The age old battle continues. Whats the difference between hand picked blueberries and machine picked blueberries. The hand picked blueberries are firmer, because they are typically not as sweet/ripe, as they are the first of the crop. We can't machine pick these earliest berries, as it would damage the rest of the berries on the bush which are still ripening. The riper/sweeter the berry the softer it becomes. For Machine picked berries, the majority of the berries have to be ripe, because the majority will fall off as the picker goes through. With hand picking you can select the berries that are the biggest and the bluest and the ripest. We, the farmer, expect a highest quality from the hand pickers.
Every year we make our own compost right here on the farm. We couldn't find a reliable source of consistent compost, so we make our own, with our own special recipe. We gather compost feed stocks from our local area, and layer them carefully. We turn it, and let it cook for 12 to 14 weeks, then it goes into a curing pile for 1 year. We then spread it on our blueberry plants, as a food source, and sell it to other local blueberry growers. This special formula results in berries that are amazing nutritious, delicious, and have a wonderful texture too. In small quantities our compost is available to the public for purchase, $50 dollars a yard by appointment.
Ingredients:
• 2 c sifted all-purpose flour
• 1 T baking powder
• 1t salt
• 2T granulated sugar
• 5 ½ T unsalted butter, chilled and cut into pieces
• 1 extra large egg, beaten
• ½ cup heavy (whipping) cream
• 2T unsalted butter, melted
• ½ c granulated sugar
• 1T orange zest
• 6 to 8 c fresh berries washed and dried (such as blueberries, strawberries,
raspberries, blackberries)
• ¾ to 1 c granulated sugar, depending on how sweet the berries are
• 1 to 1 ½ c heavy (whipping) cream, whipped and lightly sweetened
with 2t of granulated sugar
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 425º F. Lightly grease a baking sheet and set aside.
In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Using a pastry blender, 2 knives, or your fingertips, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until it resembles coarse cornmeal. In a small bowl, combine the egg and cream and add to the flour mixture, mix until just blended together.
Turn out the batter onto a lightly floured board and knead for 1 minute. Roll dough into a rectangle approximately 4 inches by 8 inches. Brush the dough with the melted butter. Sprinkle with sugar and orange zest. Roll up, jelly-roll fashion, and seal the long seam by pinching it together lightly with your fingers.
Cut the roll into eight 1 inch thick slices. Lay slices down sideways on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until scones are golden.
Slice the strawberries and place in a large pretty bowl with other whole berries if available. Sprinkle with sugar and refrigerate for 1 to 2 hours. To serve, heap spoonfuls of berries over each scone and top with freshly whipped cream.
Makes 8 scones
