By The week after the memorial garden planting. I've been going out to that corner every morning, checking on the plants, which is not quite rational since they're establishing underground and there's nothing to see yet — but the going out is not about the plants exactly. It's about the corner. About having a place on the property that means something specific now that didn't mean something specific before.
The climbing rose is showing new growth. The iris are going in. The maple looks settled. The peonies won't bloom this year but the foliage is emerging, green and full. Next May there will be peonies. That's for next May to reveal.
Made the strawberry-rhubarb jam this weekend — the combination batch, both fruits overlapping in their brief May window. Eight jars. One opened immediately. The tart-sweet balance of the two fruits is exactly right together, better than either alone. I mailed two jars to Bill from Maine, who has no rhubarb of his own yet and whose strawberry patch is in its first year. He called to say they'd arrived and he ate one jar in two sittings. I said: pace yourself. He said: it tastes like Vermont in May. I said: that's exactly what it is.
The tomatoes are in the ground. Saturday afternoon, warm enough, the beds prepared since March. Eighteen plants, the same varieties as always, the Brandywines from saved seed. The circle: seeds from last summer's best tomato, planted in February, transplanted in April, in the ground in May, fruit in August, seeds saved again in August. Forty-two years of the circle. The chain is intact.
The impulse that sent me to the kitchen for those eight jars of strawberry-rhubarb jam is the same one behind this buckle — when fruit is briefly, perfectly right, you don’t wait and you don’t overthink it. A buckle is one of the most honest things you can make: the fruit does the work, the batter holds it, and the streusel on top goes crumbly and golden in a way that tastes like the same Vermont May I tried to put in those mailed jars. Bill would understand this one too.
Blueberry Buckle
Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 45 min | Total Time: 1 hour | Servings: 9
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh blueberries
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided
- 3/4 cup granulated sugar, divided
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces (for streusel)
- 1/3 cup packed brown sugar (for streusel)
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (for streusel)
Instructions
- Preheat and prepare. Heat oven to 375°F. Grease an 8x8-inch baking pan and set aside.
- Make the streusel. In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup flour, brown sugar, and cinnamon. Cut in the cold butter pieces with a fork or your fingers until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Set aside.
- Cream butter and sugar. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter with 1/2 cup granulated sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
- Add wet ingredients. Beat in the egg and vanilla extract until combined. Alternately add the remaining 1 cup flour (mixed with baking powder and salt) and the milk, beginning and ending with flour, stirring just until the batter comes together. Do not overmix.
- Fold in berries. Toss the blueberries with the remaining 1/4 cup granulated sugar, then gently fold them into the batter. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.
- Add streusel and bake. Scatter the streusel topping evenly over the batter. Bake for 40—45 minutes, until the top is golden, the streusel is set, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool and serve. Let the buckle cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes before cutting into squares. Serve warm or at room temperature, plain or with a spoonful of cream.
Nutrition (per serving)
Calories: 285 | Protein: 4g | Fat: 10g | Carbs: 46g | Fiber: 2g | Sodium: 195mg