Our Featured Fruit of the Month: BLUEBERRIES
In general, berries should be dry, firm, well shaped, and eaten within a week after purchase. If you can’t eat them that soon, remember that berries freeze well! It’s best to buy berries that are ‘in-season’ as they’ll cost less and are more ripe and flavorful than ‘out-of-season’ berries. Select blueberries that are firm, dry, plump, and smooth-skinned. Berries should be deep-purple blue to blue-black; reddish berries aren't ripe but can be used in cooking.
Wild blueberries are smaller in size compared to their cultivated cousins. Blueberries have a protective light powdery coating on the skins and tend to last longer than other berry varieties. Nearly half of the cultivated blueberries grown are sold as fresh blueberries. Fresh blueberries are available for nearly eight months of the year from producers across the United States and Canada. North America is the world's leading blueberry producer, accounting for nearly 90% of world production at the present time. The North American harvest runs from mid-April through early October, with peak harvest in mid-May—August.
Blueberry Oatmeal Breakfast Cake
3/4 cup quick-cooking oats
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoons salt
3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1 cup frozen blueberries*
Preheat oven to 400°F. Grease an 8-inch round baking pan; set aside. In a medium mixing bowl combine flour, oats, sugar, baking powder and salt. In a 1-cup measure stir milk, oil and egg; pour all at once into flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (batter will be lumpy). Fold in blueberries; spoon batter into prepared pan. Bake until cake is golden and pulls away from sides of pan 20 to 25 minutes. Cool on a rack, 5 to 10 minutes. Serve warm. *Blueberries should be firmly frozen when used in baking. Yield: 8 portionsTop 10 Ways to Enjoy Blueberries
A Sweet, Green Salad. Make a sweet salad by topping spinach leaves or lettuce with blueberries, nuts, strawberries, mandarin oranges, and a light Vidalia onion dressing.
Pancakes & Waffles. Make a whole wheat pancake or waffle batter and add fresh blueberries.Prepare andenjoy!
Blue Juice. The kids will love this one! Toss blackberries, blueberries, and a splash of orange juice into a blenderand add some blue to your kids’ day!
Blueberries & Bran. Add fresh blueberries to a bran muffin mix. Bake and enjoy!
Top Your Oatmeal. Top your favorite cereal or oatmeal with a handful of fresh blueberries.
Fruit Kabobs. Make fruit kabobs by stacking blueberries, kiwi, and strawberries on toothpicks. Enjoy as is or dip them in low-fat vanilla yogurt.
Blue Smoothie. Combine milk, low-fat frozen vanilla yogurt, and blueberries in a blender for a tastyblue smoothie.
Parfait. Layer blueberries, low-fat vanilla yogurt, low-fat granola, and pineapple to make a delicious after-dinner snack.
Just Pop a Few! Then a few more. They’re delicious as is!