Enjoy Louisiana blueberries - July is National Blueberry Month

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, July is National Blueberry Month! If any fruit deserves its own month of honorable recognition, the little blue beauty certainly does. Native to North America, blueberries are grown in 35 out of 50 states. That translates into supplying roughly 95 percent of the entire world’s crop.
Blueberries are nature’s number one source of antioxidants. The deep blue color of blueberries is from pigments, called anthocyanins that act as antioxidants. Antioxidants are compounds that protect cells against damage by free radicals that form in the body. Uncontrolled free radical formation can cause cell damage that may lead to cancer, heart disease, inflammation and other health problems. Blueberries are also a good source of fiber and Vitamin C and one-half cup of blueberries has only 42 calories. Blueberries are well-adapted to Louisiana. The rabbiteye blueberry, so called because of the pink color of the berry as it ripens, is the species most successfully grown in the South. Breeding programs throughout the Southeast have developed a number of highly productive varieties that produce large, juicy, aromatic berries with flavor comparable to that of berries grown in the traditional blueberry sections of the United States. More and more people are enthusiastically planting blueberry bushes, not only for home use, but for profit.
Pick-Your-Own
Blueberries
Pick-your-own blueberry patches are very popular. U-pick marketing means more profit to the grower because of reduced labor and transportation costs. For families, they’re an opportunity for an outing, where urban families can see how food is grown as well as enjoying high quality fruit at an economical price.
Some varieties of rabbiteye blueberries begin ripening around the first week of June. Others continue ripening through the early part of July. Most pick-your-own patches will have enough varieties to provide picking for six to eight weeks. Three or more pickings of each variety at weekly intervals are generally required to harvest the crop.
Selection
It’s important to be familiar with the ripening characteristics of blueberries, especially if you pick your own. Some varieties may have fruit that is highly colored, but it still may not be at peak maturity. Blueberries increase in size and improve in flavor for several days after they turn blue. It takes three to six days for them to become fully ripe after turning blue. Unripe berries will turn blue after harvest, but sugar content and size are noticeably less than when berries ripen completely on the bush. Overripe berries may shrivel and drop.
You may even buy enough of these to freeze for such delicacies as blueberry muffins later on. Be sure the fruit is plump and firm. Keep refrigerated until ready for use, or repackage in suitable freezing bags or containers and freeze immediately without washing.
Availability
With flavors ranging from puckery tart to mildly sweet, blueberries are in full seasonal swing somewhere from April through October, but July is prime blueberry season. Fresh, locally grown rabbiteye blueberries are available from early May through mid-June in South Louisiana and from early June through July in North Louisiana. Blueberries from other sections of the country are plentiful in supermarkets in July and August.
Storage
and Preparation
•Handle fruit gently to avoid bruising. Bruising shortens the life of fruit and contributes to low quality. • Sort carefully and remove berries that are too soft or decayed.
•Store berries loosely in a shallow container to allow air circulation and to prevent the berries on top from crushing those underneath. • Do not wash berries before refrigerating.
•Store covered containers of berries in a cool, moist area of the refrigerator, such as in the hydrator (vegetable keeper), to help extend the usable life of the fruit. Recommended storage time is three to five days.
•Before eating berries or using in your favorite recipe, wash berries gently in cold water, lift out of water and drain.
Using Blueberries
Blueberries, fresh, frozen or canned, are a real taste treat. They are nature’s convenience food – no peeling, pitting or coring! Simply wash and enjoy them fresh as they are, or use for cereals, salads, muffins, pancakes, tarts and pies or make delicious toppings for ice cream, waffles or cheesecake! Freeze them (without washing) and you will have an excellent product to use later. Can them for pies, cobblers, cakes and muffins or conserve them as tasty syrups, jams or jellies.
Tips for Using
Blueberries
•Breakfast -Toss blueberries into your favorite hot or cold cereal, add blueberries when making pancakes, muffins, breakfast breads and waffles, add blueberries to nonfat yogurt or pile blueberries into a cantaloupe half. • Snacking - Eat blueberries out of hand, make a blueberry blender drink with nonfat yogurt, mix blueberries with nonfat cottage cheese, drop frozen blueberries in sparkling water for a refreshing summer drink.
•Meals - Sprinkle blueberries into fruit or green salads, make a tangy blueberry sauce to serve with poultry, fish and meat.
•Desserts - Serve a dish of blueberries for dessert or use blueberries as a topping for low-fat ice cream, frozen yogurt, sorbet, fruit or angel food cake. Bake a blueberry cobbler or pie. Make blueberry sauce and use as a topping on pancakes, waffles, ice cream, pudding or angel food cake.
Freezing
Freeze blueberries without washing. When washed before freezing, blueberry skins become tough. To freeze, remove stems and trash, package tightly in freezer bags or containers or glass jars, leaving 1/2 inch headspace. Seal airtight and freeze. Remove from freezer, rinse in cold water and use immediately.
Use frozen berries directly from the freezer. There’s no need to thaw them if you use them in baked products, except for pancakes. Pancakes may not cook thoroughly in the center if the berries are frozen. Microwave the amount you need for a few seconds to thaw.
Canning
Wash one or two quarts of berries at a time and drain. Prepare and boil syrup, if desired. (Light syrup -two cups sugar in eight cups water or medium syrup - three-and-a-half to four cups sugar to eight cups water). Add one-half cup syrup, juice, or water to each clean jar.
Hot pack - Heat blueberries in boiling water for 30 seconds and drain. Fill jars and cover with hot syrup, juice or water, leaving ½-inch headspace.
Raw pack - Fill jars with raw blueberries, shaking down gently while filling. Cover with hot syrup, juice, or water, leaving ½-inch headspace.
Adjust lids and process in a boiling water bath - 15 minutes for pints and 20 minutes for quarts.
Check out your area Farmer’s Market to support your local farmers and get the freshest crops for you and your family. And for resident U-pick farms check out pickyourown.com/LA. You will find several area parishes with these types of farms including some in St. Landry Parish.
Information provided by the LSU AgCenter
Jennifer Duhon, MS, RD, LDN Nutrition Extension Agent Evangeline, St. Landry, RapidesParish LSU AgCenter, Evangeline Parish Extension Office 337-363-5646.