Blueberry Morning!

We love our wild Alaska blueberries! Unlike domestic blueberries found in the grocery store, wild Alaska blueberries are smaller and have a much more tart flavor. We pick them from the end of summer and into the early fall when they are at their peak of ripness and take them out of the freezer almost on a weekly basis. Jim uses some every day in his morning smoothie. The secret spot we usually pick from can only be accessed by a long hike up the mountain. Nope! Not even accessible by ATV. We usually take Mickey with us (the red Siberian husky) because he enjoys the hike as much as the blueberries. Jim taught him how to pick his own and we constantly have to watch him for "high-grading" the best. This morning I found a recipe for Blueberry-Cornmeal Pancakes in my Better Homes and Garden 75th Anniversary Edition that I thought I'd give a try. To find that the recipe called for buttermilk was added bonus because we adore buttermilk pancakes and I just so happened to need to get rid of the last cup in the refrigerator. When reaching for the cornmeal in the pantry, I had to move the Navajo Blue Cornmeal aside to get to the yellow cornmeal, and

was inspired to use this cornmeal instead. Why not? It's whole grain, and the only difference is that it was blue corn instead. What a lovely surprise! You must try this recipe. For my Alaskan friends, I'll gladly share the 2 TBSP. of blue cornmeal with you should you decide to make this.

Blueberry-Blue Cornmeal Pancakes

1 Cup flour
2 TBSP. Navajo blue cornmeal
1 TBSP. sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 beaten egg
1 cup buttermilk
2 TBSP. vegetable oil
1 cup blueberries

Combine first seven ingredients and mix. Make a well in the center and add the egg, buttermilk and oil. Mix just until moist (should be lumpy). Fold in blueberries. Grill pancakes for about 4 minutes on each side. Serve with butter and blueberry syrup.