Preheat over to 375°. Mix the oil and 1 1/4 cups of sugar until well blended.  Check the bottom of the bowl to make sure you have blended everything well.

Add eggs one at a time, beating after each egg.  Then add vanilla and mix.

In a separate bowl, gently stir together the flour, salt and baking powder until combined.  Add 1/2 the flour mixture and 1/2 the buttermilk to the olive oil mixture, mix well.  Then repeat.  When all of the ingredients are well combined, stir in the lemon zest.

Wash and dry the blueberries.  Crush 1/2 cup of the blueberries with a fork and gently mix into the batter with a spatula or wooden spoon.  Then carefully fold in the remaining whole blueberries.

Line 12 cups of a standard muffin tins with cupcake liners. Scoop 1/3 cup of batter into each muffin cup.  Using the remaining 2 tsp of sugar, sprinkle a little on each muffin.

Bake at 375° for 30 mins (or more, if needed).  Rotate the pan halfway through the baking time. They may be begin to brown before they are done, so if they are getting too brown too quickly, you can loosely cover with foil.  Before removing from the oven, be sure to check that they are fully cooked by poking them with a skewer, which should come out clean.

Let them cool and enjoy!  Store any remaining muffins uncovered.