Blueberry Yum Yum

Bushy

My blueberry bush is just out of control. I go outside daily to pick the ripe fruit, and I don't know what to do with it all. I picked almost a full quart today. That's 4 cups for those who don't speak kitchen fluently. I wasn't living in my house last year when the blueberries were ripe, so I didn't have this 'problem' on my hands. No, it's actually fantastic, I have so many ideas of what to do with my bounty of beautiful blue fruit. Until today, all I had done was go out to pick a handful each morning and put it on top of my yogurt and granola.

 Spring and summer in Oregon are perfect. I could never imagine a more ideal place to live, especially in the summer. The weather is perfect. It gets hot sometimes, but usually it is pretty spot on for what I like. Everything grows here. I grew up in North Idaho, and we have a good growing season, but it is nothing like the temperate zone that is western Oregon. Everything seems to grown here, and you don't even have to try. Covering my house in an almost unruly manner are grapes, nasturtiums, hops, and a couple other vines that I don't even know. Blackberry bushes are a nuisance to some. They are my favorite thing about living in Oregon.

During my first Oregon Summer, I was living on the coast outside Lincoln City in a tiny community called Gleneden Beach. I worked in a coffee shop about a half a mile from my house, and was able to walk to work and back every day, and enjoy the coastal life to the fullest. As I walked to the post office one day, I discovered an entire block that was pure blackberry bushes, and it was covered in luscious, dark purple berries. I was ecstatic, and rushed back to my house to grab as many tupperware containers as I had, my headphones, and a couple bong rips before I headed back to spend my evening picking berries. It was fantastic. I probably picked over a gallon on the first night alone, but still went back every day after work to fill up as many containers as I had lying around. After filling up, I would walk down to the beach and watch the sunset as I headed back home, feeling as content as I ever had, and excited about the possibilities that my blackberry hoarding would grant me.

It isn't quite that season yet, but the bush full of blueberries next to my front porch is almost as good. I've never had my own blueberry bush, so I've been going wild with blueberries for the past two weeks. I really wanted to make ice cream, but I don't have an ice cream machine at the house. The search was on for an easy no-churn ice cream recipe. I looked at several sites, and what popped up on almost every one was a simple combination of whipping cream and sweetened condensed milk(SCM). I've honestly never used SCM, something about it just seems cheap and gross to me, but I was hurting for some homemade ice cream and decided to give it a shot.

Beautiful berries

Making the ice cream was so simple, it honestly took about 5 minutes, besides the time I took to make a blueberry sauce to fold in. The recipe is so versatile, you could make any flavor from it, and it really did make a nice, creamy, perfectly textured ice cream. It gives a soft texture, and isn't icy or weird at all like I was afraid. A scoop of it looked like real ice cream. I'll probably mess around with a couple other flavors, but am now on the look out for a recipe that doesn't involve SCM, because I feel like making it right would
be healthier. Like I said though, super versatile, SUPER easy, and pretty damn tasty as well. You can add anything to it. Nuts, fruit, herbs, spices, caramel, chocolate, peanut butter, fuck man, you could even add bacon to it. I might do that...bacon pecan caramel ice cream? Mmmmmm......

Blueberry-Balsamic Lemon Super Easy No-Churn Ice Cream

Finally! I get to eat it!

• 1 Pint Heavy Whipping Cream
• 1 can (10 oz) Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 3 each Lemons, zested
• 1 pint blueberries
• 1 cup balsamic vinegar
• Splash of vanilla

Throw the blueberries and balsamic in a sauce pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn down to a simmer and let it reduce, about 20 minutes, until a nice saucy consistency is reached. Don't let it reduce to far, because it will gelatinize and be too thick.

 

You want it to still be runny, because it gets folded into the cream. Cool at least to room temp, but I put mine in the fridge because I was in a hurry.

Whip the cream and SCM together until medium peaks form. 

Creamy and Dreamy

Fold in the lemon zest, vanilla, and blueberry sauce. I also used the juice from one lemon. It should look like there are ribbons of blueberry. 

Finally, spoon the ice cream into a metal loaf pan. Metal reacts to temperature better than glass or plastic, so it will cool down faster. I covered mine with parchment paper, wrapped it tightly in cling wrap, and froze it for at least 6 hours, but more time may be needed. 

Notice that I don't have sugar in the recipe? You don't need it! The SCM is definitely sweet enough, so there should be no need to add anything more. 

Viola! Magic, so-simple-you-could-do-it-with-your-eyes-closed, and delicious. I loved the tang of lemon zest, and the hint of balsamic was pretty exciting. I hope you enjoy this easy recipe, I know that I will now be making ice cream all summer!