"Kuplunk!"

"Little Sal picked three berries and dropped them in her little tin pail...kuplink, kuplank, kuplunk!"

Blueberries for Sal is a favorite in my family. Written and illustrated by Robert McCloskey in 1949, it tells the gentle story of Little Sal and her mother (and Little Bear and his mother) as they spend an afternoon picking blueberries. Both mothers hope to stock up on berries for the winter; both children gobble up berries and end up following the wrong mother. McCloskey was born in 1914 in Hamilton, Ohio. He wrote eight books, receiving Caldecott recognition for two.

One of McCloskey's most famous books is Make Way for Ducklings, the story of Mr. and Mrs. Mallard raising a family in the Boston Public Garden. Other books include One Morning in Maine and Lentil. "I'm not prolific," McCloskey said. "I have to wait until it bubbles out." McCloskey's stories continue to delight the next generation in my family. Another wonderful "blueberry" story is Dear Mr. Blueberry, the tale of a girl who discovers a whale in her backyard pond.

Today's recipe is for Blueberry Buckle, best enjoyed warm from the oven with a bit of ice cream on top!

Mix 2 cups of flour, 2 1/2 tsp. baking powder, and a pinch of salt. In a separate bowl, cream 4 T. of butter and 1/2 cup of sugar. Add 1 egg and 1 tsp. of lemon zest. In a cup, combine 2/3 cup of milk and 1 tsp. of vanilla. Alternate mixing the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients into the creamed mixture. Stir in 1/2 cup of blueberries and pour into an 8 x 8 buttered pan. Sprinkle 1 1/2 cups of blueberries on top. Mix 1/4 cup of brown sugar, 3 T. of flour, 1/2 tsp. of cinnamon, 1/4 tsp. of ginger, and 3 T. of butter. Sprinkle on top. Bake for 45 minutes (or until cooked through) at 350 degrees.