Phyllis Vaseleniuck Phyllis Vaseleniuck and her husband Ivan own Echo Springs Blueberry Farm on FM 607 between Brownsboro and Leagueville. The 60-acre blueberry farm ships blueberries all over the world to hungry customers.

Phyllis and Ivan are from Canada. Ivan wanted to move out of the big city, so they moved in 1988 and eventually came to Texas looking for land.

The previous owners of the blueberry farm hadn't kept it in the best of shape, but were willing to sell. The farm was purchased in 1999, and the Vaseleniuck house was built in 2000.

"My husband is a builder," Phyllis said. "When we came here we knew we didn't want livestock. We found this berry farm that had been let go."

Phyllis said she found America to be a land of resourceful people who are confident when taking risks.

"Canadians are not like Americans," she said. "There are not as many risk takers."

After a great deal of work, the farm that had once been 20 acres had grown to its current size and Phyllis had her own blueberry store to boot.

Some of Phyllis' favorite hobbies include gardening and baking. She is also a retired journalism and English teacher, having taught in Windsor, Onterio.

"One of my favorite things about cooking is the experimentation, " Phyllis said. "I think it's creative."

It turns out there are many delicious recipes and treats made with blueberries available at "The Best Little Blueberry Store in Texas". Though the store is open all year for special orders, the busy season is blueberry season, which lasts from late May throughout the summer. The grand opening will be June 14, but the farm will be open starting May 24.

Phyllis had a host of blueberry recipes to choose from, but these are some of her store's best sellers. Blueberry Pie 1 9-inch pie shell 4 cups blueberries (dust with … cup flour) 2 tbsp lemon juice 1/3 cup white sugar 1/3 cup packed brown sugar ‰ tsp cinnamon ‰ tsp nutmeg 2 tbsp flour or cornstarch

Put the blueberries and lemon juice in a saucepan. Using low heat, let mixture simmer for 3-4 minutes. In a separate bowl, mix the sugars, cinnamon, nutmeg and flour/ cornstarch. Add to cooked mixture and simmer until thickened. Pour into the pie shell and cover with the top shell. Bake at 350 Degrees until the crust is brown and the mixture bubbles. Blueberry Coffee Cake ‰ cup butter, softened 2 large eggs 1 tsp vanilla 2 tsp lemon rind 1‰ cups flour ‰ tsp salt 1 tsp baking soda … cup sugar ‰ cup chopped pecans 1 tsp cinnamon 1 cup powdered sugar 4 tsp milk 1 -8 ounce sour cream 1 package blueberries

Beat butter at medium speed for two minutes or until creamy. Gradually add ‰ cup sugar, beating 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs, sour cream, vanilla and lemon rind, beating till smooth. Combine flour, baking powder and salt to butter mix, beating till blended. Pour batter into a lightly greased 9" springform pan and combine berries, pecans, … cup sugar and cinnamon, sprinkle over batter. Bake at 350 Degrees for 35- 40 minutes. Cool in a pan on a wire rack for 10-15 minutes and remove from pan to cool on the rack for 10 more minutes. Whisk together powdered sugar and milk until smooth. Drizzle over the cake. Blueberry Sour Cream Pie 1 9-inch graham cracker crust 4 ounce cream cheese, softened 2 cups sour cream ‰ cup sugar plus 1 tbsp flour, mixed 1 ‰ cup blueberries 1 tbsp sugar

Mix together the cream cheese, sour cream and sugar/ flour mix. Fold in blueberries and pour into crust, top with one tbsp sugar and bake at 350 Degrees for 10 minutes. Cool and chill for two hours.