Blueberry Pie

4 cups fresh or frozen blueberries
1/4 cup cornstarch
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 Tbsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. lemon zest (optional)
2 Tbsp. butter
Pastry for 2 crust pie
Egg yolk, 1 Tbsp. Cream, 1 Tbsp. sugar for garnish

Mix cornstarch, sugar, and cinnamon.  Mix berries, lemon juice, and zest. Combine the two mixtures.  Set aside for 15 minutes.  Pour into pie crust.  Dot with butter.  Top with second crust or lattice.  Mix egg yolk and cream.  Brush crust and sprinkle lightly with sugar.  Bake on bottom shelf of oven at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.  Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake another 35 to 45 minutes until filling bubbles nicely and crust is brown.  Remove from oven and allow to cool several hours allowIng filling to set.  

To use canned berries, use three (15 oz.) cans berries in heavy syrup.  Drain berries, reserving 1 cup juice.  Omit sugar.  Reduce corn starch to 2 Tbsp.  Mix corn starch with reserved juice and cinnamon.  Add to berries and proceed as above.

In July each year when Stephen, Michael, and Kenny were with us for the summer, we would pick blueberries in Gadsden County on property owned by a hunting club.  It was planted in 40 acres of blueberries and had once been owned by a cannery in Havana.  We always left the blueberry patch with blue tongues and teeth and enough blueberries for blueberry pie and blueberry crisp as well as some for the freezer.  Blueberry picking has become an annual tradition, now including grandchildren and great grandchildren.