'JUST FOR ONE'S HEALTH' ... ~ PURPLE CONEFLOWER (Echinacea purpurea) / 'NOT YOUR ORDINARY' BLUEBERRY MUFFINS
"Just for one's health ... it is very necessary to work in the garden and to see the flowers growing."
Vincent Van Gogh
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PURPLE CONEFLOWER
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'NOT YOUR ORDINARY' BLUEBERRY MUFFINS
~ On the lighter side, these are always a family favorite from ...
PICNIC! Recipes and Menus for Outdoor Enjoyment
1 2/3 cups flour
1/3 cup wheat germ
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 t sp. salt
1 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 cups MICHIGAN blueberries
(preferably small wild ones)
1 cup buttermilk
2 Tbsp. melted unsalted butter
- Preheat oven to 400-degrees.
- In large bowl, combine flower, wheat germ, sugar, salt, and baking soda. Add blueberries and stir to coat. Add buttermilk and butter. Stir until just mixed.
- Spoon batter into greased muffin pans. Bake 18 minutes or until golden brown. Cool in pans for 2 minutes.
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"The purple coneflower isn't really purple at all. The large, eye-catching flowers are bright rose-pink. Each flower has a bristly iridescent orange center cone that provides lively contrast with the reflexed petals and a feeding station for butterflies. Growing on moist prairies and open woods, this American native was collected in southern Michigan more than 150 years ago but typically occurs to the south and west of the Great Lakes state. Native American have long used purple coneflower and its relatives for medicine, and today echinacea is enjoying a renewed popularity in health food stores as a treatment for the common cold ..."
MICHIGAN GARDENER'S GUIDE
Comments
Welcome, Jan, and thank you for the lovely compliment. I've have a passion for photography for many years with still much to learn.
I hear you, jodi. I love them too. You certainly have acquired some 'beauties'! I too have invested a small fortune over the years with little success but this tried and true never lets me down. Of course you can use Nova Scotian blueberries in the muffins (but they won't be as good)!
Thank you, Jeff. It's more fun shooting 'cool' photos of my garden than working out in this horrid hot/humid weather :)
Like you I've tried a bunch of cultivars with little success. Ruby Giant and Fragrant Angel are the only two that made it beyond thir first season. I finally gave up on the cultivars. The tried-and-true natives started from a cheap packet of seeds are the ones that really thrive.
Big hugs today--love ya!
happy summer days.
Ooh, I would love to drive up to Michigan and get some of your wonderful blueberries, Joey! Illinois berries just aren't the same.
Thank you, dear Anna. You are a lucky gal but I'd don't want to hear the word 'fall' yet :( Summer is flying by way too fast. Big hugs back, dear friend. As soon as I get my act together, it's off to the lake today :) Love ya' too <3
Thank you, dear Marmee. I think your family will like these muffins ... my favorite blueberry recipe, flavorful, moist, and not as rich as most.
You should grab Beckie and head to Michigan, Rose ... a memorable trip for Thelma & Louise. We are so blessed to be able to grow not only beautiful flowers but amazing fruits and vegetables. Happy weekend :)
Eileen
Great recipe also, but then they all are.
Jen
Michigan blueberries: now where could we get some of those? ;) My brother-in-law has blueberry farms in Michigan; last year he had to freeze all that he grew for farmers were only offered .25 cent a lb... highway robbery I'd say.
Have a wonderful weekend Joey.
An honor coming from your gifted eye, dear Jen. Hope your life is settling down. Let's enjoy the gift of August and hope it brings us all great joy (and no spiders in our beds)!
Hi Zoey. Hello world ... we are NOT colorblind :)
Surprises are delightful, debsgarden. Enjoy the gift :0)
Thanks, Chad, a fun shoot.
Welcome LC and thank you. Your site was most enjoyable also. Don't be a stranger ... it's fun to connect :)
Hey Rick, thanks ... do get these. You won't be disappointed nor will visiting butterflies :)
Nice collages and thanks for the recipe.
I like that quote. Gardening is NECESSARY!
Dearest Edith, I can think of nothing lovelier than a picnic or informal alfresco dinner beside you. I will cook, prepare the fare, and while we share and enjoy, you will fill my soul with wonderous tales :)
Thank you, dear Kate. Yes, to a fun weekend! Mine started early yesterday when we arrived at the cottage ... August memorable with dear family, tonight's perfect walleye dinner at the Inn, and a view of the waxing crescent moon over the lake when we returned. Tomorrow, dinner here for 10-14. Life is good :)
Another recipe I've got to try. I think the wild blueberries are just better in cooking, don't you think?
Do you take Echinacea for colds? I do.~~Dee
You should change your profile comment "HO-HUM HOUSEWIFE"...nothing ho-hum about you. :)
Besos
And thanks for always a leaving a kind word for me!
Kiki~
Thanks, Patsi. Ho-Hum is Me (Diary of a Ho-Hum Housewife is my novel I'm hoping to one day kick out the door)!
Thank you, Tuqui. You are most kind.
Welcome One and thank you. These are things I love so easy to be creative :)
And thank you, dear Kiki, and your tender soul. You have been a joy getting to know.