When I walked down to the gazebo this morning, I switched out the flags I fly whenever I’m “in residence.” It lends an official touch to my working days. Hey, if the Queen of England can fly her flag over whichever palace she happens to be, why can’t I? It doesn’t have to be the Fourth, but it’s always more meaningful when the flag goes up then.
But as I wandered back up to the house, I realized that the farm was putting on its own 4th of July show: red and white zinnias and blue hydrangeas.
Red geraniums, white petunias, and best of all – BLUEBERRIES!!
Earlier in the summer, some of the baby berries had splotches on them that made us fear that the crop wouldn’t amount to much this year. Ha! On the kitchen counter at this moment, there’s a quart bowl full of plump sweet berries that were picked this morning. I had some on my cereal and I shall make a cobbler for tomorrow.
If you don’t already have your dessert planned, here’s an easy cobbler adapted from a recipe my book club friend DeEtta shared with me:
In a 9 x 13 ovenproof casserole dish, put down a layer of blueberries, about 2 cups. Smooth on a large can of crushed pineapple (about 2 cups - this recipe has a lot of leeway.) Pour over this a box of yellow cake mix (I use a Duncan Hines butter cake.) Drizzle over the dry mix a melted stick of butter. Sprinkle on a cup of coarsely chopped pecans. Bake at 350° for 45-60 minutes until the nuts are toasty brown. Let it sit for 20-30 minutes before serving with vanilla or cherry ice cream.
Do not worry about calories. The Fourth is about freedom and no calorie will try to take you prisoner. (Would I lie to you?)
