Visiting a U-Pick ‘Em Blueberry farm is a great social distancing activity, because you can yell “get your own bush” when someone encroaches on your crop. The best time is mid-June through early August, but weather has a lot to do with when the berries are ripe enough to pick.
Trivia Fact: About 60 percent of blueberries in Georgia are of the rabbiteye variety. The remaining 40 percent are the Southern highbush variety.
It’s ALWAYS best to call before you head out to ensure picking conditions are optimal, and that the patch is open; oftentimes a blueberry farm will close for a few days to allow more crops to flourish. DJ’s You Pick Blueberries is a locally run u-pick blueberry farm in Lawrenceville, GA and berries are sold for $20 a gallon. DJ’s Blueberries is located at: 1839 Prospect Road, Lawrenceville, GA 30043.
Once you’ve picked yourself, purchased at a farmers market, or snagged at a grocery store (shhhhh we won’t tell), it’s time to decide the best way to enjoy the lil blue gems! Pop ‘em in your mouth for a snack, send ‘em swimming with your cheerios, or we suggest making a blueberry cobbler with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. This Southern Blueberry Cobbler has a buttery crust that’s worth every calorie. It is full of vibrant blueberries, sugar and lemon zest, which brings out their fresh flavor. It’s so good you’ll be finishing it off for breakfast…which is totally acceptable these days, right?!?
Ingredients
- 12 tablespoons butter OR 1 ½ sticks, divided (4 TBSP and 8 TBSP)
- 1 ½ cups sugar, plus more to sprinkle on top (¼ C and 1 ¼ C)
- 3 cups blueberries
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest, grated
- 1 1/2 cups flour
- 2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 1/2 cups whole milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Place 4 tablespoons of butter in a 9 x 13 baking dish. Place in oven and let butter melt, watching carefully.
- In a medium-sized bowl, stir together blueberries, 1/4 cup of sugar and lemon zest. Set aside. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt the remaining 8 Tablespoons of butter (let cool for several minutes before adding).
- In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, remaining 1 1/4 cup of sugar and salt. Whisk in melted butter and milk. Stir until smooth.
- Remove baking dish from oven and pour batter into the pan.
- Dollop blueberry mixture evenly over batter. Generously sprinkle with remaining sugar.
- Bake until golden brown and edges are crisp — about 42-48 minutes.
- Serve with vanilla ice cream, blueberry syrup or homemade whipped cream.