From salads to salsa to smoothies, blueberries can be a colorful addition to the dinner table.
July is National Blueberry Month. Whether consumers want to pick the fruit at farms or choose a variety from their local grocery store, they should look for round, dark blue berries without wrinkles, said Les Dozier, owner of Sta-n-Step Blueberry Farm in Fayetteville. He added that blueberries have a natural powdered coating.
Go & Do
Local Blueberry Farms
Sta-n-Step Blueberry Farm
Hours: 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays and Saturdays
Where: 3104 Wildcat Creek Blvd. in Fayetteville
Phone: 361-2789
Blue Heaven Blueberry Farm
Hours: Call for daily hours of operation
Where: 4810 Wildwood Lane in Springdale
Phone: 751-8987
Ron Jarvis Farm
Hours: 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays
Where: 11758 Greasy Valley Road in Prairie Grove
Phone: 466-8398
Call farms to check berry availability.
Fast Facts
More Easy
Blueberry Recipes
Blueberry Cream Slushy
1 cup frozen blueberries
1 cup frozen strawberries
1 cup pineapple and orange juice blend
1 cup vanilla yogurt
2 teaspoons sugar
6 ice cubes
Place the blueberries, strawberries, juice, yogurt and sugar into the container of a blender. Process until smooth. Add the ice cubes, and process until small enough to fit through a straw but large enough to crunch on. Pour into glasses and drink through straws.
Original recipe makes 2 servings.
Blueberry Brie
1 2.2-pound wheel Brie cheese
1 16-ounce can blueberry pie filling
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Place Brie cheese in a baking dish. Pour blueberry pie filling over the top.
Bake until hot, about 10 to 15 minutes.
Original recipe makes 32 servings.
"If you have a shiny berry, that means it's been handled too much," he said.
Dozier has been operating his farm since 1989 and is open for business from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesdays and Saturdays. He has three acres for picking blueberries, blackberries and raspberries, and he said he has seven or eight varieties of blueberries.
Dozier said blueberries can range in size from dime to about quarter shape. The size of the blueberry is determined by variety, as is sweetness, he said.
"The longer a berry is on the plant, the sweeter it will get," he noted.
Blueberries that are pink and purple were picked too early and "will actually be a little more tart," Dozier said. He suggested avoiding those.
Dozier opened for the season in mid-June, and his last picking day will be Tuesday. He said people who come Saturday can find blueberries at the farm.
Besides their versatility in recipes, blueberries also have health benefits. They are low in fat, run about 80 calories per cup and contain polyphenols, which research suggests have antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, according to the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council website, blueberry.org. The U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council is an agriculture promotion group made up of blueberry farmers, processors and importers in North and South America who work together to research, innovate and promote the fruits of their labors as well as the growth and well-being of the entire blueberry industry, the website states.
"Blueberries are high in Vitamin C, which promotes a healthy immune system, and manganese, which plays an important role in bone development. They're also a good source of dietary fiber, which contributes to heart health, helping to keep cholesterol in check," according to the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council website.
Below are a few blueberry recipes from allrecipes.com that turned out to be relatively simple to make: blueberry salsa, blueberry chill and fruit, veggie and tuna salad wrap. Two other recipes from allrecipes.com are also included, and more recipes can be found on the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council website.
Blueberry Salsa
2 cups chopped fresh blueberries
1 cup whole fresh blueberries
1 tablespoon finely chopped jalapeno pepper
1/3 cup chopped red onion
1/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
1 fresh lime, juiced
salt to taste
In a bowl, combine chopped and whole blueberries, jalapeno peppers, onion, bell pepper, lime juice and salt.
Original recipe makes 3 cups.
Note: I did not use jalapenos because I am not a fan of spicy foods. The salsa turned out sweet with a little spice from the onion and bell pepper.
Fruit, Veggie and Tuna Salad Wrap
1 6-ounce can tuna, drained
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
4 cups chopped fresh spinach
1 large carrot, shredded
1 apple, cored and diced
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup fresh blueberries
4 10-inch flour tortillas
Combine the tuna with the mayonnaise in a bowl, and mix until well combined.
Mix together the spinach, carrot, apple, mozzarella cheese and blueberries in a bowl, and gently fold in the tuna salad, making sure not to crush the blueberries.
Microwave the flour tortillas for about 10 seconds, until slightly warmed and pliable. Scoop about 1 1/2 cups of the spinach-tuna mixture into the center of each tortilla, fold up the bottom 2 inches to enclose the filling, wrap and serve.
Original recipe makes 4 wraps.
Note: This is a very refreshing wrap. It's also very filling.
Blueberry Chill
24 vanilla wafers, crushed
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
1 21-ounce can blueberry pie filling
Directions
Spread the crushed vanilla wafers evenly into the bottom of a square baking dish. Beat the cream cheese, heavy cream and confectioners' sugar in a bowl until smooth; spread in a layer over the vanilla wafers. Spread the blueberry pie filling over the cream cheese layer. Freeze at least 2 hours before serving.
Original recipe makes 8 servings.
Note: I used a rectangular baking dish, so I added about 10 crushed vanilla wafers to line the bottom.
NAN Life on 07/09/2014