Rye Blueberry Cookies

My sweetheart made me promise to tell you that what you see in this video isn't really how we harvest our grain. So for the record, I am not a complete luddite, and yes, a combine is much more practical and efficient for harvesting a field of grain. But still, I couldn't resist venturing out with my basket and clippers to show you how easy it is to hand-harvest rye and mill your own flour.

To tell you the truth, I was really struggling with this video, and stuck in a rather unpleasant video editing rut... until I found the music track. It saved the day. And I am forever grateful to the amazing Boston-based artist André Obin for allowing me to use it in this piece. Its ethereal and dreamy quality was just what I was looking for.

Rye is such an under-appreciated grain. I generally use it for two things: sourdough bread and my rye berry salad, which I wrote about last fall. So when I first heard about rye cookies in Wood Prairie Farm's May newsletter, I knew I had to try them out. I love that there is a lot of butter in this recipe, and no white flour to camouflage the flavour of the rye, as many whole grain recipes often end up doing. Just pure 100% rye flour. Hallelujah. The result is nutty and flavourful, a deliciously buttery and wholesome treat. I've added dried blueberries to my version. And the chew of blueberries combined with the crunch of the turbinado sugar is something pretty sublime. I hope you'll make these!

Find my recipe right over here on PBS Food. Enjoy!