barn Dance Parking.  Should we stop? Surely that sign was meant for us!  (in full disclosure, we started driving home when our dear friend called and invited us to that very same barn dance!).  So, we ran home and took care of the animals, and then headed back to the festivities.

It was a celebration dinner/dance for Tillian Farm, and our good friend Chef Alex is a supporter of their local food initiative, buying fresh produce from them for Zingermann's Roadhouse.  A handful of restaurants that support the farm put out some yummy vittles, and the very sweet The Appleseed Collective provided our dancing music.  Coco Rosie couldn't decide between dancing under the twinkling strands of lights and catching lightening bugs...a beautiful Michigan summer night just doesn't get any better.

The Appleseed Collective

Most of my pictures ended up being of Doc posing in his western wear. (but notice Joe and Coco in the background!)

Coco responsibly went and found the name tag table and made herself one.  God I love her.

Lightening Bug Goatee.

And, that brings us to part deux of this Independence Day post.  Joe's Uncle Mark and Aunt Linda are the proud owners of the Dexter Blueberry Farm (Formerly Zabinski's Blueberry Farm).  Each year around Joe's birthday, July 30th, we get the heads up to go out and pick a few days before the farm opens to the public.  Joe has his traditional birthday blueberry pie, and then we spend the rest of the summer stocking the freezer and our bellies.  Well, Mr. Zabinsky,who still lives on the property, walked through the fields this week and stated that this is the earliest and best blueberry crop on record, and we got the heads up to pick this morning :).  Coco started screaming "the bushes are all blue!"...and they were.  Cluster after cluster of huge ripe berries.  Joe and I picked 34 pounds in an hour and a half (at which point it became oppressively hot at 9:30 am and we had to call it.  but we stumbled on a good garage sale on the way home and scored a rock tumbler!).  I can not urge you good people enough to get your behinds out there and pick.  Fresh, local, and I think they are only like $1.75/pound...for realsies.  Take the kids - make the older ones pick, and let the younger ones play hide and seek between the bushes.  Take a blanket and a picnic...make a morning of it.

10810 Beach Road

Dexter, MI  48130

Follow the signs to tell you which field is open for the pickin'!

The Bluebs (as joe and coco call them).

And this is what 34 pounds of blueberries in a farm sink looks like (minus a few dropped off for Kelly as she did her farm rounds, and a few for Al and Lois).  The blueberry crisp just came out of the oven, and we are prettying ourselves for the pool.  (yes, I love my friends that much that i turned on the oven.  Probably could have just put it on the porch to bake ;)).

Blueberry Crisp:

Layer a baking pan with an inch or two of berries

Sprinkle crumble topping evenly over top

Bake on '350 for an hour (or until the berries bubble through the crisp;))

Crumble Topping:  

Mix together...

1 cup flour

1 cup brown Sugar

1 cup quick oats

Put 1 stick of butter in the microwave and soften it, then use a pastry cutter to cut it into the dry mixture

**You can do this with any berry, add rhubarb, peaches, etc.  Can't go wrong with a crisp!