B L U E B E R RY P O U N D C A K E

1 (18 1/4-ounce) box butter cake mix

1 (8-ounce) carton cream cheese,

Blueberry softened
1/2 cup oil
3 eggs, beaten
1 (15-ounce) can whole blueberries

T HRILLS
Beat cake mix, cream cheese, oil and
eggs with electric mixer until smooth.
Add blueberries and stir by hand until
mixed. Bake in greased and floured
Bundt pan at 350 degrees for one hour.

W
TEXT BY ROBYN JACKSON
B L U E B E R RY PA R FA I T S
When you think of blueberries, muffins automatically come to mind, but
1 cup shortbread cookie crumbs
the versatile little berry is delicious in everything from pancakes and cobbler 3 tablespoons butter, melted
to bread pudding. Turn them into jam and spread on toast, or make blueberry 1 cup lemon curd
syrup and enjoy over shortcake with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Layer them 1 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed
2 cups blueberries
with shortbread cookies, lemon curd and whipped topping to make a parfait,
or bake them into a pound cake, like my grandfather used to do. Mix cookie crumbs and melted butter.
Blueberries are such a popular crop in South Mississippi - from backyard Layer 2 tablespoons crumb mixture into
bushes to pick-your-own farms - that Poplarville even hosts a blueberry festi- each of four parfait glasses. Then layer
with 2 tablespoons lemon curd, 2 table-
val each June. spoons whipped topping, and 1/4 cup
Here are four quick and easy but delicious blueberry recipes from “Best of blueberries in each glass, repeating lay-
the Best 500 Fast & Fabulous Five-Star 5-Ingredient Recipes,” by Gwen McKee ers until glasses are full. Keep chilled
and Barbara Mosely, “the cookbook ladies” from Brandon’s Quail Ridge Press until serving time.
who have sold hundreds of thousands of cookbooks on QVC. S P R U C E D -U P B L U E B E R RY M U F F I N S
1 (7-ounce) package blueberry muffin
mix
2/3 cup milk
1/2 ripe banana, mashed
1/4 cup chopped nuts
1/4 cup quick-cooking or instant oat-
meal

Mix all together. Pour into nine greased

muffin cups; bake in preheated 425
degree oven 14-17 minutes.

DARK AND L O V E LY B L U E B E R RY J A M
2 1/2 cups blueberries
3 cups sugar
1/3 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 (3-ounce) bottle fruit pectin
Wash blueberries and drain. Crush blue-
berries in an enamel or stainless steel
saucepan. Mix sugar, orange juice and
lemon juice; add to pan. Boil hard for
one minute, stirring constantly. Remove
from heat, and stir in pectin. Seal in
hot sterilized jelly jars. Refrigerate.

PICK YOUR OWN BLUEBERRIES
AT THESE FARMS
COVINGTON COUNTY
Mitchell Farms, 605 Leaf River Church
Road, Collins; (601) 765-8609.
JONES COUNTY
Taylor Farms, 3510 Augusta Road,
Ellisville; (601) 583-1448. Call for hours
and directions.
McDonald Blueberry Farm, Sandersville;
(601) 428-1920; call for hours and direc-
tions, open Monday-Saturday, Sunday by
appointment.
PEARL RIVER COUNTY
Pearl River Blues Berry Farm: 24 Curt
Rester Road, Lumberton; (601) 796-9800.
Certified organic farm. Open 7 a.m. until
sundown daily. Call for directions.
S&M Blueberries: 2629 Jackson Landing
Road, Picayune; (601) 799-5570. Open
from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily.
Blue Tara PYO Blueberry Farm: 257
Langnecker Road, Poplarville; (601) 403-
8272. Certified organic.
PIKE COUNTY
Route One Nursery, 2158 Lloyd Hamilton
Road, McComb; (601) 684-9609.

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