Oatmeal Pancake Mix -- For the Blueberries We Froze for January

Blueberry picking. We went on Saturday, as we always do — the Superior Hiking Trail section near Silver Bay, Paul carrying the buckets, me picking. The routine. The tradition. The thing we've done every August for twenty-seven years. I needed it this week. I needed to stand on a hillside with the lake below and the sky above and the berries in my hands and the man I love beside me, doing the thing we've always done. The MRI was Thursday. The results will come next week. The blood panel was normal — no vitamin deficiencies, no infections, nothing that would explain the hand. Normal blood panel in the context of abnormal EMG narrows the differential and I'm a nurse and I know what it narrows to and I will not say it. Not yet. Not until someone in a white coat says it first. Paul picked berries this year. Clumsily — his left hand crushing more than it collected — but he picked. He wanted to pick. He didn't want to just carry. I watched him work his way along the bushes, dropping berries, trying again, his face set with the quiet determination of a man who will not be defeated by a blueberry, and I loved him so much my chest ached. We got six quarts. Less than usual. It didn't matter. He hummed while he picked. The same tuneless humming he always does when he's happy. He was happy. On a hillside in August, with the sun on his back and the berries staining his fingers and his wife beside him, Paul Johansson was happy. I held onto that the way you hold onto a railing when the floor is moving. I baked six pies. Two for us, two for Mamma, one for Erik, one for the Damiano Center. The crust was Pappa's mother's recipe. The filling was wild blueberries, sugar, lemon, cornstarch. I baked and I didn't think about MRIs. I baked and I thought about blueberries and crust and the temperature of the oven and nothing else. Paul ate his quarter-pie and said, "Best batch yet." He says this every year. Every year I believe him. I froze the remaining berries — four quarts for winter. Blueberry pancakes in January. Blueberry muffins in February. The taste of August stored in the freezer like a promise: summer was real. Summer will come again. We drove home with the windows down and the lake on our left and Paul's hand resting on the console between us and I put my hand over his and I held it and his hand was warm and present and alive and I held it all the way home. The MRI results come Monday. Until then: pie. Until then: his hand in mine. Until then: this.

I wrote in the freezer log: “4 qt wild blueberries — August, Silver Bay.” That’s what those four quarts are for — not a pie, not a crumble, but a slow Saturday morning in January when the lake is frozen and Paul is still in his flannel and the kitchen smells like something worth waking up for. This oatmeal pancake mix is what I’ll reach for when that morning comes. I’ll pull the berries from the freezer and fold them in still half-frozen, the way Mamma always did, and August will be right there in the pan. Some promises you keep to yourself. This is one of mine.

Oatmeal Pancake Mix

Prep Time: 10 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 30 min | Servings: 12 pancakes (mix makes ~3 batches)

Ingredients

• 2 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• To make one batch of pancakes (from mix above):
• 1 1/3 cups oatmeal pancake mix
• 3/4 cup buttermilk (or milk with 1 teaspoon white vinegar, rested 5 minutes)
• 1 large egg
• 2 tablespoons melted butter or neutral oil
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup wild blueberries (fresh or frozen, not thawed)

Instructions

1. Make the dry mix. Combine the oats, all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl and whisk well to distribute evenly. Transfer to an airtight jar or zip bag. Store at room temperature up to 6 weeks, or in the freezer up to 3 months. Label with the date.
2. Measure for one batch. When ready to cook, scoop 1 1/3 cups of the dry mix into a medium mixing bowl and make a well in the center.
3. Mix the wet ingredients. In a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the buttermilk, egg, melted butter, and vanilla. Pour the wet mixture into the well of the dry mix. Stir gently until just combined — a few lumps are fine. Do not overmix.
4. Fold in the blueberries. Add the wild blueberries directly to the batter and fold in with two or three strokes. If using frozen berries, add them straight from the freezer to prevent streaking the batter blue.
5. Rest the batter. Let the batter sit for 3–5 minutes while the griddle heats. This allows the oats to hydrate slightly and gives you a fluffier pancake.
6. Cook the pancakes. Heat a griddle or non-stick skillet over medium heat and lightly grease with butter or cooking spray. Pour approximately 1/4 cup batter per pancake onto the griddle. Cook until bubbles form across the surface and the edges look set, about 2–3 minutes. Flip and cook 1–2 minutes more, until golden.
7. Serve warm. Serve immediately with maple syrup and extra butter. These also reheat well — stack leftovers between parchment and refrigerate or freeze for weekday mornings.

Nutrition (per serving, 2 pancakes)

Calories: 210 | Protein: 7g | Fat: 6g | Carbs: 33g | Fiber: 3g | Sodium: 310mg