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Scientific Name: Vaccinium spp.
DESCRIPTION OF BLUEBERRIES
Blueberries are flowering plants in the genus Vaccinium, sect. Cyanococcus. The species are native only to North America. They are shrubs varying in size from 10 cm (about 4 inches) tall to 4 meters tall; the smaller species are known as "lowbush blueberries" (synonymous with "wild"), and the larger species as "highbush blueberries". The leaves can be either deciduous or evergreen, ovate to lanceolate, and from 1–8 cm long and 0.5–3.5 cm broad. The flowers are bell-shaped, white, pale pink or red, sometimes tinged greenish.
The fruit is a false berry 5–16 mm diameter with a flared crown at the end; they are pale greenish at first, then reddish-purple, and finally blue on ripening. They have a sweet taste when mature, with variable acidity. Blueberry bushes typically bear fruit from May through June in the Western Hemisphere; blueberry season peaks in July, which is National Blueberry Month in the United States and Germany.
All species whose English common names include "blueberry" are currently classified in section Cyanococcus of the genus Vaccinium. Several other plants of the genus Vaccinium also produce blue berries which are sometimes confused with blueberries, mainly the predominantly European bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus), which in many languages has a name that means "blueberry" in English.
Although blueberries are native to North America, they are now grown also in the Southern Hemisphere in Australia, New Zealand and South American countries, and are air-shipped as fresh produce to markets around the world. True wild blueberries occur naturally only in eastern and north-central North America. Other sections in the genus, native to other parts of the world including western North America, Europe, and Asia, include other wild shrubs producing similar-looking edible berries such as huckleberries, cranberries, bilberries and cowberries. These are sometimes colloquially called blueberries and sold as blueberry jam or other products.
The names of blue berries in languages other than English often translate as "blueberry", e.g., Scots Blaeberry and Norwegian Blabaer, although those berries may belong to another species. For example, Blabaer and French myrtilles usually refer to the European native bilberry, while bleuets refers to the North American blueberry.
Aside from location of origin, blueberries can be distinguished from bilberries by cutting them in half. Ripe blueberries have white or greenish flesh, while bilberries and huckleberries are colored purple throughout.
BLUEBERRY HISTORY
Blueberries are native to North America where they grow throughout the woods and mountainous regions in the United States and Canada. This fruit is rarely found growing in Europe and has only been recently introduced in Australia. There are approximately 30 different species of blueberries with different ones growing throughout various regions. For example, the Highbush variety can be found throughout the Eastern seaboard from Maine to Florida, the Lowbush variety throughout the Northeast and Eastern Canada, and the Evergreen variety throughout states in the Pacific Northwest.
While blueberries played an important role in North American Indian food culture, being an ingredient in pemmican, a traditional dish composed of the fruit and dried meat, they were not consumed in great amounts by the colonists until the mid-19th century. This seems to be related to the fact that people did not appreciate their tart flavor, and only when sugar became more widely available as a sweetener at this time, did they become more popular.
Blueberries were not cultivated until the beginning of the 20th century, becoming commercially available in 1916. Cultivation of blueberries was spearheaded by a botanist at the United States Department of Agriculture who pioneered research into blueberry production. His work was forwarded by Elizabeth White, whose family established the first commercial blueberry fields.
HEALTH BENEFITS OF BLUEBERRIES
Beginning in 2005, blueberries have been discussed among a category of functional foods called superfruits having the favorable combination of nutrient richness, antioxidant strength, emerging research evidence for health benefits and versatility for manufacturing popular consumer products. Blueberries have a diverse range of micronutrients, with notably high levels (relative to respective Dietary Reference Intakes) of the essential dietary mineral manganese, vitamin B-6, vitamin C, vitamin K and dietary fiber. One serving provides a relatively low glycemic load score of 4 out of 100 per day. Especially in wild species, blueberries contain anthocyanins, other antioxidant pigments and various phytochemicals possibly having a role in reducing risks of some diseases, including inflammation and different cancers.
BLUEBERRY ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY
Blueberries are literally bursting with nutrients and flavor, yet very low in calories. Recently, researchers at Tufts University analyzed 60 fruits and vegetables for their antioxidant Blueberries came out on top, rating highest in their capacity to destroy free radicals.
Blueberries are considered to be an antioxidant powerhouse. Antioxidants are thought to help protect the body against the damaging effects of free radicals and the chronic diseases associated with the aging process. Fresh fruits, including blueberries, and vegetables contain many of these naturally occurring antioxidants such as Vitamins C and E. Packed with antioxidant phytonutrients called anthocyanidins, blueberries neutralize free radical damage to the collagen matrix of cells and tissues that can lead to cataracts, glaucoma, varicose veins, hemorrhoids, peptic ulcers, heart disease and cancer. Anthocyanins, the blue-red pigments found in blueberries, improve the integrity of support structures in the veins and entire vascular system. Anthocyanins have been shown to enhance the effects of vitamin C, improve capillary integrity, and stabilize the collagen matrix (the ground substance of all body tissues). They work their protective magic by preventing free-radical damage, inhibiting enzymes from cleaving the collagen matrix, and directly cross-linking with collagen fibers to form a more stable collagen matrix.
Blueberries contain 14 mg of Vitamin C and 0.8 mg Vitamin E per 1 cup of blueberries. In addition, blueberries contain anthocyanins and phenolics that can also act as antioxidants. Based on data from the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging (Boston, MA), blueberries are among the fruits with the highest antioxidant activity. Using a test called ORAC (Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity), researchers have shown that a serving of fresh blueberries provides more antioxidant activity than many other fresh fruits and vegetables.
BLUEBERRY & AGING
In a USDA Human Nutrition Research Center laboratory, neuroscientists discovered that feeding blueberries to laboratory rats slowed age-related loss in their mental capacity, a finding that has important implications for humans. In one study, Jim Joseph, director of the neuroscience laboratory in the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center (HNRC), fed blueberry extractions - the equivalent of a human eating one cup of blueberries a day - to mice and then ran them through a series of motor skills tests. He found that the blueberry-fed mice performed better than their control group counterparts in motor behavioral learning and memory, and he noticed an increase in exploratory behavior. When he examined their brains, he found a marked decrease in oxidative stress in two regions of the brain and better retention of signal-transmitting neurons compared with the control mice. The compound that appears responsible for this neuron protection, anthocyanin, also gives blueberries their color and might be the key component of the blueberry’s antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Blueberries, along with other colorful fruits and vegetables, test high in their ability to subdue free radicals. These free radicals, which can damage cell membranes and DNA through a process known as oxidative stress, are blamed for many of the dysfunctions and diseases associated with aging. These findings could become increasingly important as the U.S. population ages. It is projected that by 2050, more than 30 percent of Americans will be over 65 and will have the decreased cognitive and motor function that accompanies advanced age. Joseph is currently testing the effects of blueberries on humans. Preliminary results show that people who ate a cup of blueberries a day have performed 5–6 percent better on motor skills tests than the control group. Read research excerpts on blueberries and aging.
CARDIOPROTECTIVE ACTION OF BLUEBERRIES
While wine, particularly red wine, is touted as cardioprotective since it is a good source of antioxidant anthocyanins, a recent study found that blueberries deliver 38 percent more of these free radical fighters. In this study, published in the Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, researchers found that a moderate drink (about 4 ounces) of white wine contained 0.47 mmol of free radical absorbing antioxidants, red wine provided 2.04 mmol, and a wine made from highbush blueberries delivered 2.42 mmol of these protective plant compounds.
Other animal studies found that blueberry consumption lowered cholesterol and total blood lipid levels, possibly affecting symptoms of heart disease. Additional research showed that blueberry consumption in rats altered glycosaminoglycans which are vascular cell components affecting control of blood pressure
VISUAL ACUITY & BLUEBERRIES
Extracts of bilberry (a cousin of blueberry) have been shown in numerous studies to improve nighttime visual acuity and promote quicker adjustment to darkness and faster restoration of visual acuity after exposure to glare. This research was conducted to evaluate claims of bilberry's beneficial effects on night vision made by British Air Force pilots during World War II who regularly consumed bilberry preserves before their night missions.
PROTECTION AGAINST MACULAR DEGENERATION
Althoug your mother may have told you carrots would keep your eyes bright as a child, but as an adult, it looks like fruit is even more important for keeping your sight. Data reported in a study published in the Archives of Ophthalmology indicates that eating 3 or more servings of fruit per day may lower your risk of age-related macular degeneration (ARMD), the primary cause of vision loss in older adults, by 36 percent, compared to persons who consume less than 1.5 servings of fruit daily. In this study, which involved over 110,000 women and men, researchers evaluated the effect of study participants' consumption of fruits; vegetables; the antioxidant vitamins A, C, and E; and carotenoids on the development of early ARMD or neovascular ARMD, a more severe form of the illness associated with vision loss. Food intake information was collected periodically for up to 18 years for women and 12 years for men. While, surprisingly, intakes of vegetables, antioxidant vitamins and carotenoids were not strongly related to incidence of either form of ARMD, fruit intake was definitely protective against the severe form of this vision-destroying disease. Three servings of fruit may sound like a lot to eat each day, but by simply topping off a cup of yogurt or green salad with a half cup of blueberries, tossing a banana into your morning smoothie or slicing it over your cereal, and snacking on an apple, plum, nectarine or pear, you have reached this goal.
BRAIN PROTECTION
At a 2007 symposium on berry health benefits were reports showing consumption of blueberries (and similar berry fruits including cranberries) may alleviate the cognitive decline occurring in Alzheimer's disease and other conditions of aging. Feeding blueberries to animals lowers brain damage in experimental stroke. Research at Rutgers has also shown that blueberries may help prevent urinary tract infections.
In laboratory animal studies, researchers have found that blueberries help protect the brain from oxidative stress and may reduce the effects of age-related conditions such as Alzheimer's disease or dementia. Researchers found that diets rich in blueberries significantly improved both the learning capacity and motor skills of aging animals, making them mentally equivalent to much younger ones.
GASTROINTESTINAL HEALTH & COLON CANCER
Researchers have shown that blueberry anthocyanins, proanthocyanidins, resveratrol, flavonols, and tannins inhibit mechanisms of cancer cell development and inflammation in vitro. Similar to red grape, some blueberry species contain in their skins significant levels of resveratrol, a phytochemical. Although most studies were conducted using the highbush cultivar of blueberries (V. corymbosum), content of polyphenol antioxidants and anthocyanins in lowbush (wild) blueberries (V. angustifolium) exceeds values found in highbush species.
In addition to their powerful anthocyanins, blueberries contain another antioxidant compound called ellagic acid, which blocks metabolic pathways that can lead to cancer. In a study of over 1,200 elderly people, those who ate the most strawberries (another berry that contains ellagic acid) were three times less likely to develop cancer than those who ate few or no strawberries. In addition to containing ellagic acid, blueberries are high in the soluble fiber pectin, which has been shown to lower cholesterol and to prevent bile acid from being transformed into a potentially cancer-causing form.
Laboratory studies published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry show that phenolic compounds in blueberries can inhibit colon cancer cell proliferation and induce apoptosis (programmed cell death). Extracts were made of the blueberry phenols, which were freeze-dried and further separated into phenolic acids, tannins, flavonols, and anthocyanins. Then the dried extracts and fractions were added to cell cultures containing two colon cancer cell lines, HT-29 and Caco-2. In concentrations normally found in laboratory animal plasma after eating blueberries, anthyocyanin fractions increased DNA fragmentation (a sign that apoptosis or cell death had been triggered) by 2-7 times. Flavonol and tannin fractions cut cell proliferation in half at concentrations of 70-100 and 50-100 microg/mL, while the phenolic fraction was also effective, but less potent, reducing proliferation by half at concentrations of 1000 microg/mL. Eating blueberries may reduce colon cancer risk.
PROTECTION AGAINST OVARIAN CANCER
Among their rich supply of phytonutrients, blueberries include a flavonoid called kaempferol. Research calculating flavonoid intake in 66,940 women enrolled in the Nurses Health Study between 1984 and 2002 revealed that women whose diets provided the most kaempferol had a 40 percent reduction in risk of ovarian cancer, compared to women eating the least kaempferol-rich foods. In addition to blueberries, foods richest in kaempferol include tea (nonherbal), onions, curly kale, leeks, spinach, and broccoli.
A significant 34 percent reduction in ovarian cancer risk was also seen in women with the highest intake of the flavone luteolin (found in citrus). (Int J Cancer. 2007 Apr 30; Am J Clin Nutr. 2004 May;79(5):727-47.)
HEALTHY ELIMINATION
Researchers at Rutgers University in New Jersey have identified compounds in blueberries called proanthocyanidins that promote urinary tract health and reduce the risk of infection by preventing bacteria from adhering to the cells that line the walls of the urinary tract.
Blueberries can help relieve both diarrhea and constipation. In addition to soluble and insoluble fiber, blueberries also contain tannins, which act as astringents in the digestive system to reduce inflammation. Blueberries also promote urinary tract health. Blueberries contain the same compounds found in cranberries that help prevent or eliminate urinary tract infections. In order for bacteria to infect, they must first adhere to the mucosal lining of the urethra and bladder. Components found in cranberry and blueberry juice reduce the ability of E. coli, the bacteria that is the most common cause of urinary tract infections, to adhere.
CONCERNS - BLUEBERRIES & OXALATES
Blueberries are among a small number of foods that contain measurable amounts of oxalates, naturally-occurring substances found in plants, animals, and human beings. When oxalates become too concentrated in body fluids, they can crystallize and cause health problems. For this reason, individuals with already existing and untreated kidney or gallbladder problems may want to avoid eating blueberries. Laboratory studies have shown that oxalates may also interfere with absorption of calcium from the body. Yet, in every peer-reviewed research study seen to date, the ability of oxalates to lower calcium absorption is relatively small and definitely does not outweigh the ability of oxalate-containing foods to contribute calcium to the meal plan. If your digestive tract is healthy, and you do a good job of chewing and relaxing while you enjoy your meals, you will get significant benefits - including absorption of calcium-from calcium-rich foods plant foods that also contain oxalic acid. Ordinarily, a health care practitioner would not discourage a person focused on ensuring that they are meeting their calcium requirements from eating these nutrient-rich foods because of their oxalate content.
BLUEBERRY NUTRIENTS
Courtesy of Rick Hall, About.com Nutrition Guide nutrition.about.com
NUTRIENT UNITS 1 Cup
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145.000 gPROXIMATES Water g Energy kcal Energy kj Protein g Total Lipid (Fat) g Carbohydrate, By Difference g Fiber, Total Dietary g Ash g MINERALS Calcium, Ca mg Iron, Fe mg Magnesium, Mg mg Phosphorus, P mg Potassium, K mg Sodium, Na mg Zinc, Zn mg Copper, Cu mg Manganese, Mn mg Selenium, Se mcg Vitamins Vitamin C, Ascorbic Acid mg Thiamin mg Riboflavin mg Niacin mg Pantothenic Acid mg Vitamin B-6 mg Folate mcg Vitamin B-12 mcg Vitamin A, IU IU Vitamin A, RE mcg_RE Vitamin E mg_ATE Lipids Fatty Acids, Saturated g 4:0 g 6:0 g 8:0 g 10:0 g 12:0 g 14:0 g 16:0 g 18:0 g Fatty Acids, Monounsaturated g 16:1 g 18:1 g 20:1 g 22:1 g Fatty Acids, Polyunsaturated g 18:2 g 18:3 g 18:4 g 20:4 g 20:5 g 22:5 g 22:6 g Cholesterol mg Amino Acids Tryptophan g Threonine g Isoleucine g Leucine g Lysine g Methionine g Cystine g Phenylalanine g Tyrosine g Valine g Arginine g Histidine g Alanine g Aspartic Acid g Glutamic Acid g Glycine g Proline g Serine g
USDA Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 12 (March 1998)
OBTAINING BLUEBERRIES
Blueberry production in North America typically starts in mid-May (in Florida) and ends in September, when some fruit is held over in controlled-atmosphere storage in Oregon, Washington, and Canada. Sources give different periods for the growing season in the southern hemisphere. According to the University of California Extension Service, Chile, New Zealand and Argentina begin harvesting in the winter and continue till mid-March, when Chilean blueberries are held over in controlled-atmosphere storage for about six weeks. As a result, blueberries reach annual peak prices in mid-April.
In Chile, San Jose Farms, which says (according to its Web site) that it is one of the oldest blueberry producers in the country (it started in the early 1990s), states that its harvest season starts in November and continues through March. In Argentina: "The marketing year (MY) for blueberries begins in September and ends in February," according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture report. Blueberries grow in April and May.
BLUEBERRY USES
Blueberries are sold fresh or processed as individually quick frozen (IQF) fruit, purée, juice, or dried or infused berries which in turn may be used in a variety of consumer goods such as jellies, jams, pies, muffins, snack foods, and cereals. Blueberry jam is made from blueberries, sugar, water, and fruit pectin. Premium blueberry jam, usually made from wild blueberries, is common in Maine, Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia.
BLUEBERRY PICKING TIPS
Blueberries are one of the easiest fruit to prepare and serve. There is no peeling, pitting, coring or cutting. They have few natural pests, (other than birds), so pesticides are generally unnecessary.
Select plump, full blueberries with a light gray-blue color. A berry with any hint of red is not fully ripened, and once picked, blueberries will not ripen any further. Since blueberries hang on the bushes in bunches a but like grapes do, the easiest and fastest way to pick them is hold your bucket under them in one hand and with your other hand, cup a ripe bunch and gently rub them with your fingers. The ripe berries will drop into your bucket, while the unripe ones will remain attached to the bush.
Once picked, do not place the berries, still warm from the sun, in a closed bag or container. Leave the container open so moisture does not form in the container. Do not wash berries until just before using to prevent berries from becoming mushy. Chill berries soon after picking to increase shelf life. If refrigerated, fresh-picked blueberries will keep 10 to 14 days.
Freeze berries in freezer containers without washing to keep the skins from toughening. Place berries one layer deep. Freeze, then pour the frozen berries into freezer containers. Because unwashed blueberries freeze individually, they can be easily poured from containers in desired amounts. Remember both frozen and fresh berries should be rinsed and drained just before serving. Just before using, wash the berries in cold water.
SHOPPING FOR BLUEBERRIES
1 cup of blueberries normally weighs about 143 grams, which about 1/3 of a pound, so 1 pound of blueberries is about 3 cup's worth. Of course, this can vary considerably based on the variety, weather conditions and degree of ripeness.
Most of the blueberries we see in markets are cultivated, not wild. These blueberries are almost never sold loose but instead in pint containers that usually are covered with plastic. Look through the plastic for berries that have a white, chalky cast to them, a sign of freshness. If they do not roll around freely in the container when shaken slightly, they might be overripe or crushed, so keep looking.
Select berries that are in dry, unstained containers. Stained containers may indicate over soft berries that are not freshly picked. Mold on berries spreads quickly. Never leave a moldy berry next to a good one.
When you get the berries home, remove them from the container and put them in a bowl. Pick out the moldy or crushed berries and discard them. Cover the bowl and refrigerate. To keep the berries from becoming mushy, do not wash the berries until you are ready to eat them; then wash thoroughly.
Do not keep blueberries more than two or three days in the refrigerator. If you buy too many or do not use them promptly, wash, drain well and freeze them loose on a baking sheet, then store in a resealable plastic freezer bag until ready to use.
SELECTING & STORING BLUEBERRIES
Choose blueberries that are firm and have a lively, uniform hue colored with a whitish bloom. Shake the container, noticing whether the berries have the tendency to move freely; if they do not, this may indicate that they are soft and damaged or moldy. Avoid berries that appear dull in color or are soft and watery in texture. They should be free from moisture since the presence of water will cause the berries to decay. When purchasing frozen berries, shake the bag gently to ensure that the berries move freely and are not clumped together, which may suggest that they have been thawed and refrozen. Blueberries that are cultivated in the United States are available from May through October while imported berries may be found at other times of the year.
FOR THE MOST ANTIOXIDANTS - CHOOSE FULLY RIPENED BERRIES
Research conducted at the University of Innsbruck in Austria suggests that as fruits fully ripen, almost to the point of spoilage, their antioxidant levels actually increase. Key to the process is the change in color that occurs as fruits ripen, a similar process to that seen in the fall when leaves turn from green to red to yellow to brown— a color change caused by the breakdown and disappearance of chlorophyll, which gives leaves and fruits their green color. Until now, no one really knew what happened to chlorophyll during this process, but lead researcher, Bernard Kräutler, and his team, working together with botanists over the past several years, has identified the first decomposition products in leaves: colorless, polar NCCs (nonfluorescing chlorophyll catabolytes), that contain four pyrrole rings - like chlorophyll and heme. After examining apples and pears, the scientists discovered that NCCs replace the chlorophyll not only in the leaves of fruit trees, but in their very ripe fruits, especially in the peel and flesh immediately below it. According to researchers, when chlorophyll is released from its protein complexes in the decomposition process, it has a phototoxic effect: when irradiated with light, it absorbs energy and can transfer it to other substances. For example, it can transform oxygen into a highly reactive, destructive form. However, NCCs have just the opposite effect. Extremely powerful antioxidants, they play an important protective role for the plant, and when consumed as part of the human diet, NCCs deliver the same potent antioxidant protection within our bodies.
Ripe blueberries should be stored in a covered container in the refrigerator where they will keep for about a week, although they will be freshest if consumed within a few days. Always check berries before storing and remove any damaged berries to prevent the spread of mold. But don't wash berries until right before eating as washing will remove the bloom that protects the berries' skins from degradation. If kept out at room temperature for more than a day, the berries may spoil.
Ripe berries can also be frozen, although this will slightly change their texture and flavor. Before freezing, wash, drain and remove any damaged berries. To better ensure uniform texture upon thawing, spread the berries out on a cookie sheet or baking pan, place in the freezer until frozen, then put the berries in a plastic bag for storage in the freezer. Berries should last up to a year in the freezer.
Baby foods containing berries are bereft of anthocyanins, the water-soluble plant pigments responsible not only for the blue, purple, and red color of berries, but also for many of their health benefits.
Anthocyanins are found in fresh and frozen berries, but not in processed foods. A study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry found anthocyanins were almost undetectable in canned foods, bread, cereals, and baby foods containing berries, even in baby foods prepared from fruits high in anthocyanins, such as blueberries.
This may be due to anthocyanins' unique chemical structure, which renders them unstable even at a neutral pH and therefore much more susceptible to destruction during processing than other phytonutrients, such as proanthocyanidins. To give your children the full health benefits of berries, purchase fresh or frozen berries and purée them.
Tip: Remove berries from refrigerator one to two hours before serving. Berries are at their fullest flavor at room temperature.
FREEZING BLUEBERRIES
If you like blueberries in the winter, for muffins, pancakes, cobblers, pies or just in a bowl; just imagine how good it would taste if you had picked a couple of quarts fresh or bought a them from a farm stand and then quickly froze them at home. It is also one of the simplest ways to put up a fruit for the winter. Below are complete instructions in easy steps. Your own frozen berries will taste much better than anything you have ever had from a store.
Obtain and use a vacuum food sealer or ziploc type freezer bags for the freezer. The freezer bag version is heavier than regular ziploc bags and will protect the berries better against freezer burn. You will need a pan or tray that will fit in your freezer. It is best to rinse before using, but not before freezing. Washing blueberries before freezing can affect the blueberries skin, making them tougher.TIPS FOR PREPARING BLUEBERRIES
- Start with the freshest blueberries you can get. Look for plump, full berries with a good color.
- Spread the blueberries in a pan. If you have space in your freezer, spread the berries out in a large oven pan with a lip or ridge. Put enough on to make 1 layer. This way they will freeze quickly and not be frozen together in a lump, so later you can remove only what you need without thawing the rest. If your freezer is not that big, just put them into whatever container will fit in your freezer. After they are frozen, they may stick together a little bit, but should break apart fairly easily.
- Put the blueberries into the coldest part freezer or the quick freeze shelf, if your freezer has one. Leave them in the freezer overnight, to get completely frozen.
- You can bag the blueberries using a vacuum sealing device if you have one. If you do not have a vacuum sealer, ziploc bags work, too, but it is hard to get as much air out of the bags. Remove the air to prevent drying and freezer burn. A cheap way to "vacuum seal" a ziploc bag is to remove the excess air from a ziploc bag, put a straw inside the bag and zip it closed as far as possible. Then suck the air out of the bag, pinch the straw shut where it enters the bag and pull it from the bag and quickly zip the bag the rest of the way.
- Label the bags of blueberries with the contents and date, or all this work could be wasted, if you cannot identify them later, or do not know how old they are.
- Put them back into the freezer into the coldest part of the freezer.
- When you are ready to use the frozen blueberries, rinse the frozen berries in a bowl of plain cold water and pick out and remove any bits of stem, leaf, and soft mushy berries. It is easiest to do this in a large bowl of water and gently run your hands through the berries as they float. With your fingers slightly apart, you will easily feel any soft or mushy berries get caught in your fingers.
- To thaw them, just set them in the refrigerator overnight, or on the counter for a couple of hours. The microwave is not recommended unless you are planning to cook with them.
Fresh berries are very fragile and should be washed briefly and carefully and then gently patted dry if they are not organic. Wash berries just prior to use to not prematurely remove the protective bloom that resides on the skin's surface. If you know the source of either wild or organic berries try not to wash them at all.
When using frozen berries in recipes that do not require cooking, thaw well and drain prior to using. For cooked recipes, use unthawed berries since this will ensure maximum flavor. Extend the cooking time a few minutes to accommodate for the frozen berries. You may notice that berries used in baked products may take on a green color. This is a natural reaction of their anthocyanidin pigments and does not make the food item unsafe to eat.
A FEW QUICK SERVING IDEAS
Add frozen blueberries to your breakfast shake. If the blender container is plastic, allow berries a few minutes to soften, so they will not damage the blender.
Fresh or dried blueberries add a colorful punch to cold breakfast cereals.
For a deliciously elegant dessert, layer yogurt and blueberries in wine glasses and top with crystallized ginger.
Blueberry pie, cobbler and muffins are classic favorites that can be enjoyed throughout the year.
3 to 4 cups of Blueberries, fresh or frozen (without syrup)
7 tablespoons Corn Starch or flaked tapioca (the tapioca balls do not dissolve well)
3 tablespoons Water (or Grape Juice)
2 tablespoons Lemon Juice
One 9 inch pie crust (or a graham cracker pie crust) 1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon Allspice
One 9 inch deep-dish Pie Plate - (disposable pie pans or glass - the deep type)
Sweetener:
2/3 cup granulated (ordinary table) Sugar
OR
1/3 cup sugar and 1/3 cup Splenda
Note: Splenda works in pie recipes, but not by itself. The pie turns out heavy and with much less flavor.
Choose the Preferred Topping:
Crumb Topping:
1/4 cup sugar (OR 1/8 cup sugar and 1/8 cup Splenda)
1/2 cup flour
1/4 cup butter or margarine
Mix together in a small bowl and sprinkle it over the pie. OR
Dough Topping:
Use a conventional pie crust recipe and double it to make extra to roll out as a topping to cover the pie or you can purchase ready-to-use pie crusts (though I like homemade better).
Step 1: Make the pie crust. Many people prefer blueberry pie in a graham cracker crust. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
Step 2: Wash the blueberries by rinsing them in a colander or sieve in cold water, no soap. Pick out and remove any bits of stems, leaves and soft or mushy berries. It is easiest to do this in a large bowl of water and gently run your hands through the berries as they float. With your fingers slightly apart, you will easily feel any soft or mushy berries get caught in your fingers.
Step 3: Mix the dry filling ingredients. Combine the 2/3 cup sugar (or sugar/Splenda blend), 7 Tablespoons of corn starch, and spices in a bowl and mix well. Some people like 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and/or 1/4 teaspoon of allspice added for extra flavor.
Step 4: Mix in the liquids. Add the 2 Tablespoons of lemon juice, and 3 Tablespoons of water (or grape juice) and stir. If you use Splenda, it will be pretty gloppy, rather than drier crumbs, but it still works the same.
Step 5: Add the blueberries to the pie crust by pouring them in. There is lots of air space and it will cook down, so do not worry if they mound up about an inch (2.5 cm) above the edge of the plate.
Step 6: Pour the liquid mixture of sugar, juice, etc. into the pie all over the blueberries. If it is a gloppy liquid, do not worry, just pour it somewhat evenly over the top. But it does not take perfection; it will smooth itself out in the oven.
Step 7: Sprinkle the crumb topping over the pie. If you use a dough topping instead, roll out a circular section of dough that you made in Step 1, to 1/8 inch thick, then place it over the pie. Seal it against the edges with the pie crust, and make decorative slits with a knife.
Step 8: Put the pie in the oven and bake at 375° (or 190°Celsius) for 1 hour.
Step 9: Remove when the pie is golden and pie is bubbling. Check to see if it is bubbling and crust is golden brown. If if not, check every 3 or 4 minutes until it is.
Step 10: Set the pie on a rack to cool and enjoy! Here is a slice of the finished pie! Serve warm with ice cream. Refrigerate after it is cooled. It easily lasts a week in the fridge (that is, if there is no one there to eat it. Most of the time, people eat it all within a day!)
Making and canning your own blueberry jam is so easy. And this blueberry jam is incredible. Even if you are a fan of strawberry, triple-berry, blackberry, or whatever, and do not like fresh blueberries, you should try this recipe. You can also use this recipe to make a blueberry spread (see step 5).
Ingredients and Equipment:
10 cups (About 3.5 lbs) Blueberries, preferably fresh, but frozen (without syrup works, too)
1/4 cup Lemon juice (fresh squeezed or bottled)
1/2 cup Water
4.5 cups Sugar (For low-sugar, fruit juice-sweetened, or Splenda-sweetened blueberry, see below)
Pectin
Jar funnel
Jar grabber (for picking up hot jars)
16 to 20 quart pot (Teflon lined pots are good for easy cleanup)
Large spoons and ladles
1 Canner (a huge pot to sterilize the jars)
Ball canning jars
Canning Lids (thin, flat, round metal lids with a gum binder that seals against the top of the jar.)
Canning Rings (metal bands that secure the lids to the jars)
Blueberry Jam-Making Directions:
The yield from this recipe is about 10 eight-ounce jars (which is the same as 5 pints).
Step 1: Pick the blueberries! (or buy them already picked). You may use frozen blueberries (those without syrup or added sugar); which is especially useful if you want to make some jam in December to give away as a holiday gift.
Step 2: Jam can ONLY be made in rather small batches - about 6 cups of prepared berries at a time. The directions on the pectin say, DO NOT increase the recipes or the jam will not "set" (jell, thicken). It takes about 9 or 10 cups of raw, unprepared blueberries per batch.
Step 3: Wash the jars and lids. The dishwasher is fine for the jars; especially if it has a "sterilize" cycle, the water bath processing will sterilize them as well as the contents. If you do not have a dishwasher with a sterilize cycle, you can wash the containers in hot, soapy water and rinse, then sterilize the jars by boiling them 10 minutes, and keep the jars in hot water until they are used. NOTE: If unsterilized jars are used, the product should be processed for 5 more minutes. However, since this additional processing can result in a poor set (runny jam), it is better to sterilize the jars. Put the lids into a pan of hot, but not quite boiling water for 5 minutes, and use the magnetic "lid lifter wand" to pull them out. Leave the jars in the dishwasher on "heated dry" until you are ready to use them. Keeping them hot will prevent the jars from breaking when you fill them with the hot jam. Put the lids into a pan of boiling water for at least several minutes; to soften up the gummed surface and clean the lids. Leave them with the heat on very low until needed.
Step 4: Wash the berries and sort. Wash the fruit in a colander of plain cold water. Pick out and remove any bits of stems, leaves and soft or mushy berries. It is easiest to do this in a large bowl of water and gently run your hands through the berries as they float. With your fingers slightly apart, you will easily feel any soft or mushy berries get caught in your fingers. Drain off the water.
Step 5: Crush the berries. To crush them, you can either do one layer at a time in a pan or bowl, using a potato masher or use the slice mode on your food processor. Either way, if you start with 10 cups of berries, you will end up with about 6.5 cups of crushed blueberries. Note: if you want to make a smooth blueberry spread; instead of mushing or crushing the blueberries, just run the blueberries through a blender until you get a smooth consistency.
Step 6: Measure out the sweetener. Depending upon which type of jam you are making (sugar, no-sugar, Splenda, mix of sugar and Splenda or fruit juice) you will need to use a different amount of sugar and type of pectin. The precise measurements are found in directions inside each and every box of pectin sold (every brand has directions inside). Splenda is not recommended to by used by itself. Plain granulated sugar makes a big difference in the color and taste. Unless you are diabetic, for best results, try the low or lower sugar formula below.
Type of Jam Type of Pectin To Buy Sweetener Regular Regular 7 cups of sugar Low sugar Low-sugar or no-sugar 4.5 cups of sugar Lower sugar Low-sugar or no-sugar 2 cups sugar and 2 cups of Splenda No sugar No-sugar 4 cups of Splenda Natural No-sugar 3 cups fruit juice (grape, peach, apple or mixed)
Step 7: Mix the dry pectin with about 1/4 cup of sugar or other sweetener. Keep this separate from the rest of the sugar. Notes about pectin: You can add about 20 percent more pectin (just open another pack and add a little) for a firmer jam. With a little practice, you will find out exactly how much pectin to get the thickness you like. Pectin enables you to turn out perfectly set jam every time. Made from natural apples, there are also low-sugar pectins that allow you to reduce the sugar you add by almost half.
Step 8: Mix the blueberries with the pectin and cook to a full boil. Stir the pectin, lemon juice and water into the blueberries and put the mix in a big pot on the stove over medium to high heat (stir often enough to prevent burning). It should take about 5 to 10 minutes to get it to a full boil (the kind that can not be stirred away).
Step 9: Add the remaining sugar and bring to a boil. When the berry-pectin mix has reached a full boil, add the rest of the sugar (about 4 cups of sugar per 6 cup batch of blueberries) and then bring it back to a boil and boil hard for 1 minute.
Step 10: Testing for "jell" (thickness) - keep a metal tablespoon sitting in a glass of ice water, then take a half spoonful of the mix and let it cool to room temperature on the spoon. If it thickens up to the consistency you like, then you know the jam is ready. If not, mix in a little more pectin (about 1/3 to 1/2 of another package) and bring it to a boil again for 1 minute.
Step 11: Fill the jars and put the lid and rings on. Fill them to within 1/4-inch of the top, wipe any spilled jam off the top, seat the lid and tighten the ring around them. Then put them into the boiling water canner. This is where the jar tongs and lid lifter come in really handy.
Step 12: Process the jars in the boiling water bath. Keep the jars covered with at least 2 inches of water. Keep the water boiling. In general, boil them for 5 minutes. You will have to process (boil) them longer at higher altitudes than sea level, or if you use larger jars, or if you did not sterilize the jars and lids right before using them. The directions inside every box of pectin will tell you exactly. The directions on the pectin tend to be pretty conservative. Clemson University says you only need to process them for 5 minutes. However, you can start pulling them out after 7 minutes, and the last jars were probably in for 10. You will rarely have a jar spoil. Note: Some people do not even boil the jars; they just ladle it hot into hot jars, put the lids and rings on and invert them, but putting the jars in the boiling water bath REALLY helps to reduce spoilage.
Step 13: Remove and cool the jars. Lift the jars out of the water and let them cool without touching or bumping them in a draft-free place (usually takes overnight). You can then remove the rings if you like. Once the jars are cool, you can check that they are sealed verifying that the lid has been sucked down. Just press in the center, gently, with your finger. If it pops up and down (often making a popping sound), it is not sealed. If you put the jar in the refrigerator right away, you can still use it. Some people replace the lid and reprocess the jar, then that is a bit iffy. If you heat the contents back up, re-jar them (with a new lid) and the full time in the canner, it is usually ok. Once cooled, they are ready to store. They last up to 12 months. But after about 6 to 8 months, they get darker in color and start to get runny. They still are safe to eat, but the flavor and texture are not as good. So eat them in the first 6 months after you prepare them
1/2 cup Butter; room temperature
1-1/4 cup Sugar
2 Large Eggs; room temperature
2 cups All-Purpose Flour
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Salt
1/2 cup Milk
2 cups Blueberries (fresh or frozen, thawed & drained)
4 teaspoons Sugar
Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease 18 1/2-cup muffin cups. Cream 1/2 cup butter and 1-1/4 cups sugar in large bowl. Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Sift flour, baking powder and salt into small bowl. Mix dry ingredients into butter mixture alternately with milk. Fold in berries. Divide batter among prepared cups. Sprinkle the 4 teaspoons sugar over the muffins. Bake until tester inserted in centers comes out clean. About 30 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Makes 18
Blueberry dessert pizza is made with cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice, sugar, and blueberries, along with other ingredients.
Crust:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup melted butter
Topping:
1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup water
4 cups blueberries
whipped topping and fresh blueberries or sliced strawberries for garnish (optional)
Preparation: Combine flour and confectioners' sugar in mixing bowl. Add melted butter and mix to blend well. Pat dough out in a 14-inch pizza pan. Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes, or until lightly browned. In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese with sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice, and vanilla. Spread over the cooled pizza crust.
In a large saucepan, combine sugar and cornstarch; stir in water. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until thickened. Add blueberries and cool completely. Spread cooled blueberry mixture over cream cheese layer. Chill thoroughly. Cut in wedges to serve, with dollops of whipped topping and fresh blueberries or strawberry slices, if desired.
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