Vegan Bed and Breakfast- MoFo Post Six

Post #6 for Vegan MoFo 2013.
 

Happy Day 6 of Vegan MoFo. My MoFo plan is to post during the weekdays and to take a break on the weekends from posting blogs. I still plan on coming around and reading all of your posts though! Today will be my last post for this week and I will pick up again on Monday. On this Friday, I would like to focus more on my Puerto Rico vacation as we had so many relaxing and rich experiences. 

Coconut Breakfast Muffin and Puerto Rican coffee

For half of our stay, we were at a beach house maintained by Maravilla Caribbean Veg Bed and Breakfast. We stayed at the house from Sunday to Wednesday, which is located near the town of Rincon on the northwestern part of the island. The owners told us that the bed and breakfast is by default vegan and guests can request eggs and dairy. Lucky for us, we fit the default. The owner was happy to comply with gluten free meals and charged us a fee per day for the extra ingredients. While it might have seemed excessive, I understand as she had extra preparation to do. 

Almond coconut rice and almond tarlets

After our first night in San Juan, we headed out to Rincon in our rental car. It was a nice drive and we spent the car ride laughing, singing, and interpreting signs in Spanish on the road. When we finally arrived, we were greeted by one of the owners who showed us around and explained our meals. She had made us breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks for our entire stay. They were all housed in our refrigerator with a listing of suggested meals. In hindsight, I wish I would have taken the list to recount all of our meals.
 

View onto our balcony and out into the ocean

While I can't remember the exact meals, I remember the highlights. All of our meals were vegan and gluten free (there were a couple of questionable items in the fridge that we were concerned contained dairy- even though the default is vegan. So we just skipped those items). We had sweet potato and black bean chili with rice, empandillas, lentil soup, coconut muffins, cookies, brownies, blondies, black bean and walnut burgers, plantains, boiled green bananas, tempeh and sweet potatoes, mango tofu, papaya, star fruit, almond and coconut rice, almond tartlets, among others. Each meal was exciting to us as the host provided such thoughtful meals. It would have been nice to have our food fresh made each day, but that would have only been possible if we stayed directly at the house. And it was nice for us to eat when we were hungry, not when it was a meal time.
 

An approaching storm

The house was not anything luxurious, spacious, or private. We had booked a stay at a hotel for the last three days of the trip, so we felt fine with lodging that was not fancy. We had our own private balcony and a room that included a table, a kitchenette, and a futon. It was a beach house with a wonderful ocean view. I couldn't ask for much more being right on the ocean. My only real complaint with the place was that the stairs separating us and the apartment below was a glass door. The stairs were open which allowed noise and light in. Luckily, we only had one evening with guests in the downstairs apartment.
 

One of the best parts of the stay for me was the late afternoon storms. I enjoyed standing on the balcony watching the rain on the ocean. We had several evenings with lightening over the ocean. It was nice to be able to enjoy a storm and watch it pass. On one particular evening, we watched storm clouds for at least an hour. The peace that I felt by that was something that I had not felt in a long time. The peace was continued as we did not have a TV or a radio. There was a bar nearby that played salsa music and we were often serenaded by the music during the evening as we enjoyed dinner or watched the night sky. 

During the daytime, we had access to snorkel equipment and kayaks. We spent one afternoon kayaking in front of the beach house. In addition, we spent two mornings snorkeling at a nearby place called "Steps Beach" that was known to have beautiful reefs and fish. There had been quite a few storms, so the water was not as clear as normal. I was still happy to swim with the colorful fish and experience some of their world. One of the stands where we parked had snacks and food and we enjoyed a cocoa frio (coconut water). Which literally is water from a coconut. After the water is gone, the shell is cut in half with a machete and you are free to enjoy the rich coconut meat. Nothing compares to that fresh rich flavor. 

 
Thank you for sharing a special part of our vacation with me. I plan to give you more snippets as we go through MoFo. At some point, I plan to share some underwater snorkeling shots as well. How many of you have been to Puerto Rico? If so, did you stay at Maravilla?

Welcome to MoFo! - Post 1

Welcome to Vegan MoFo. What is Vegan Mofo you ask? Well, it stands for "Vegan Month of Food." The general idea is for participating bloggers to create at least 20 blog posts for the month of October. The blogger picks the theme, if any, and writes the posts. There is a blog roll and much love and encouragement from other bloggers. Each year I have made new blogging friends and found blogs that I cannot live without. It is amazing how many other vegan and gluten free bloggers there are! 

This is my third year of participation and this year I have again decided to keep my goal at 20 blog posts for the month. I have also decided not to pick a theme, but plan for some of my posts to focus on creating dishes around items we get from our CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). And do not worry, I'll explain what a CSA is if you do not already know. 

I also decided to update the look of my blog. I have changed the layout, the background, and my header picture. For months I have been thinking about a new picture, one that captures my essence. An image of my blog name kept popping into my head drawn with nature. I retrieved my colored pencils and got to work. This new header has obvious themes of food and nature.  The other themes present are reusing, re-purposing, and reducing my impact on nature. 

I look forward to the new blogging friends I will make, the new recipes I will be enticed by, the humor I will laugh at, and the joy vegan blogging brings me and my fellow bloggers. 

Happy Vegan MoFo 2012!!!

Maple Spring Garden CSA

For years John and I have been talking about joining a CSA. For those of you that are not familiar with the term, it stands for Community Supported Agriculture. We go to the Durham farmers market each Saturday to buy produce, but sometimes we (and by we, I mean John) have a hard time getting up on Saturday morning to get to the market before all the good produce is sold. We sometimes find ourselves busy on a Saturday morning and cannot make it to the market and a CSA gives us an option for fresh, local produce even no matter our Saturday plans. We will continue to make regular trips to the market to support our  favorite farmers like Piedmont Biofarm, Maple Spring Garden Gardens, Tiny Farm, Four Leaf Farm, and Wild Scallions.  


CSA's and the Durham farmers market appealing to us because all of the farms that sell must have their farm within 75 miles of the market. Therefore, truly selling local food. For the past six years, we have made it a point to purchase as much produce as we can locally. We want to support the local economy, reduce our impact on the environment, know where our food comes, and to be part of our local community. We only purchase from farmers that refrain from selling meat and engage in farming practices that are healthful to the environment (for example, none of the farmers we buy from use pesticides). 


After the advice from friends, we decided to go with Maple Spring Garden CSA. They run a traditional CSA where you can purchase a small or large share and you pick up your order at a specified location each week. We decided to go with a CSA that picked the produce for us. We are not picky when it comes to produce, so we appreciate the surprise each week. It has now been four weeks and we have been impressed with our boxes. We have received broccoli, asparagus, strawberries, turnips, Bibb lettuce, romaine lettuce, red leaf lettuce, kale, spinach, Swiss chard, arugula, spring mix, leeks, and onions. All of which we have used throughout the week in our meals. 

Our box this week: spring mix, red leaf lettuce, Swiss chard, strawberries, and broccoli

 You don't have to be vegan to enjoy a CSA, it is for anyone. No matter who you are, I recommend you check out a local CSA. Beware though, there are companies that say that they are CSA's, but they provide produce from far away. Stick with those that provide only local produce, preferably from their own farm. I like to know where my produce is coming from and with Maple Spring Garden, I know that they follow organic practices, even though they are not certified as organic. 

Our box last week: turnips, Bibb lettuce, spring mix, arugula, and strawberries

Enjoy your fruits and vegetables! Happy Spring!

Adopt-A-Turkey: It Is Not Too Late!

I have been absent from blogging for several weeks. The short of it is that I have been busy and have not had a chance to focus on blogging. I will get back into the groove at some point in the near future.

I wanted to share the Adopt-A-Turkey project from Farm Sanctuary. If you don't already know about this, I recommend you give this site a view. This campaign offers a humane alternative during Thanksgiving by offering a chance to donate money to sponsor a turkey. It is after Thanksgiving, but not too late to donate to help sponsor a turkey.

As a vegan I do not consume turkey, but felt I needed to do more. Each year John and I donate money to save a turkey. I like the idea of knowing that my money is going directly to the sponsorship of turkeys during this time of year. Not all turkeys are as lucky as those saved by Farm Sanctuary. There are more than 46 million turkeys that are killed each year so that those in the United States can celebrate Thanksgiving. These and all factory farmed turkeys are subject to cruel practices such as being packed into small cages, de-beaking, de-toeing, genetic manipulation, rough handling during transport, hanging from metal shackles, heads submerged in electrified water, throats slashed, and many other awful practices. I hope you will consider being part of the solution this year and future years by having a meatless Thanksgiving and donating to Farm Sanctuary.

I hope you all had a Happy Turkey-free and cruelty-free Thanksgiving!

Saturday Morning Farmers Market

Post number 17 for VeganMoFo.

I am lucky to live in a place with an abundance of farmers markets. We have a state run one which I would never waste my time at as they truck in produce from other states. It sort of defeats the purpose of a true farmers market. We also have many local markets. The one in Durham only allows farmers within 75 miles of Durham so that the food there is truly local. Many of the other smaller markets have the same restrictions and it really allows the residents to buy local.


The market also gives us the freedom to ask farmers questions and make educated choices in the produce that we purchase. John and I made the decision that we will only purchase produce from those farmers that don't sell meat. We also only shop at the stands that choose to care for their plants in a way that is compatible with the earth. We refuse to buy from those that use harmful pesticides and herbicides. We would choose only organic, but unfortunately the farmers are small and being certified organic is expensive.

Our market is open all year long and for that we feel fortunate. Every week that we are in town, we wake up and head to the market to get as much as we can local. We are approaching the end of October and we are still able to buy an abundance of produce for the week. This week we purchased the following: Swiss chard, kale, ginger, passion fruit, sweet potatoes, radishes, tomatoes, bell peppers, and red leaf lettuce.


Below is a close up of the beautiful red leaf lettuce that we purchased. If you have never had lettuce grown in your back yard or from a farmers market, you are missing out. It is so much better than what you can get in stores. The same is true for tomatoes. Local food is healthier because it does not have to travel for hundreds of miles and therefore is given more time to ripen, increasing its nutrient value. It is also more flavorful!

Please remember to patronize your local and sustainable farmers!

Meatless Monday, Earth Day, and Good Friday!

Today is Earth Day and Good Friday. It is appropriate that they fall on the same day. It is also the day that the Triangle Meatless Monday initiative begins! A group of us have been working hard to get this initiative going here in the Raleigh-Durham area. The most credit goes to Ms. Eleni Vlachos who has worked tirelessly to bring this all to life.

And...here we are! We have done it! There are over 100 pledges to go Meatless on Mondays and many area restaurants are participating. Our list of places are growing as volunteers work to get businesses on board.

If you are wondering what it is, we are asking people to take a pledge to go Meatless each Monday. To make it easier for you, we have invited Triangle area restaurants to participate by offering a meatless, vegan dish on Mondays. Going meatless one day a week has so many benefits to you, the environment, and animals. Going meatless may reduce your risk of chronic preventable conditions like cancer, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and obesity. It helps you reduce your carbon footprint. Go to the website and you can read more about the benefits.

I hope you'll hop on over to the website and take the pledge to go meatless on Mondays. It is such a small commitment for such a large impact.

Loving Life

I recently posted a blog about on my page about loving life and on the EtsyVeg blog (they were different posts, same topic). I am blogging about it again because I need to remind myself to try and love life when I feel stuck, especially when I feel stuck.

The question still looms- why don't I love my life as much as I love dessert? I am not sure I know the answer or that I am willing to delve into it through a public blog.

I just have to stick to my pledge to do things that bring me joy. I have been trying. John and I rallied our families together and we went to the mountains to spend a long weekend. John and I are planning a week long vacation in the Caribbean. We went to a winery festival for the day with my parents about a month ago. I spontaneously made up a dessert one night when in the mood for chocolate (John loved the dessert and I hated it.).

And most recently, John and I went on a tubing adventure on the Dan river with friends and then headed to a vegetarian restaurant. My friend Stephanie organized an awesome tubing event and we decided to go. We both love nature and we have never tried tubing before. Not only did we get to spend time in nature, we got to spend the day with awesome people.

We floated down the Dan river for about three hours in individual tubes. At times we had what we called the "floatzilla" where we all traveled in a clump of tubes together. Other times we tubed away from others or in small groups. It was all a blast! The conversations and the people were so much fun.

When tubing was complete we headed to Boba House, a delicious vegetarian restaurant in Greensboro. John and I used to frequent this restaurant when we were both in graduate school and I would visit him on the weekends. It was our favorite date spot. It was exciting to enjoy the restaurant with a large group of people.

The day concluded with a hilarious drive home with Stephanie, James, and John. I loved every minute of this day. From the second I got up and got ready for the farmer's market to the time we all said good night. This most certainly sticks to my pledge to do things that bring me joy. Now if only I would have brought my camera to post pictures of our tubing fun.

What have you done lately to bring yourself joy?

Our Small, Abundant Garden

It is summer here (well, not officially) and everything is growing fast! By May, we were hitting temperatures in the 90's. This could have caused drought conditions, but we have received an abundance of rain. Our little garden couldn't be happier and we have a large supply of rainwater waiting in our rain barrels.

Since I have taken these pictures, the lettuce has begun to bolt. Those of you not familiar with lettuce, that means that they have shot up several inches and are preparing to seed. This is our first year growing lettuce so I can't miss the opportunity to collect the seeds and save them for next spring. While it is preparing to seed, we can still eat it, but it is beginning to get bitter.

I am so anxious for our tomato and pepper plants to begin bearing fruit. Since this picture was taken, the stalks have grown about 5 inches. We have one cayenne pepper and the rest are bell peppers. This is our first year growing tomatoes in the ground and we forgot to take note of the variety of tomatoes. Luckily, we like all varieties of tomatoes.

When we start the garden next year, we plan to do some things differently:

• Start earlier. This depends on the weather, but seeds can be germinated indoors.
  
• Take note of all of the varieties of fruits/veggies that we plant.
• Eat our lettuce before it starts getting so hot out.
• Group our tomato and pepper plants together. I tried to do this, but I did not do so well. :)
• Label the name and location of each row of seeds. It is hard for us to determine the weeds, since we did not make clear, distinct rows.
  

All in all, I think this was an awesome first attempt! We have used organic soil and mostly organic seeds. I am pleased with the results.

We Have Sprouts!

We bought our first home late last May. By the time we moved in, unpacked, and got back to normal life, it was too hot to plant. Besides, we had a whole list of projects that had to come first (staining the deck, putting up shelves, painting, etc).

Since last summer, we have been talking about planting a garden. We designated a place in our yard, but decided to wait until the weather warmed up. We finally got around to it this year on a warm, sunny, Saturday. We found an area in the back yard and created a bed that is about two feet wide and ten feet long. On the right side of the bed, I planted three different type of already sprouted lettuce (red leaf, green lead, and romaine). I bought these beauties at the Durham Farmer's Market for $3. They will produce about $25 worth of lettuce. This was a good deal! On the left side of the bed we planted tomato and pepper seeds. They have not sprouted yet, but I have high hopes.


In addition to our yard, we also planted many things on the deck in pots. For the past couple of years our oregano, chives, thyme, and mint that have come back. We also added new plants that we purchased from the farmers market. We got basil plants, Italian parsley, and kale. I planted the parsley and in a couple of days, it exploded into more green!


Lastly, and most excitedly, I planted basil seeds. I planted three different types of seeds and within a week, they have ALL started to sprout! Since taking this picture they have doubled in size and in amount of sprouts.

Watching the seeds grow is like watching a small miracle. They started from a seed and now that are little sprouts that will soon be large plants.

Happy Spring!

For the Love of Hot Tea

Just thinking of a steaming cup of hot tea makes me cheerful. The aroma of fruity and sweet notes is enough to calm my wildest of moods. Many of us bond over a cup of something warm and when it isn't coffee, it is usually tea.

As I have mentioned in previous blogs, tea has been a tradition in my family. While my family does not descend from the UK, we still engage in sharing hot tea during family and social gatherings (maybe tea is an Italian thing too?). Even as a child, before my Mom let me have coffee, I was allowed to have tea. I would sit and drink tea and chat with her, my grandma, and my aunts. Drinking tea happened during some of my fondest memories with family. Even now when I visit my parents, the evening ends with a cup of tea and conversation. The same tends to happen when we visit John's family as well.

I have always been fascinated with different combinations of tea. Some people solely prefer the plain black, greens, herbals, or whites. I tend to like them all and even fusing several flavors together. I like earl grey, lady grey, jasmine, green, chai, white, herbal, fruity, and so on. Like I said, I like them all. I rarely sip a tea that I dislike. If asked, I would probably tell you that I am a coffee person, but I also think I am a closeted tea fanatic.

Lately, I have gotten the urge to make my own tea. I am inspired by the different herbs, flowers, and leaves that I come across. I find myself often thinking "that would make a great tea." So, recently when I was feeling a bit under the weather I decided to embark on a tea experiment.

We had recently received organic oranges that still had leaves. I cut off the leaves and washed them. While the leaves were drying, I located a half inch of ginger root, powdered stevia, and whole cloves. I put the kettle on and waited for the water to almost boil. I had recently heard to make a good cup of tea, the water should be poured over the leaves before it begins to boil.

Once I got my water to temperature, I poured it into our french press. Immediately, I could smell the aroma of the ingredients mingling together. I had to waited for the tea to steep. I tried to wait the full five minutes for it to steep as I have read one should with an herbal tea. As I waited, I noticed the water change to a yellowish orange color.


As I sipped the tea, I knew I had found a perfect combination. It was heavenly and this cup was all mine. I shared the rest of the pot with John, and he also gave the flavor rave reviews.

I cannot wait to plunge into my next cup of homemade tea. Now, if only it were spring so that I could use some of my herbs.

Snow Days

The weather had been predicted, the forecast set. Snow was on its way. The local media was creating a frenzy with the impending snowstorm. The stores were out of the essentials and everyone seemed to be freaking out. (For those of you that live in cold climates, you need to understand that North Carolina is not equipped or prepared to handle snow. We should be scared, the roads become treacherous and everything is forced to shut down.)

The snow began on Friday night and continued through Saturday and at some point turned into falling ice. John and I hate staying inside all day, so we decided to venture out by foot. We put on our gear and stepped out into the yard. We first checked the situation in the front yard and down our street. They were pure ice. It was safe to say no one was going anywhere, for a while.

Our yard looked pristine and I almost felt bad clumping through it with my big footprints. Almost. As I ventured to the back of our yard, I noticed little footprints. I followed them to a sweet little rabbit cuddled under our deck trying to stay warm. John and I decided that when we got back, we would raid our fridge to see if we had any decent fare to offer our furry friend.


We walked through the golf course and to the road that led out of our neighborhood. The walk was about a mile, but it was the toughest mile I have ever walked. I had wind and snow blowing in my face and was fighting over six inches of iced over snow with each step. When we made it to the road, we then had to fight slick and crunchy ice, uphill. I slipped and slid around, but I didn't fall. We finally made it to CVS, without incident.

After purchasing several things, we headed back home. The walk back was just as tough. When we made it back to our yard, I was ready to go inside and flop on the couch with a hot cup of tea. I could not veg out without forgetting about our bunny friend. She had already hopped away, but we knew she would be back. So we checked our fridge and found several parsnips to share.


As if Saturday was not difficult enough, we decided to do it all again on Sunday. Only this time we walked further to Food Lion with a shopping list in hand. We carried four reusable bags, knowing that was the amount we could safely carry back. Our shopping list included ingredients for several nights because we did not know how much longer this would last.

On our way back, we checked the deck. Sure enough, our bunny friend was there. This time we got carrots and offered those to her. I got a little close and scared her away, but I knew she would be back. Throughout it all, the birds were chirping, flying, and hopping around. We put out handfuls of bird seed for them and they repaid us by eating it and dancing in front of our windows as we watched.


Between the wildlife in our yard and the outdoor exercise, being snowbound was not so bad. I can handle this once every couple of years- just not again this year!

Pullen Park Adventure

At work, several of us started a group to foster, promote, and share creativity. We all started by purchasing a book called “Wreck this Journal” by Keri Smith. The idea of this journal is exactly as the title sounds- you wreck the book. It is counter to everything we have done our entire lives. We generally preserve and make what we have pretty. The purpose of the journal is the opposite- Destroy the journal to pieces! Each page has directions, such as crumple the page; poke holes; draw all over; infuse with food or smells; etc.

(Diana, Shannon, and Jim at the Flying Biscuit)

(Alfonso and me)

Each month when we get together we swap journals and look at our destroyed progress. We also talk about ideas that we have to advance our creativity. During our first meeting, Alfonso came up with the idea to spend an afternoon going to a park and to take pictures.

On President’s day we decided to head to Pullen Park in Raleigh, NC and chronicle what we saw. We took pictures of the train and tracks, the budding flowers, the playground, the water and wildlife, the trees, the sky, and each other. Afterward, we went to Cameron Village and ate at the Flying Biscuit. Later we all downloaded and posted our pictures to our online group.

In addition to meeting monthly, we hope to spend more time partaking in the creative activities outside of the meetings. Some of us are good at picture taking, writing, drawing, painting, creating music, etc. This group is a way for us to showcase our talents and learn from the creativity that we each hold inside.

Hiking At Eno State Park

Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature's peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy,while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.

~John Muir

John and I enjoy hiking and we do not get to go nearly as much as we would like. When I was in graduate school in the mountains of Virginia, John would visit me during the summer and we would spend entire days hiking. We spent time on the Appalachian Trail and other areas nearby. We had many interesting adventures that we talk and laugh about to this day. We learned a lot about hiking, direction, and compasses during those summers! We were exposed to many parts of nature that we had never experienced and are thankful for each and every things that crossed our path.

One of the many things John and I have in common is enjoying nature. Even before we dated, and were just friends, we spent much time outside in nature. We both have the need to explore and see the beauty that is God. I personally find that I am the most connected to God when in nature.



While in college, I would retreat to the hiking trails, campus ponds, and woods when I needed to solace. I would spend time in conversation and prayer with God. I cannot help but be touched by God's spirit through all of the abundant life in nature. This is my true reason for being an environmentalist. Destroying nature and the environment is a direct hurt to God.


I always feel like John and I grow as a couple and in our spirituality when we hike together. We are always amazed by the beauty and feel at peace while in nature. We are thankful to live near a beautiful state park that has many hiking trails. Many of our Saturday afternoons are spent hiking in Eno State Park, when the weather is not too hot or cold. We especially enjoy the spring when everything is blooming and autumn when everything is changing colors.



Our most recent hike was this October where we witnessed the beginning of the changing of the leaves. We walked on the trails and crunched in the fallen leaves. We were dazzled by the river and its ability to reflect the changing colors. The river mirrored the brilliant colors and carried the leaves away. I felt sheer peace our hike. It helped me clear my mind and prepare myself for the upcoming work week. It was stress release at its best for me.


During our hike, we stopped to take a picture of our vegan hiking boots. Several Christmases ago, my parents bought us vegan hiking boots so that we did not have to hike in our sneakers. Our boots are SO comfortable and we are proud to say that they are cruelty free.


I cannot wait for our next hike. I hope it is soon!

Blueberry Delight

"Blueberries as big as the end of your thumb,
Real sky-blue, and heavy, and ready to drum I
n the cavernous pail of the first one to come!"
~Robert Frost

In early September, I went blueberry picking with my parents, John, and Diana. We went to Philoxenia Farm, an organic blueberry farm, outside Hillsbourough, NC. The weather was warm and the blueberries were ripe! It was towards the end of the season and we got to the farm just in time. There was a good amount of blueberries left on the trees and there were plenty available to be picked. We were informed that there was only about a week or two left of good blueberry picking. I was ecstatic that we made it in time! I never get sick of blueberries! I could eat berries every day and still want them the next day. Their sweet tartness never gets old to my taste buds.

We had fun giggling and chatting as we picked and ate blueberries throughout the day. My Dad got tired and the sun, so he sat most of the day out. The rest of us kept on picking. It was a fun challenge to be able to fill up a bucket of blueberries. The four of us stuck together as we picked the heavenly little berries. It worked well because my Mom and Diana are both 5'2" and John and I are taller. We hit the top of the trees and they hit the bottom. We worked well as a team!

By the end of the day, we had a ridiculous amount of berries to take back with us! I cannot remember exactly, but I think we had close to 12 lbs of berries. John and I picked the most berries and were delighted with our picks. We saved some of the berries to eat fresh and the rest we froze to enjoy later.

The first treat that I made with berries was a blueber ry cake. The cake is very simple and only has several ingredients, but has a mountain of flavor! I brought the cake to a potluck and it was a hit! I received many complements on the recipe. (I should have taken a picture of the cake on a plate, instead of the bright blue pan. )

I am so happy to have blueberries in our freezer. We enjoy blueberry pancakes, muffins, and other sweet delights. I had hoped that having the blueberries in our freezer would motivate us to use them more often, but so far it has not. As it gets closer to the holidays, I plan to use them more. Maybe I can even convince John to get up one weekend morning and make me pancakes! Yummy!