A Southerner in a Yankee Kitchen

When you move to a new part of the country there are all kinds of things that get lost in translation. Like "blinker" versus "directional" or the New England classic "wicked". There's the difference between "chowda" and "chowder" and then....there is the New England version of "hot."  Not food hot, but weather hot. See, where I'm from in the dirty south, hot means over 98 degrees. Hot is when you open your car door and your hair singes. Hot is HOT. Here in New England, hot is somewhere between 80 and 95 degrees. Anything over that means you probably shouldn't leave your house.

Now...when I first moved to New England, I knew winters were going to be cold beyond anything I knew, but I wasn't prepared to have winter end and summer begin just to hear people bitching about how hot it was. Really? Two months ago you were sick of the miserable snow and now you're sick of the heat. To me, this was and still is mostly incomprehensible. The only reason winter in New England is tolerable is because of snow (which everyone else seems to hate). This past winter we almost had an entire winter season without snow, and I was not happy. But there's a silver lining in that we also had very few days where it hit the teens and negatives. So now it's summer, and I've got my little garden growing and the days average around 85 degrees, which, for July, seems a little obscene. Like... my home town is enjoying a solid 94 degrees while I sit in a house with only one window unit running to keep it cool.

All I can say is that if this is "hot", I love it. I love being able to walk around without feeling like I'm going to suffocate on the muggy, cotton candy heat of the southern summers. The nights cool down to the low 60s and the days mostly stay in the mid to high 80s. Every part of the country has its own perks, no doubt about it, but I am falling in love with the beautiful (and bountiful!) springs, mild summers, stunning falls and snowy winters of New England.

In fact, this time of the year brings a particularly great New England treat - wild blueberries. In the south, the wild blackberry brambles are absolutely delicious, and in New England the wild blueberries grow bountifully. We have a patch of what's called "low bush" blueberries in our back yard, and it gets bigger every year. The blueberries love the woodsy pine floor of our back yard and they make these tiny, cute little blueberries that are quite tasty and perfect for pancakes and muffins.

For the past two summers, I've made a blueberry tea with the blueberry leaves and about a half cup of blueberries. No matter where you are in the US, if you can get your hands on some blueberry plant leaves I'd recommend this light, antioxidant rich tea infusion. It's perfect for that summer day - whether it's 80 or 100 degrees.

Fresh Blueberry Tea Infusion

NOTE: You'll need to make this the day before you want to drink it.

• A few blueberry stems with leaves
• Half a cup of blueberries
• 2 tbsp local honey
• 1 sprig mint

1.  Boil 8 cups of water until at a rolling boil. Add blueberry leaves and remove from heat.
2. In a large pitcher, crush blueberries lightly with a fork.
3. Drizzle 2 tbsp honey over blueberries.
4. Add sprig of mint into pitcher.
5. After 5-10 minutes, pour the hot water with the blueberry leaves in it into the pitcher.
6. The mixture will look brown the first day, but by the second morning it will be a pleasant reddish blue. Strain (or use a pitcher with a tooth spout) and serve iced. Will stay good for 3-4 days.