Sally Pasley Vargas - 29 May

Many people willingly and cheerfully offered me advice when I asked for it (and sometimes when I didnt) as well as smoothed my path in a million different ways. The following people made writing this book a pleasure and a joy.

Sheryl Julian: Thank you for being the best advice-giver, an exceptional collaborator, a wise and generous soul, and most of all, a steadfast friend. Without you, I could not have written this book.

My personal support team: Cassie Fagen, Nancy Barcelo, Ann Saybolt, Cynthia Anderson, and Marnie Ryan, you are the best friends ever. Thank you for cheering me on, propping me up when I needed it, and kicking my butt, too. (Especially that last one.)

Dorie Greenspan: Thank you for being a gracious, kind, and inclusive friend and for lending me your cheesecake recipe, which in my esteemed opinion is the best ever.

Caleb Barber: I want to be your next-door neighbor to try all the wonderful food you create. Thank you for sharing your pancake recipe. Id sing my praises of you even more if my mouth werent full.

Nancy Harmon Jenkins: Thank you for your kind advice on all things Maine and its culinary treasures, and for being such good company.

Nancy Dante Bennison: Thanks to you, your fabulous blueberry pie will be shared with the world. I wish I had a slice of it as I write this.

My editor, Michael Steere, and everyone at Down East Books and Rowman & Littlefield: Thank you for steering this project and bringing it into being.

Gwen Brodis and her family in Hope, Maine: Thank you for welcoming me to your farm and sharing your family stories and traditions. Every recipe in this book would be enhanced by your little blue gems.

My husband, Frank Vargas: Thank you for your love and support, for tidying a trail of blueberries, and for being an eager taste-tester.

My newlyweds, Luke Vargas and Chelsea Radler: Your love, support, and lively conversations about wine, food, and the world give my life more love, color, and enthusiasm than I could have imagined possible. I love you to pieces.

Makes 2 cups

This sauce of fresh or frozen blueberries (wild or cultivated), lemon zest and juice, and orange flower water comes together in minutes, and a jar of it will last for at least two weeks in the fridge. Stir it into yogurt for breakfast, drizzle it over pancakes or waffles, or serve it with ice cream for a fruity sundae. Orange flower water, available in Middle Eastern groceries, adds subtle floral overtones to the dainty little berries, but you could add vanilla instead.

4 cups fresh or frozen Maine wild blueberries

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

2 tablespoons lemon juice

3 tablespoons granulated sugar, or more, to taste

Pinch of fine sea salt

1 teaspoon orange flower water

Pick over the berries to remove stems and any soft berries. If using frozen berries, use them without defrosting.

In a large saucepan, combine the berries, lemon zest, lemon juice, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally to dissolve the sugar. Decrease the heat to a simmer and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the sugar is thoroughly dissolved and the berries release their juice. Taste and add more sugar if the berries are very tart. Stir in the orange flower water.

Ladle the sauce into clean jars and refrigerate for up to two weeks, or process in a boiling water bath to keep for several months.

Makes 1 (8 ounce) jar

A single jar of jam made in minutes in the microwave comes in handy when you want to coddle houseguests or take a homemade jar along to a friend. In addition, making jam one jar at a time will cure just about anyone who suffers from jam jitters. Cook the berries, sugar, and lemon juice in the microwave briefly to dissolve the sugar, stir, and return to the microwave for a few more minutes until the jam looks thick, rather than syrupy. Thats it. You can swap out half the blueberries for other berries, such as strawberries, blackberries, or raspberries to vary the recipe. This method gives new meaning to the idea of small batch jam, in 10 minutes or less.

2 cups fresh or frozen cultivated blueberries

cup granulated sugar

Pinch of fine sea salt

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Have on hand one 8-ounce jar.

In a medium microwave-safe bowl, combine the berries, sugar, salt, lemon juice, and lemon zest. The bowl should be large enough for the jam to bubble as it cooks.

In the microwave, cook the berries, uncovered, for 3 minutes, or until the sugar dissolves.

Remove the bowl from the microwave and stir. Return to the microwave and cook for 3 to 5 minutes longer, or until the jam reaches the setting point. (To test, dip a spoon into the jam and hold it over the bowl so the jam drops back into the bowl. When the drops off the spoon are thick, rather than runny, the jam is ready.) Stir in the vanilla.

Spoon the hot jam into a clean 8-ounce jar and store in the refrigerator for up to one month.

Makes 6 to 7 (8 ounces each) jars

It sounds crazy, but often when I return home from summer vacation, as soon as I have the laundry in the washer, I start making jam. To me, stirring a big, bubbling pot of blueberries and sugar is very grounding, and it softly pulls me back into my everyday life. It is a slow-down kind of cooking, putting summer in a jar, a wistful reminder of leisurely days that have gone by too quickly. It doesnt hurt that if I make enough, I will already have half of my holiday gifts done.

Cherries and the flavor of almonds impart extra lusciousness to the blueberries in this jam. The alcohol in the almond liqueur burns off in the cooking, but you can omit it if you prefer. Be sure to use a large enough pot to allow room for the jam to bubble and boil. And note that you can even make this jam with frozen fruit when summer is long gone.

2 pounds sweet, dark cherries, pitted (5 cups)

8 cups fresh or frozen cultivated blueberries

4 cups granulated sugar

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/4 cup amaretto (almond) liqueur

Place a few small saucers in the freezer. Have on hand seven 8-ounce jars with new bands and lids. Run the jars through a quick dishwasher cycle to sterilize them.

In a large, wide pot, stir the cherries, blueberries, sugar, lemon zest, and juice together. Bring to a boil slowly over low heat.

Turn the heat to high and cook the jam, stirring often, until the foam subsides and the bubbles have slowed. Dip a large metal spoon into the jam and hold it over the pot. When the jam is ready, the drops will fall more slowly from the spoon and run together in a sheet as the jam falls back into the pot. If you are not sure, do a second test. Remove the pan from the heat (to keep the jam from overcooking) and test a few drops in the freezer. Place a spoonful of jam on one of the saucers and return it to the freezer for 1 to 2 minutes. Run your finger through the jam. If it wrinkles, it is done. Stir in the almond liqueur.