Wild blueberry or Huckleberry pie
Instructions:
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Wild or "low bush" blueberries grow profusely in the northern areas of the United States. In Maine, wild blueberry producers help along the self-propagating little blueberries with fertilization, weeding, and general tending. In Minnesota, low bush berries grow in the rocky northern wilderness and are accessible and available only to those who know where they are. Blueberry picking is more of a sport than a necessity for food. Every August foragers—local people, families, old ladies with their heads protected with scarves, canoe-trippers, and backpackers—fill pail after pail with the little blueberries. In 1918, vast areas of northern Minnesota were burned by a forest fire, killing all the weeds and vegetation, and for many years after that blueberry patches were so abundant that old-timers will tell of the berries they "milked" into pails.
Because huckleberries are similar in tartness and flavor to blueberries, they can be used interchangeably. Mark Twain, a lover of pies, loved huckleberry pie, and when he was depressed, it was reported that he would eat a half a pie with a quart of milk every morning.
- Pastry for 1 double-crust 9-incb pie;
- 4 cups wild blueberries or huckleberries;
- 3⁄4 cup sugar;
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour;
- 1⁄2 teaspoon cinnamon;
- 1 tablespoon butter.
- Preheat oven to 375 F.
- Roll out half the pastry and line a 9-inch pie pan. In a large bowl, gently combine the berries with the sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Turn mixture into the crust-lined pan. Dot with butter. Roll out top crust and cover the berries. Moisten edges with water, and crimp to seal. Bake until crust is golden brown, about 45 to 55 minutes.