About Blueberries

Significance

• Starting off as a flowery plant with white, pink or red hues, the flowers on a blueberry plant need bees in order to pollinate and produce the blueberries. Once the berries reach their peak they efface with a flared crown in a grayish deep blue color. When ripe, the blueberry has a pungent, sweet taste in which the skin disintegrates in the mouth. If a berry is picked too early, it can be chewy, acidic and bitter. Blueberries can either be handpicked, purchased frozen or bought at a farmers market or local grocer.

Function

• Most blueberries are eaten whole except for when blended into a drink or a puree for a spread. Blueberries are used in an array of recipes and goods such as cereals, muffins, jellies and jams. Blueberry pies are the most sought after method of utilizing a blueberry. Blueberry pie contests are held across the country especially in small towns like Imlay City, Michigan that hold annual Blueberry Festivals. Homemakers and self proclaimed chefs get to try their hand at earning the blue ribbon for their prized recipe pies and jellies. Smoothies are gaining popularity in the health and fitness circuit due to the berry being rich in antioxidants and nutrients.

Types

• Blueberries come in four varieties. Highbush are the most common of blueberries and produce the largest berries of up to an inch in circumference. Highbush blueberries are recognized by their tall bushes that can reach six feet tall. Lowbush varieties are similar to a ground cover and spread by underground tubers. Lowbush blueberries are sweet, small and perfect for pies or blueberry turnovers. Half high blueberry bushes grow in the northern United States and areas of Canada where the ground freezes over in the winter time. These hardy plants offer a very sweet taste in their summer harvests. Rabbit eye blueberries were created to prosper in warm climates in the southern Unites States such as Florida and Georgia and produce hundreds of blueberries throughout the summer season. Rabbit eyes are popular in many dessert and fruit dishes but taste delightful right from the vine.

Time Frame

• Blueberries are harvested in the late spring and summer months in North America and Southern Canada. Most plants bloom flowers before the berry appears. Once the berry appears it usually takes two to six weeks before it is mature enough to pick. Some bushes such as the low bush do not produce berries until their second year of maturity. When used in recipes, blueberries should not be overcooked or they will leak juice into a recipe.

Effects

• The effects of growing blueberries would be to provide a hearty crop of fruit for consumption. Berries can be frozen and used later or dried to be made into trail mixes or bird seed. Some people make blueberry wines out of a blueberry crop which is then aged---resulting in a lovely drink that can be consumed with a light summer meal. According to the USDA, consuming blueberries once a week can help reduce ones stress levels, aging and memory problems due to their ability to help reduce free radicals.