Blueberries: In season spotlight

It’s growing season here in New England and that means an ever-changing repertoire of foods at their peak of freshness.  We are lucky in that our local climate allows our farmers to grow a large variety of produce.  The changing growing conditions also ensure that something new is ready to eat on a nearly weekly basis.  On the flip side for some items only a short window exists for us to enjoy them.  Earlier in the season my family and I got to enjoy fresh picked strawberries over their brief 3 week picking window. Now you can enjoy another superstar fruit, blueberries.

Blueberries on bushes
High bush variety of Blueberry. Image (c) 2020 Anna Kazmierczak

Pick-your-own Blueberries

Blueberries are in season now for a brief period of time so make sure to head to a pick-your-own farm ASAP.  You can find them all over the state.  My favorite is Clark Farms at Bushy Hill Orchard in Granby but you can find others by visiting https://www.pickyourown.org/ 

If you did not know, blueberries are an awesome pick-your-own option. Most of the varieties grown at commercial farms are the high bush varieties, making them comfortable to harvest.  They vary in fruit size, taste and even nutrition but all are great nutritious and tasty options.  if you are lucky to find them, wild blueberries (a low to the ground bush with small fruit size) taste out of this world and pack a nutritional punch like no other

The basics of Blueberries

Blueberries are native to North America and come in both highbush and low-bush varieties.  Despite the name their color can range from blue to purple.  They are packed with taste, full of water (84%) and low in calories (a cup is only about 84 calories) (3).  They also contain vitamins such as C and K, the mineral manganese and of course dietary fiber.  Their beautiful color comes from other compounds of benefit to us, specifically anthocyanins, and they contain various flavonols. 

What are anthocyanins and flavonols?

Anthocyanins and flavonols are part of a large family of compounds called flavonoids.  These bioactive compounds are believed to be beneficial to our health specifically heart health. (2)  Research is continually uncovering benefits of consuming these compounds in food.  Anthocyanins are anti-oxidants.  Blueberries contain over 15 different anthocyanins and they are concentrated in the skin.  The two main flavonols in blueberries are Quercetin and Myricetin.  Quercetin consumption “has been linked to lower blood pressure and reduced risk of heart disease”. (1) Myricentin is linked to potential cancer and diabetes prevention.

Benefits of flavonoids found in blueberries

Blueberries are called a super food because the compounds found in them (and their consumption) are linked to so many positive health outcomes.  Research indicates, that high blueberry consumption is linked to better blood sugar control (reduction in diabetes risk), better brain function (reduced brain aging over time) and improved heart health (lower risk of heart attack and lower blood pressure).  Research is still on going and we learn of new benefits all the time.  With few calories, fantastic taste there are so many reasons to enjoy blueberries, especially in season.

Enjoy them now and later

It’s easy to enjoy blueberries now while they are in season, go to a farm, pick-your-own and eat to your hearts content.  Blueberries will keep for a few days in a cool environment (if they last that long) but you will get the most out of them if you enjoy them within 1 or 2 days of picking.  So what can you do with those buckets you pick on your expedition?  You can freeze them (wash, let dry, place on a single layer on timed baking sheet and freeze then transfer to a freezer bag once frozen to prevent “clumping”) and enjoy them later in baked goods or in smoothies. 

Blueberries are excellent in baked deserts (cakes, crumble bars, muffins) and you can use them both fresh and frozen.  Make sure to be gentle when adding them in (fold them in at the end) so as not to break them apart.  When stirred too much they are likely to impart their dark blue and purple color to the batter, but taste and benefits will not be impacted.

Fun to grow and eat

In my house actually have a few blueberry bushes in our yard.  We keep them under cover to keep the birds and squirrels away from the fruit.  They are still growing so we munch on them as they mature.  Since it’s only a few bushes, we still love to pick blueberries at our local farm then eat them fresh and baked in various goodies.  We always come home with more than we can eat in a few days so I freeze the extras.  The few gallon-size freezer bags to last us into the winter months.  We love them baked in our favorite Blueberry Banana Muffins.

Blueberry Banana Muffins. Image (c) 2020 Anna Kazmierczak

There is lots more to learn and enjoy about Blueberries.  Check out the links if you want to learn more and make sure to find a local farm and get in on this fun way to enjoy local bounty.  But hurry, blueberries are only in season in July (CT).

Sources

  1. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/foods/blueberries
  2. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blueberry
  3. https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-proven-benefits-of-blueberries#section1
  4. https://www.healthline.com/health/what-are-flavonoids-everything-you-need-to-know
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