Blueberry Crumble Pie

July through August is blueberry time here in Michigan. It is always one of my favorite times because I love baking with blueberries. My favorites to bake are pies and muffins.

The blueberry is a fruit that is native to North America. The Native Americans were eating and storing the berries when the first European explorers arrived. It didn’t take the early colonials long before they started using blueberries in their baked goods. Source: The Food Timeline

Blueberries have long been a part of West Michigan, but it wasn’t until the 1940s that there was an effort to cultivate them. In 1968 the industry in Michigan really took off. That is because the mechanical harvester was invented by Mr. John Harvey in nearby Grand Haven. Michigan has continued to grow as a major producer of the fruit. Source: eatberrysmart According to Michigan State University Extension services, fruit that is to be marketed fresh is generally harvested by hand. The berries that I used for this pie are from the South Haven area.

Be sure to visit your favorite blueberry farm or Farmers Market to get local blueberries and starting baking up something delicious. If you bake this pie, it is sure to remind you of summertime. You will want to serve the pie with vanilla ice cream.

Blueberry Crumble Pie

Servings: 6-8
Time: 2hr
Difficulty: easy
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1 9 inch prepared unbaked pie crust

Filling:

4 cups fresh blueberries, washed
1 cup granulated sugar
3 tablespoons corn starch
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
Zest from 1 lemon

Crumble Topping:

⅓ cup granulated sugar
¼ cup firmly packed light-brown sugar
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
½ cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1/8 teaspoon salt
½ cup (1 stick) cold butter, cut into small pieces

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon, salt and lemon zest. Place the clean blueberries in a large bowl. Gently toss them with the sugar mixture. Let filling stand, tossing occasionally, while you make the crumb topping.

In a food processor bowl, mix the first five Crumble ingredients. Add the butter and process until the mixture is crumbly; it should still have a dry look to it — don’t over process.

Spoon blueberry filling into the prepared pie crust. Sprinkle the crumble topping over the filling. Place pie on a baking sheet lined with parchment or foil and bake for 45-60 minutes (or until filling is bubbling and the top puffs and is golden brown). Remove from the oven and cool to room temperature on a wire rack.

Notes:
1. When washing the blueberries, pick out and remove any bits of stems, leaves and soft or mushy berries.
2. Sugar can be reduced in the blueberry filling to suit your taste.
3. The recipe for this Blueberry Crumble Pie is adapted from a recipe in the vintage Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook, 1962 edition.