Fresh, juicy blueberries brighten up any menu

One of my favorite sights at the Historic Lewes Farmers Market is the bright-orange peak of the Bennett Orchards tent. Last weekend was their first time this year to offer a beautiful array of just-picked, plump blueberries. Row after row of bright-blue fruit nestled in their green cardboard boxes just waiting for the addition of a clear plastic top to be secured with a rubber band and tucked into my carryall. 

Blueberries, native to North America, have been growing in the wild for over 10,000 years. Native Americans used blueberries for medicinal purposes and as a flavoring in their energy bars called pemmican. Not until the early 1900s did the idea of commercial blueberry production emerge as a possibility. U.S. Department of Agriculture botanist Frederick Coville collaborated with cranberry farmer Elizabeth White to determine which plants had the best promise.

Their research led them to favor high-bush varieties, which became sought after for fruit that was generous in size and delicious in flavor. By the mid-1900s, blueberries were being cultivated across the country in areas with acidic, boggy soil, places that were originally considered unsuitable for farming. In 1932, the state of New Jersey recognized White for her outstanding contribution to agriculture.

White’s family farm included a productive cranberry bog and was part of a small farming community founded in 1857. After Coville and White completed their successful research, the region became renowned for its important role in commercial blueberry farming. Today, you can visit Whitesbog Historic Village, which is now part of a 3,000-acre preserve in the New Jersey Pine Barrens. 

Once the high-bush cultivars became the variety of choice for fresh berries, the low-bush varietals, with smaller fruit, found their way into factories to be processed into juices and jams. Peak season for blueberries in our area runs from mid-June to mid-August, so this is prime time for beautiful berries. But, if your blueberries start to fade before you have the chance to eat them fresh, consider making a compote, jam or jelly with them. 

When I start thinking about the best way to use these fresh berries in recipes, I find myself reluctant to actually cook them. They’re so perfectly juicy, my first instinct is to toss them on a bowl of breakfast cereal or stir them into yogurt. If you look closely at fresh blueberries, you can see their faint covering of dusty-white “bloom.” This is a good sign the berries are just picked and haven’t traveled a long distance (unlike most of the ones in your supermarket produce aisle).

When you get your fresh blueberries home from the market, resist the temptation to rinse them, unless you’re planning to eat them immediately. That bloom is a protectant that keeps the berries from over-softening. Fresh, unwashed berries will remain crisp at room temperature for a day or so and in the refrigerator for up to a week.

If you’d like to freeze your berries, simply arrange them in a single layer on waxed paper on a baking sheet. Place them in your freezer for about 15 minutes, then transfer them to a zip-top bag and keep frozen until you’re ready to bake them into muffins or scones or blueberry pancakes. 

For the salad in the photo, I added blueberries to a bed of baby spinach and arugula. Additional ingredients included red onion, goat cheese and fresh corn kernels. I topped this with a balsamic vinaigrette, but a basic lemon version would work, too. For even more textural interest, you could toss on some toasted pecans, giving you crunchy, sweet, creamy and a bit of bite from the arugula.

Blueberry Arugula Salad

3 C baby spinach & arugula
1 C fresh blueberries
1/2 C crumbled goat cheese
1/2 C fresh corn kernels
1/3 C thinly sliced red onion
1/4 C olive oil
2 T Balsamic vinegar
1 T lemon juice
salt & pepper, to taste

Rinse and dry lettuce; place in a serving bowl. Scatter blueberries, goat cheese, corn and onion over the greens. Whisk together remaining ingredients until emulsified. Drizzle dressing over the salad and toss to combine. Yield: 4 servings.

Lemon Blueberry Ricotta Toast*

2 large slices sourdough bread
1/2 C ricotta cheese
2/3 C fresh blueberries
1/2 t lemon zest
1/2 t honey

Toast bread and place on a serving plate. Spread cheese evenly over each slice of bread. Arrange blueberries on the cheese. Sprinkle with lemon zest and drizzle with honey. Yield: 2 servings. *Adapted from walderwellness.com.

Blueberry Wild Rice Salad*

8-oz pkg wild rice blend
1 T olive oil
2 minced garlic cloves
3⁄4 C fresh blueberries
2 T Balsamic vinegar
1⁄2 C toasted pecans, chopped
1⁄4 C thinly sliced scallions
salt & pepper, to taste

Prepare wild rice blend according to package directions; drain well and place in serving bowl. In a small skillet, heat oil over medium. Add garlic and cook 1 minute. Reduce heat to low; add blueberries and vinegar. Cook five minutes, stirring frequently. Transfer blueberry mixture to bowl with rice; add pecans and scallions. Toss to combine and season to taste with salt and pepper. Yield: 4 servings. *Adapted from Highbush Blueberry Council.