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Today I found 2 pints of blueberries that had apparently gotten lost in the refrigerator for more than 2 weeks. They looked a little shriveled but they tasted ok so I thought I’d try them in a new muffin recipe and see what happens.

The muffins are delicious! I love blueberry muffins and this is the first recipe I’ve found that I’d say is good. Yum!

                  Blueberry Muffins (Betty Crocker)

-= Ingredients =-

1 3/4 cups Flour
1/4 cup Sugar
2 tablespoons Sugar
2 teaspoons Baking powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1 Egg; beaten
3/4 cup Milk
1/3 cup Cooking oil
3/4 cup Fresh or frozen blueberries

-= Instructions =-

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.   

In a large mixing bowl stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and  salt. Make a well in the center.

Combine egg, milk, and oil. Add egg  mixture all at once to flour mixture.

Add blueberries and stir just till  moistened; batter should be lumpy.

Grease muffin cups or line with paper  bake cups; fill 2/3 full.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or till golden. Remove  from pans; serve warm.

Makes 10-12 muffins

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I have 2 three-year old blueberry bushes from which I’m taking cuttings to plant a small grove closer to the house. I’ve considered transplanting the blueberries but I should get a nice crop this year at last (if I can keep the birds and goats away) and I’d hate to interfere with that.

There are a few methods for taking cuttings from blueberry bushes, or almost any type of bush or plant. One easy method is called ‘layering.’ Take branches that are close to the ground, strip off leaves off of a section that will lay on the ground while the main stem is still attached to the mother plant. Scrape the stem to wound it a little bit and then dig a shallow hole, place the stem over the hole and cover with loose soil. Place a rock on top. In several weeks you will be able to dig up the rooted plant and cut it from the mother plant.

Another method is to take 6-8 inch cuttings of soft/green wood. Strip off all of the leaves but the top two or three. Dip the cut end in Rootone or some other rooting hormone, or willow water, and then stick these cuttings into wet, warm sand. Keep warm and mist twice a day. The cuttings should produce roots in 8 weeks or so. You can check by probing gently with a pencil.

You can also do what’s called ‘air layering.’ Remove the leaves from a small section about 12” from the end of a branch. Scrape a bit of the stem where you removed the leaves to wound it a little bit. Wrap the scraped area in wet moss and tape with duct tape to keep it moist. In several weeks you will have roots growing into the moss. Cut the branch from the mother plant, carefully remove the tape, and plant it in its new home.

You can find detailed information on blueberry culture on my web site: www.chickensense.com/blueberries.asp

UPDATE July 2009: There is an excellent article on taking and rooting all types of cuttings, and making a simple “misting bed” at the Richland Nursery web site. Scroll down and click the “Propagation Setup With Raised Platform” link.

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