Bald and Blue Are Beautiful

When I was around seven or eight we went on a camping trip to Spence Field. Spence Field is one of the famous Smoky Mountain “balds.” These are the tops of mountains in the lower Appalachian chain that have no trees growing on them. No one knows why. We just found them that way.

The reason for their mystery is they are all below the tree-line and so should be forested. In fact, in the national park they are regularly maintained to keep them bald because nature keeps trying to put trees back on them. And the park service keeps them bald because we found them that way.

Some theorize that the Cherokees cleared them for some reason. But what reason? Others suggest early colonists cleared them, but again, why? The last popular theory

When baking, follow directions. When cooking, go by your own taste. ~ Laiko Bahrs

is that lightening fires cleared them, but there’s no solid evidence of (or explanation for) that either. Whatever the cause, the views across the mountains from their peaks are spectacular.

The balds are characterized by grasses and shrubs and among those shrubs are blueberries. Wonderful, tiny little packages of blue deliciousness and on this particular camping trip they were in the midst of ripening. Dad or Mom gave us some kind of containers and picked and ate and ate and picked — I suppose until we’d picked the area clean. Then Dad built a fire and we had supper. After supper Mom fixed hot tea with milk and sugar — I don’t recall ever having had that before — and made us bowls of blueberries with milk and sugar.

I still like tea with milk and sugar on a cold evening. And I still love blueberries. But these days I like them best made into a crisp topped with cream.

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Blueberry Crisp

6 c blueberries
2 tbsp sugar
1 tsp instant tapioca
1/2 ea lemon — juiced
2 tbsp butter — cut into 5 or 6 pieces
Crisp topping
2/3 c brown sugar — packed firm
1/2 c all-purpose flour
1/2 c quick cooking oats
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
4 tbsp butter– chilled, cut into small pieces
2 tbsp shortening — chilled, cut into small pieces

Heat oven to 400F.

Mix blueberries, sugar, tapioca, and lemon juice in an 8 inch by 8 inch casserole. Distribute butter over fruit.

Mix together dry ingredients in the workbowl of a food processor. Add butter and shortening and pulse about 10 times, then process 5 to 10 seconds until there are no visible lumps of fat.

Sprinkle topping over fruit and bake for 35 to 40 minutes until juice begins bubbling through. Cool and serve.

The topping is great on any fruit — peaches, apples, plums, whatever. I usually double the recipe when I make it. It will keep in the freezer for 6 months and it’s handy to have around for a spur of the minute dessert.

Technorati: Food | recipe | dessert | blueberries | fruit | crisp

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