Bring on the Blueberries: Fresh Talk

3 Comments | Written on July 19, 2012 at 5:00 pm, by Cheryl Sternman Rule

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Close your eyes. Picture a storm cloud. Now imagine that cloud raining blueberries down on everything in sight: blueberry puddles to stomp in, blueberries bouncing off umbrellas, blueberries streaking windshields with wide purple swaths.

Suddenly, I’m wishing for rain.

Whether due to their diminutive size or the punch of their sweet-tart flavor, blueberries have always tickled my fancy and captured my imagination. That they’re hailed for their health properties is a bonus, but from a sheer culinary perspective, it’s quite beside the point.

If you’re like me come blueberry season, you could eat them morning, noon and night. And luckily, there’s plenty of ways to do so.

For breakfast, whip up some yogurt-filled blueberry-lemon crepes, or how about homemade blueberry syrup atop a plate of blueberry-ricotta pancakes (swap in fresh berries for the frozen, if you like)? For lunch, try a simple green salad with fresh blueberry vinaigrette, and for a very special dinner, there’s filet mignon with blueberry bourbon barbecue sauce.

Thirsty? A blueberry fizz quenches parched throats in a fresh, new way.

Don’t forget dessert. Among all the pies and cobblers, pay special heed to this stunning blueberry checker tart with almonds and miniature marshmallows.

Bring on the blues.

Selecting: According to the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council, seek out berries that are “firm, dry, plump and smooth-skinned, with a silvery surface bloom and no leaves or stems.” Worry less about size and more about color: you want the flesh to be deeply pigmented. Avoid berries that are weepy, bruised or wrinkly.

Prepping: Blueberries require almost no advance prep, other than a cool rinse immediately before consuming.

Storing: Store in the refrigerator. If any berries are exuding juices, remove them from their peers and consume or toss immediately. Discard blueberries as soon as mold appears.

Nutritional Benefits: Katie Sullivan Morford, MS, RD, affectionately calls blueberries, which are rich in vitamin C and fiber, “little antioxidant bombs, particularly notable for their anthocyanin content.” She adds that research into blueberries and strawberries “found regular intake may delay the loss of cognitive function associated with aging.”

“And at only 57 calories a cup,” she emphasizes, “there’s little downside. “