The end of the blueberries.

My dad knows where all the best, biggest and most tasty blueberries grow in Northwestern Ontario. He knows where they grow so thick that picking them is easy and delicious. The reason he knows is because wild blueberries really like to grow up around old logging roads and areas where the forest has been harvested. They have room to stretch and get lots of needed sun for sweetening their round, purple fruits. I have been known to sit on the ground like a black bear, filling my face and staining my fingers until dusk. My dad is a logger and he's got the inside scoop.

Every summer when we visit we bring back bags of frozen blueberries. Their taste does not compare to conventional, farmed berries. Wild blueberries are deep in colour and sickly sweet in taste. They are smaller and have less of a grainy texture. I don't like regular blueberries and will only eat them if times are desperate. Thankfully, we have been rich with wild blueberries these last few years and have even had enough to share with pals. Until now!

This morning I woke up and had a hankering for pancakes. Blueberry pancakes to be exact (as if you didn't know where this was going). I made up a batch using our last bit of blueberries and here's how it went...

These serve two people two large pancakes each.

1/2 cup buckwheat flour

1/2 cup quinoa flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp baking powder

1 tbsp apple cider vinegar

3 tbsp chia cereal mix

1/2 cup frozen or fresh blueberries

pinch of salt

I used a chia mix as a sort of binding agent. You can get these cereal blends at most heath food stores. They are high in fiber, calcium and iron. Heat up some water on the stove and add a small amount to the chia mix to moisten and set it aside.

Mix all of the dry ingredients in a medium size bowl. Add 3/4 cup of water and stir. Add more water in small amounts until you get the consistency of batter you desire. (I find these pancakes to be better with a thinner batter.) Add the cider vinegar and stir. Stir in the chia mix and then the blueberries. You can add a touch more water if the mix has become too thick.

Cook up the pancakes as you would regular pancakes and enjoy with your favorite fruit or some maple syrup!

*Next time I make these I'm going to add toasted, unsweetened coconut which will taste lovely with the nutty flavours of the flours.

Happy Birthday to my Daddy! He is 49 years old and is the best guy I know.