Everybody’s Favorite Bluebery Crisp

Whatever name you call them by—high-bush, low-bush, early sweet, late low, or sour-top blueberries, whortleberries, huckleberries, dangleberries, whorts, hurts, bilberries—the fruit of the twenty or more species of Vaccinium and Gaylussacia are popped into almost every mouth on the Vineyard during blueberrying time. Discriminating pickers tend to seek out one variety and pass up the others, but most of us just drop anything that’s ripe and within reach into our pans and serve them all up together. High-bush blueberries in full fruit are a spectacular sight—10 feet high and laden with ripe berries. There are acres of them on the Vineyard, but don’t expect a berry picker to tell you where they are. He probably guards his secret jealously, because there is a sort of magic about blueberrying alone or with one special friend in a high, rock-studded Vineyard meadow on a blue-skied afternoon that is too precious to share at random.

3 cups fresh blueberries
½ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon mace or nutmeg
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon grated lemon zest
¾ cup all-purpose flour
½ cup sugar (brown sugar may be substituted)
6 tablespoons butter, softened
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup nut meats, chopped (optional but recommended)
Sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream for serving (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Remove stems and leaves, if any, from blueberries. Wash and drain the berries and place in a mixing bowl. Add sugar, spices, lemon juice, and zest; mix lightly. Place the mixture in a shallow 1- to 2-quart casserole or baking dish.
prepare the crumb topping as follows: Combine in a mixing bowl the flour, sugar, butter, and salt. With the fingers or a pastry blender, work these ingredients to a crumbly consistency. Sprinkle over the berry mixture, adding the nut meats, if they are used.

Bake 30 minutes, or until the topping is nicely browned and the fruit is tender.
Serve with sweetened whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream, if you wish.

Makes about 6 portions.

This recipe has been printed in all four editions of The Martha’s Vineyard Cookbook.

Recipe by Jean Wexler