OPB’s “Superabundant” explores the stories behind the foods of the Pacific Northwest with videos, articles and this weekly newsletter. To keep you sated between episodes, Heather Arndt Anderson, a Portland-based culinary historian, food writer and ecologist, highlights different aspects of the region’s food ecosystem. With blueberries at their peak, this week she offers a copycat recipe for Shari’s Blueberry Lace Pancakes.

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When you think of the myriad ways to use blueberries, a pancake might not be the most original idea, but it’s a classic for a reason (and that reason is that blueberry pancakes are delicious, full stop). Though pancakes have been around for millennia and blueberries have been around even longer, if cookbooks are any indication, no one seems to have though to put the two together until relatively recently; in fact, the first time a blueberry flapjack appears in writing wasn’t until the late 19th century, in Susan Coolidge’s children’s book Eyebright. Blueberries are native to North America, but primarily from the Northeast. What is the Northwest’s native blueberry analog? Read on to find out!

A wad of chewing gum history, rare berries and local lampreys, a coffee icon goes to the great drive-thru in the sky and good things in markets

Freshly picked morsels from the Pacific Northwest food universe:

You’re in the big leagues

Last month was the Portland Mavericks’ 50th birthday, but the real legacy of the scrappy Minor League Baseball team wasn’t their athletic prowess — it was the world’s greatest chewing gum, invented by Mavs pitcher Rob Nelson: Big League Chew. Did the product’s “man size wads” promote childhood chewing tobacco use? Perhaps, but c’mon, feral ‘’80s kids already had candy cigarettes and chewing gum cigars. Big League Chew revolutionized chewing gum, paving the way for Bubble Tape and other alt-gum formats, and a billion pouches later, it’s still going strong. Read John Notarianni’s story about the product’s origins, which appeared on OPB back in 2019.

Kauffman’s berry deep dive

In his excellent newsletter, A Place is a Gift, writer Jonathan Kauffman waxes poetic about the many odd and wonderful foods that Northwest gardens can produce if one is curious enough to try growing and tasting everything at least once. In his latest edition, he experiments with growing every weird berry he can find and gives our Strawberry episode a nice nod regarding the reason why berries grow so well in our region. Thanks Jonathan!

Watch the Strawberry episode of “Superabundant”

Lamprey revival in the Willamette

By all accounts, the second-annual Willamette Falls Lamprey Celebration cookout was a success, reports Nika Bartoo-Smith for Underscore News. As eely Pacific lamprey return to their ancestral waters at Willamette Falls, tribes from around the region come to welcome the fish back home, teaching young tribal members how to harvest the slippery, ancient fish. Four Northwest tribes have treaty rights allowing them to harvest the at-risk species at Willamette Falls, and the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde has an agreement with the state of Oregon.

Coffee loses one of its People

It’s hard to remember a time before the espresso drive-thru, but in those dark days before the advent of Portland’s Motor Moka, people had to get out of their cars or — quelle horreur! — drink coffee at home. When Coffee People owners Jim and Patty Roberts opened Motor Moka in 1990, they revolutionized the way Oregonians got their morning buzz. The man credited with the coffee drive-thru’s invention, Jim Roberts, died earlier this month at the age of 74.

Good things in markets

Peaches and blueberries are still at their peak, tomatoes are going strong, and we’re starting to see a trickle of local tomatillos too. Cucumbers are going gangbusters, crisp and ready for the pickle crock, and finally we’re seeing bouquet dill too! Umbelliferous dill flowers really take pickles to the next level, but if you won’t use up a whole bouquet before it begins to wilt, just snip off the long stems and stash the blossoms in a jar of distilled white vinegar to buy yourself some time. Then add them (with the vinegar) to your favorite dill pickle recipes whenever you darn well feel like it. (We use this trick to keep garlic longer, too — when pickling season is going strong we prefer the convenience of pre-peeled garlic cloves.)

Recipe: Copycat Shari’s Blueberry Lace Pancakes

They don’t tell you this when you take your first cooking class, but you’ve reached the pinnacle of your culinary skill when you can make convincing restaurant menu knock-offs right in your own kitchen. Sometimes you really want a Crunchwrap Supreme but want it with grass-fed beef, or you want Olive Garden’s creamy Chicken & Gnocchi Soup but aren’t in that “when you’re here, you’re family™” mood. Or maybe you never eat fast food but have a little FOMO once in a while. Since it’s blueberry season here in the Northwest, we thought we’d try and hack Shari’s Blueberry Lace Pancakes — after all, Shari’s was born in Hermiston, Oregon, and is still based in the Beaver State 45 years later. To make it even more “Superabundant” you can use blueberries’ Northwest kissing cousin — huckleberries (both are Vaccinium spp.) but you’ll have to wait another couple weeks for hucks to be in season. We add nutmeg and lemon to the icing drizzle just for kicks, but you can stick to classic vanilla if you prefer. Makes about 12 6″ pancakes

Ingredients

Blueberry pancakes

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 ½ tsp baking soda

1 ½ tsp baking powder

2 tbsp sugar

1 tsp sea salt

1 ½ cups buttermilk (or 1 cup milk + ½ cup sour cream)

2 eggs

3 tbsp melted butter

1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries

Neutral oil for cooking

“Lace” (Icing)

Juice of 1 lemon (about 2 tbsp)

¼ tsp freshly grated nutmeg

1 cup powdered sugar

(To make this a vanilla icing, just sub 1 teaspoon vanilla + 1 ½ tablespoons water for the lemon juice and omit the nutmeg)

Instructions

1. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar and salt.
2. Whisk together the buttermilk (or milk and sour cream) and eggs, then pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined. Don’t overmix or worry about lumps! Fold in the melted butter and the blueberries, taking care not to smash the berries up.
3. Heat a teaspoon or so of cooking oil in a large griddle or skillet over medium heat. Add about ⅓ cup of pancake batter (enough to make a pancake 6 inches across). When bubbles form in the top of the pancake and begin to pop into dry little craters, flip the pancake. Repeat until the batter is all used, stashing the finished pancakes in a warm (200o) oven until you’re ready to serve.
4. Whisk the icing ingredients together in a small bowl, adding more powdered sugar or a drop or two of water as needed to achieve a thick but drizzle-able consistency. Drizzle the pancakes in an artful crosshatch pattern for the lacy effect.

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