The amazing blueberry

Blueberries are small fruit that have a sweet taste and a dark blue color when ripe.

Blueberries grow on bushes and are harvested in North America starting in May and lasting through the summer.  In Australia, fresh blueberries are available about ten months of the year (from July through April) due to the geographic spread of the blueberry farms and the methods of cultivation.  Harvest in the UK is from June to August, while in Mexico it’s from October to February.

Blueberries are traditionally harvested by hand using a special rake, but modern farmers use machines. 

Blueberries can be sold fresh, or processed and made into juice, jam, wine, pies, muffins, snack foods or added to breakfast cereals.  Of course, as we all know, fresh is better because processing does diminish some of the health benefits of any food.

Blueberries are high in B vitamins, but also contain protein, the minerals manganese and potassium and vitamins C and K.  They also contain anthocyanins, polyphenols, and phytochemicals, which are antioxidants that can boost brain power, help dry skin and may prevent some cancers. 

I always throw frozen blueberries into my breakfast smoothies.