As the North American crop of blueberries ripens all across the country, head for your local market – farmer’s or super – and pick up several pints. Keep a ready supply in the refrigerator. Then just rinse, shake and you’re ready to sprinkle a handful of fresh blueberries over your morning cereal, add a dash of flavor and color to lunchtime salads, or stir into lemon or vanilla yogurt at snacktime.

Of course, one of the most delicious ways to enjoy blueberries, while they are at their peak of freshness and flavor this summer, is in homemade baked goods. Blueberry scones and muffins are just two of the traditionally delicious ways to take advantage of this season’s crop of fresh blueberries. With just four ingredients, Blueberry Mini-Scones are easy to make yet sophisticated and impressive. And Blueberry Mini-Muffins take America’s favorite fruit-filled muffins and trim them down to bite-size.

Both Blueberry Mini-Scones and Mini-Muffins pack big blueberry flavor and homemade goodness into portion-controlled convenience. Just one mini-scone, for example, has 89 calories and 3 grams total fat--versus a maxi-scone you might get from the coffee cart, which can average 400 calories with 19 grams of fat. Blueberry Mini-Muffins have just 85 calories and 2 grams fat apiece, compared to 500 calories and 17 grams fat for the jumbo-sized coffee house equivalent.

Don’t limit your summertime blueberry festival to baked goods. Serve Blueberry- Pineapple Ambrosia as a fruit salad for a weekend brunch, an accompaniment to a patio supper of grilled chicken and vegetables, or dessert along with a platter of cookies.

Sweet, colorful and good for you too, fresh blueberries are a guilt-free indulgence that can be added to miniature baked goods, tossed into an ambrosial salad or eaten as a snack on their own. At only 80 fat-free calories per cup, blueberries supply fiber and vitamin C, as well as a healthy dose of health-promoting antioxidants.

2 cups biscuit mix
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 cup fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease a large baking sheet. In a medium-sized bowl, combine biscuit mix and sugar. With a wooden spoon, stir in milk until mixture forms a ball; on a lightly floured board, flatten dough. Pat or roll out dough to make a 14- X 7-inch rectangle. Scatter blueberries over half of the dough (in a 7-inch square); fold over remaining half of the dough. Gently press to a uniform thickness. Cut dough in 4 squares (3-1/2 inches each); cut each square diagonally in both directions to make 16 triangles. Arrange mini-scones on prepared baking sheet. Bake in upper third of oven until browned on top, 8 to 10 minutes. Serve warm. YIELD: 16 mini-scones Blueberry Scones: Prepare dough as directed above; cut each square diagonally in half to make 8 scones; bake at 375°F until tops are golden, 12 to 15 minutes.

YIELD: 8 scones

Photo #: BC-29

Bite-sized blueberry muffins and scones combine big blueberry flavor and homemade goodness with portion-controlled convenience. PHOTO #: BC-29 Please credit the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council

2 cups self-rising flour
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup milk 1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/4 cup butter, melted
1-1/2 cups fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 425°F. Lightly grease 24 (1-inch) mini-muffin pan cups. In a medium-sized bowl, combine flour and sugar. Make a well in the center; add milk, egg and butter. Stir gently until mixture begins to form a soft dough; fold in berries; spoon into mini-muffin cups, dividing evenly. Bake until tops are golden, 12 to 15 minutes. Serve warm.

YIELD: 24 mini-muffins

Blueberry Muffins: Prepare batter as directed above. Spoon batter into 12 lightly greased 3-inch muffin cups; bake at 425°F until tops are golden, 15 to 18 minutes. YIELD: 12 muffins

2 cups fresh blueberries
2 cups fresh or canned pineapple in 1-inch cubes
1/2 cup sweetened, flaked coconut
1/2 cup orange juice
2 tablespoons orange-flavored liqueur or additional orange juice

In a medium-sized bowl, combine blueberries, pineapple, coconut, orange juice and liqueur. Spoon mixture into 4 chilled wine glasses or dessert dishes, dividing evenly; top each with a blueberry or mint sprig, if desired.

YIELD: 4 portions (about 4 cups)

LEAFLET OFFER
Blueberry Classics: Shortcuts to Old-Fashioned Flavor

Remember those old-fashioned blueberry treats that made summer especially sweet? A colorful new recipe leaflet offers seven classic blueberry recipes, streamlined and easily do-able on even the busiest days.

In this leaflet, you’ll find such all-time favorites as luscious Individual Blueberry Cheesecakes that require no baking, Blueberry Cobbler with only four ingredients and Quick Blueberry-Peach Crisp, ready to eat in 10 minutes.

To order this free information-packed leaflet, send a self-addressed, business-size (#10) envelope to:

Blueberry Classics
USHBC
P.O. Box 1036
Folsom, CA 95630