This summer we have lived many Maine summer days of fresh food, beach time and crafts. One of the best times of summer is now- harvest time for Maine wild blueberries! So today, being our day to bake bread, I decided we needed to keep these blueberries in our diet. We harvested over 20 quarts of wild organic blueberries from Staples Homestead in Stockton Springs in the past 2 weeks. Only a small fraction of those (about 3 quarts) we have kept for fresh eating and baking, the rest were frozen, dehydrated (4 quarts fresh= 1 quart dry), or combined with strawberries to make fruit leathers in the dehydrator. We recently found out Parula has food sensitivities to whole wheat, spelt, egg whites and yolks, and soy. We are trying to eliminate these foods from her diet for the next 2 months and slowly add them in, hoping that her belly aches subside. In researching some gluten-free corn bread recipes for this mornings baking project, I found that every recipe includes eggs (and sugar). So I made some modifications and wrote down what I changed this time. I usually just substitute without thinking about recording, and then when I go back to make the substitutions again I can never recall EXACTLY what I did before, and thus a slightly different product each time. This time I thought I could keep this change and share, because this is a very YUMMY treat- gluten free, vegan, and no refined sugar! The kids almost always want to help when it is time to bake. I measure out the ingredients, they take turns pouring them in and stirring. I have learned that having them wear aprons is essential to keeping the laundry pile from growing too quickly! Enjoy!
Corn bread Wild Blueberry Goodness
1 1/2 c. cornmeal
1 c. Gluten free baking mix (I used Pamela's, you could also use rice flour)
1 T baking powder
1/2 t salt
3 T raw honey (or not raw if you have a baby under 1)
3/4 c. unsweetened apple sauce
1/4 c. canola oil
1/2 t. cinnamon
1/4 t. nutmeg
1 quart wild Maine blueberries
Mix dry ingredients and wet ingredients seperately. Combine. Oil baking dish (I used a 8" round dish that has a lid so I can save the leftovers easily in the fridge). Add the blueberries to baking dish first after picking out leaves, stems, unripe. Pour cornbread mixture over blueberries (DO NOT STIR TOGETHER!) Bake at 400 degrees F for 45 minutes or until crust is golden brown, cooked thru and blueberries are bubbling (if you use glass that will be obvious). ENJOY!
