Blueberry Forest Foraging

Cheers to serendipitous abundance

Mustikas: blueberries in Estonian

When John and I first decided on this Estonia move and wrote up our list of house criteria and I detailed my reasons for the leap, safe to say blueberries were not on that list.

I had heard family stories about all the wild foraging in the Baltic woods, especially my mother’s tales of fall mushroom hunting in Latvia. But I didn’t have really any context or background on how much of a deep-rooted Estonian culture foraging was and — serendipitous— that it would be available right out my new house door.

Literally. I cross over the road and I’m in the woods, complete with miles of (no wait – learning metric – kilometers!) of accessible hiking trails.

With Estonia along with most of northern European respecting by law your “freedom to roam,” this means I have the legal right to wander properties (respectfully of course) and it’s an accepted (encouraged!) practice to roam and harvest mushrooms and berries.

You got that right: Much of what I’m doing here would be illegal (unnecessarily!) in the States. This is an increasingly recurring theme.

But I digress. More on the “everything I’m doing would be illegal in Wisconsin”topic to come.

Back to blueberries. Last December was first and only time we saw Tamme before we purchased it. It was the winter solstice and dark and cold and grey and I had a million thing running through my mind at the time. I didn’t really notice the forest across the road. I had no idea how the woods would be like a garden without the maintenance, an on-going buffet of edibles all summer long. 

But even more so, I didn’t realize how drawn I would be to these trees. And because it is so accessible, I’m popping over for a short walk (always with my backpack and a bag in case I find any mushrooms) or right now blueberry harvest, several times a day right now when the weather is perfect summer still. It’s like my personal Mother Nature cathedral, my soul’s happy place.

The message there for me is yet another reminder of serendipity on the journey of life. Sometimes (often!), we don’t know what magic awaits us until we stir things up and make the change. I didn’t know what a waterfall of serenity and peace I would feel solo walking these trails, but I do.

Is my deep connection to the Estonian forests genetic? According to my and my mom’s DNA test with Ancestry a few years ago, I’m 100% Baltic. Nothing else. For hundreds of years and generations, basically forever, parts of me in spirit have roamed these woods and yet right now this is all still so new for me. It’s like I’m a child and rediscovering a new belonging and connection for the first time.

You got that right: I’m thinking about and processing a growing list of bigger life topics amidst simply savoring the joys of summer. More for me to think about and share with you, but first, I must eat this blueberry muffin.

So back to blueberries. I first started harvesting them as soon as I saw them in mid-June, which in hindsight was a little early as they were on the tarter, smaller side but I was just bursting with enthusiasm. By mid-July, the berries grew bigger and sweeter. Smaller than commercial berries but with so much flavor and such a strong natural color your hands and mouth turn shades of purple.

I’ve been harvesting for about a month and right now and, as we head into mid-August, they are at their peak of size and flavor and slowly nearing the end. I invested a whopping 5 Euros (about $5.50 US) in this fabulous, Finnish made blueberry picker, making the process so much easier and dare I say fun.

In addition to daily eating fresh (John has a morning bowl with yogurt), I’ve been having fun experimenting with blueberry baking (and drinking!) , including the recipes below for cocktails, classic muffins and more. I’m stll working on the “Estonian Wild-Foraged Blueberry Pop Tart — more to come!

Blueberry Baltic Blush

Throw in some frozen blueberries for a flavorful summer cool-down

My own cocktail creation for summer happy hour on the deck at Tamme.

First, make a simple syrup with blueberries (or any berries) with:

One cup sugar

One cup berries

1/2 cup water

Boil till sugar is dissolved. Cool and strain our blueberries (and use as a topping somewhere else. Great on pancakes, yogurt or ice cream).

Store syrup in refrigerator.

For each drink, mix in glass:

One or two shots depending on your mood (1/8 cup; 1.5 ounces each) gin, rum or vodka (long history of Estonia-produced vodka with the first records reaching back to the 1400s)

¼ cup (3 ounces) berry simple syrup (or to your level of sweetness liking)

Squeeze of lime juice

Gently stir and top with ice and either water or soda water if you like bubbles.

Cheers!

Fresh or frozen blueberries work well in this recipe

Blueberry Streusel-Topped Muffins

Thanks to Sally’s Baking Addiction for the recipe inspiration and idea to bake for five minutes first at a higher heat. Gives it a crusty outer layer.

Ingredients:

Streusel Topping:

½ cup white sugar (100 grams)

⅓ cup all-purpose flour (42 grams)

¼ cup butter, cubed (57 grams)

1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

Muffin base:

1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113 grams) butter, softened

1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar

1/4 cup (50g) packed brown sugar

2 eggs

1/2 cup (120g) sour cream

1/4 cup (60ml) cream or milk

2 teaspoons vanilla or almond or lemon extract — whatever you are in the mood for!

1 and 3/4 cups (219grams) all-purpose flour

1 t. baking soda

1 t. baking powder

1 t. salt

2 cups (210g) fresh or frozen blueberries (see note on frozen blueberries)

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C).

Grease 18 muffin cavities (I rub in a little sunflower oil). This would be one and a half standard muffin pans.

Mix all of the streusel topping ingredients together with a pastry blender, fork or fingers. Set aside.

Cream together the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together on high speed until smooth and well-blended.

Add the eggs and beat well.

Add the sour cream and extract on and mix until combined.

Mix together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.

Slowly add the dry ingredients and then the milk until combined.

Roll the blueberries in flour (this helps them not sink to the bottom) and gently fold evenly into the batter.

Note if you are using frozen blueberries, add them to the batter frozen. Do not defrost.

Fill the muffin cavities to just before the top.

Sprinkle the struesel topping on top of each muffin. Press down gently with fingers.

Bake for the first 5 minutes at 425.

Without opening the oven or moving the muffins, after 5 minutes reduce the oven temperature to 350°F (177°C).

Bake for an additional 18–22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool muffins for 10 minutes in the muffin pan, then transfer to a wire rack to continue cooling. They will firm up as they cool (but are delicious warm!)

Three more blueberry recipes I’ve been bake-loving:

Blueberry Crumble Bars on AllRecipes

Instead of 1 c. straight white sugar, I do half white and half brown.

Also can add a cup of oats to the topping/second layer.

Blueberry Crumb Coffee Cake by Smitten Kitchen

A classic, old school Sunday morning coffeecake.

Blueberry Sour Cream Coffee Cake on AllRecipes

Made this one this morning; another retro cake. I might go mushroom hunting with a neighbor later today (read: with an experienced native forrager - yay!) and of course need to bring my teacher snacks.

I’m increasingly a fangirl of baked good recipes that add sour cream to the batter. Sour cream adds both moisture (oh how dry baked goods irritate me) and flavor.

Add in that sour cream — “hapukoor” in Estonian — is a mealtime staple elevated to national pride and honor level (my mother was deeply concerned that Liam did not like sour cream as a little kid — a fact that has since evolved 😉) — I can find really good, high-quality hapukoor everywhere.

Blueberry South Cream Coffeecake

Check out more photos (and ordering options) from John D. Ivanko on Alamy