Blueberrys, need suggestions

[Charlie B53]

Wife brought home two of those gallon zip lock bags each almost half full of wet blueberries. Small, tart, no sugar added.

I haven't baked hardly in many years, no counter space, too many of those kitchen gadgets that clutter up the place that there isn't any workspace left.  I could drain them but no way am I going to eat a ton of blueberry pancakes, or muffins.

I am wondering about cooking them down, mashing a bit with the potato masher to break them open, adding LOTS of suger and slowly let them sweeten while it cooks down into almost jelly.  Maybe even adding a bit of pectin of a bit of Knox gelatin to help thicken.  Sort of like a cranberry sauce only using blueberries.  Ideas, how much pectin? Gelatin?  Measurements?

I have a big pork roast I could do something with.  My last one instead of using vegetables I used sweet red apples drenched in cinnamon and sugar like for an apple pie.  It kept the pork roast very moist and sweetened a bit.  The baked apples were a treat along with the falling apart pork.

I need ideas!

[kickingandscreaming]

If they aren't too wet, you can freeze them.  Lay them out in a single layer on a pan (with some wax paper or parchment under) and put them in the freezer.  Then transfer them to a bag.  Blueberries have a lot of natural pectin so they thicken up when cooked.  they are great in smoothies.  There is a good "artificial" sugar called Swerve that has no sugar impact and tastes good. Since you are diabetic I wouldn't recommend loading them up with sugar.  But you could cook them down to a syrup and then freeze them, too.

[Charlie B53]

Haven't heard of Swerve yet.  I do have a big bag of Stevia that I use half and half with sugar.  It still gives sweetness without that terrible chemical left-over taste on my tongue, and the tongue still gets that smoothing effect of a sugar coating.

Freezing single layer not an option, freezers are stuffed.  Hard to put anything in either one.

I am seriously leaning to the jelly side.

Grew up with Mom and Dad making home made strawberry and apricot freezer jellys.  Cooked/rendered down while adding large amounts of sugar and pectin, well thickened.  Spooned into the little square plastic containers then stacked in the freezer.  There was enough sugar that it wouldn't freeze solid, but formed a thick crystalline ......paste may be the best word.  If it warmed like on your hot toast, muffin, etc, then it softened into jelly.

All 6 of us kids loved it.     I've been thinking of trying to make something like that with the persimmons that fall of my trees and go to waste every year.

I don't NEED the sugar, but my sugars are doing very well since I've taken off so much weight.  I haven't needed any fast acting insulin for the last three months, only taking my lANTUS AT NIGHT.  a LATELY THERE ARE A FEW NIGHTS i FORGOT AND MY MORNING # WAS STILL UNDER 120.    Damn Caplock button!

Am testing more this week as increased steroid use has raised my numbers.  Should be back to more normal late next week.

The steroids cause me to EAT.  Will be fixing a large pork roast today with lots of carrots,  Have a tray of spiced apples in the freezer that I think I'll add to it.  Should help keep it moist and add sweetness to the carrots.   I can pig on the pork but probably need to remember to take my binders.

[hatedialysis2]

can you dehydrate them?   If you do not have a dehydrator perhaps spreading them on a tray lined with parchment paper and put in a 250 oven or lowest setting.

[Charlie B53]

Drying is a good idea.  I know we have wax paper

Can I leave them soak in sugar, or Karo for a while and then dry them?  Will the sweetener soak into the berries in a reasonable time?

I really need to get this done within a couple of days.  Last time she brought home a buch they got a furry spot and I fed them all to the chickens.  They loved them.

[PrimeTimer]

How bout blue berry mini tarts? I don't have a recipe but saw one on google. My husband is diabetic so has to be careful with sugar but sometimes for a "healthy treat", I serve him a small bowl of fresh blue berries topped with real whipping cream.

[iolaire]

Blue berry crisp?  Should not take much room and its not much work to make.
http://www.spendwithpennies.com/quick-easy-blueberry-crisp/

[iolaire]

How bout blue berry mini tarts? I don't have a recipe but saw one on google. My husband is diabetic so has to be careful with sugar but sometimes for a "healthy treat", I serve him a small bowl of fresh blue berries topped with real whipping cream.

This is the best solution, a bowl for cream with some berries!

[hatedialysis2]

Hi Charlie,  below is a recipe I found on dehydrating blueberries in the oven.     I would not add any sugar, the sugars from the blueberries with concentrate once dehydraded.      My oven does not go below 170   
 but I was successful at making raw vegan flat bread made from spinach and red bell peppers.  I have not tried dehydrating blueberries myself  Please let me know how they turn out if you decide to dehydrate them, I am hoping to plant a blueberry bush this year.   
__________________________________________
http://mom.me/food/1349-dry-sweet-blueberries/ 

Step 1
Wash fresh blueberries and dry them with a towel.

Step 2
Place the blueberries in boiling water for 30 to 60 seconds, then dip in very cold water. This "cracks" the waxy skin, to prepare the berries for drying.

Step 3
Lay the berries on a tray and put in a 130 degrees Fahrenheit oven, with the oven door slightly open for air circulation.

Step 4
Keep the berries in the oven for 10 to 20 hours until they are leathery, then take out.

Step 5
Store dried blueberries in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. They can last up to a year