Blueberries

Question: blueberries? About 2 days ago, I bought a package of blueberries. I tried to eat one, but it tasted really bitter. And it wasn't that purple-blue color inside---it looked like a grape on the inside. Why is this? Do I have to wait until there ripe? Should I put them in the sun or something to get them more ripe? Are they not as healthy for you if they're white inside? Because I heard they had many anti-oxidants in them because of their purple color on the inside.....

Answer: Blueberries are only blue on the outside. They may get reddish inside if they're home grown or wild. The ones you bought were imports and they have to be shipped when they're less than ripe otherwise there would be immeasurable loss from spoilage and your prices sky-rocket accordingly.

Question: I bought some blueberries at Walmart and the next day I got spam offering blueberry plants for sale. How? I keep getting some curious looking spam. The names are often family members or friends (coincidence?). I bought some blueberries at Walmart and the next day I got a spam for some blueberry plants. I paid at Walmart using my debit card. Is Walmart giving away my personal info or is someone hacking Walmart's computers?

Answer: Sounds more like a coincidence. We sometimes hear about someone who had a premonition and didn't get on a flight that later crashed, but we never hear about the people who had premonitions and didn't get on flights that landed safely. Walmart would have to have some way getting your email address from your debit card number. It's not likely your bank would give it out even if they have it, and it's even less likely Walmart could hack it any other way. Hope that helps.

Question: Why do blueberries rise and fall in a glass of beer? While drinking a pint of blueberry beer @ Boston Beer Works, I noticed that the blueberries would rise and fall over and over again floating in the glass. Why does this happen? It seemed to have something to do with the bubbles on the berries, but i don't know for sure.

Answer: I believe the bubbles attach themselves to the surface of the blueberries, allowing them to rise in the beer. Once the berries reach the top of the liquid the bubbles pop, leaving the blueberry to fall back down to the bottom to accumulate more bubbles.

Question: Where do Blueberries grow best? Will the soil in a garden in Southern California grow them? If you want to grow blueberries in your garden and you live in Southern California?

Answer: The sort Jubilee is recommended throughout the South and in California in areas that receive ar least 500 chilling hours. Sunshine Blue is suitable for Southern California too. This site shows the different varieties and where they grow best: http://www.weeksberry.com/BLUE.HTML Blueberries have a vital need for a very specialized kind of soil: highly acidic soil, with a pH in the range of 4.0 to not over 5.5 (ideally from 4.5 to 4.8). That`s the reason why they often are cultivated in pots because it`s not easy to alter soil pH drastically. Here some sites with a lot of cultivation tips and hints, mindful of these problems: http://growingtaste.com/fruit/blueberries.shtml http://www.canr.msu.edu/vanburen/e-2066.htm http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/hil-8207.html California specific: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m1216/is_n1_v184/ai_8236447 Answers/forum: http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/load/calif/msg0116404414673.html Good luck!!!

Question: Why has my blueberries got more berries than leaves this year? My blueberries have lots of berries on them but lack the leaves to protect them, what am I doing wrong?

Answer: I wish I knew the answer, but if you give me your address I'd be happy to taste-test them for you........ :)

Question: How long does a fruit parfait with blueberries will stay fresh for? I made it on Saturday. It has been on the fridge, but I know that blueberries go bad fast. It has pound cake, cool whip, strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries. Help!!! Is it still good?

Answer: I am a former chef and like English style trifle it gets better with age, and as you used Cool Whip there is no real dairy product, I would not let it go much more than tomorrow or Thursday at the latest, it just may taste stale.

Question: Any good baking recipes with blueberries? I love blueberries. I love to bake breads with blueberries and look for new receipes. I am tired of baking blueberry muffin and blueberry coffeecake. Any good ideas?

Answer: BLUEBERRY CHEESE TART : Combine 1 ½ c. vanilla cookie crumbs, 6 T. melted margarine/butter and 1/8 t. nutmeg. Press into a 9-inch tart pan with a removable bottom (Keebler makes a variety of pre-made pie crusts that can be substituted here). Beat one 8-oz package of softened cream cheese, ½ c. sugar, 2 eggs, ½ t vanilla, & ½ t. lemon peel with an electric mixer until smooth. Spoon mixture into the piecrust and bake at 375 for 15 minutes until firm. Cool. Spread a blueberry topping (cook 2 c. blueberries, ¼ c. sugar, ¼ c. water, 2 T. cornstarch and a dash of salt in a saucepan stirring for 4 minutes or until thickened. Stir in 1 T. lemon juice and cool to lukewarm) over and refrigerate several hours. Baked Blueberry French Toast: Dip 8 slices of bread into 2 well beaten eggs mixed with 1 c. of milk. Put slices on a heavily buttered cookie sheet. Bake in a preheated oven at 400 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Remove from oven and top with 1-pint fresh or microwave defrosted frozen blueberries. Combine 1-c. sweet cracker crumbs, 2-tbs. flour, 2-tbs. sugar, 1/2-tsp. cinnamon, ¼ c. chopped nuts and ¼ c. butter. Sprinkle crumbs over blueberries and bake at 400 degrees until lightly brown (15 minutes) Blueberry-Ricotta Squares: Combine 1 c flour, 3/4 c sugar, 1 1/4 baking powder and 1/4 tsp salt. Add 1/3 c milk, 1/4 c shortening, 1 egg, 1/2 tsp vanilla. Beat until combined then continue for 1 minute. Pour batter into 9x9x2 inch pan. Sprinkle with 1 1/2 c. unthawed frozen blueberries...In a medium bowl, beat 2 eggs with a fork, add 1 1/4 c. ricotta cheese, 1/3 c. sugar, 1/4 tsp. vanilla: beat until combined. Spoon over the blueberries. Bake at 350 degrees for 55-60 minutes. Cool and cut into 16 squares. Store covered in refrigerator.

Question: How do I keep blueberries from sinking to the bottom of my cake pan when baking a cake? I make a blueberry pound cake with fresh berries that I pick myself. The recipe calls for a Betty Crocker or Duncan Hines Butter Recipe yellow cake, cream cheese, eggs, water and the fresh blueberries. The recipe is very simple. All the ingredients are combined and then the blueberries are gently folded into the batter. It is baked in a bundt pan at 350 for about 50 minutes. The problem is that all the berries sink to the bottom of the pan so when the caked is inverted all of the berries are at the top of the cake. They should be evenly disbursed throughout the cake. I'm wondering if I'm doing something wrong in the preperation or if my oven is messin' with me. I've even tried rolling the berries in flour before folding them in. It's a great cake with the berries at the top, but better when they are all through it. Any suggestions????

Answer: When I make my blueberry cake: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Blueberry-Boy-Bait/Detail.aspx I just sprinkle the blueberries on top instead of folding them into the batter. Most stay on top while a few sink to the middle.

Question: What should I do with my bag of frozen blueberries? I bought a bag of frozen blueberries. What should I do with them? I don't really bake, so I don't have that many ingredients. I don't want to just put them on icecream either, that's boring. Give me some specific recipes or ideas that I can use this bag of blueberries for. And no, just eating them out of the bag doesn't count, I'm already doing that.

Answer: Blueberry crumble...toss well drained berries with 1 Tbsp. corn starch or flour, 1/4 cup sugar and a drizzle of lemon juice. Place in a buttered pie plate and top with a crumb mixture made with 1/2 cup flour, 1/2 cup sugar, 3 Tbsp. soft butter or margarine and a pinch of salt and cinnamin. Bake @ 350 for about 45 mins, until topping browns slightly. Serve at room temp with a dip of vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.

Question: Is it okay to leave frozen blueberries out for a day? I like to have blueberries in the morning and I buy my blueberries frozen. Usually I just leave them in the fridge overnight but even though they're not frozen, I still don't like eating them cold. (And I don't like microwaving) Would it be safe to just leave the frozen blueberries on the counter overnight?

Answer: yes ~ I do it every night ~ I feel the same way you do about cold blueberries!

Question: How do I successfully freeze fresh blueberries? How long will they keep in the freezer? I love blueberries and at this time of year the price is reasonable. Is freezing them as easy as it seems? Will they keep all winter?

Answer: Yes it's easy-they do best for 6 months or less. Spread them on a cookie sheet so they will freeze separate before pouring into containers ar freezer bags-otherwise you get a big clump of berries all stuck together.

Question: How long does it take for ripe Blueberries to turn Blue? We are growing blueberries on a bush and there are these balls of green. When will they turn blue?

Answer: Here are the developmental stages from flower to fruit ( for the Blueberry): 1.Fertilization of the ovary. 2.Flower swells rapidly for about a month and then stops. 3.Green berry develops with no change in size. 4.Calyx end turns purplish and rest of berry becomes translucent in appearance. 5.Next few days a light purple color begins to develop and then deeper purple. 6.During color change the berry volume increases rapidly. Intensity of pigmentation increases during the first six days of color change. Therefore most of the anthocyanin (a water soluble pigment that imparts colors ranging from blue to shades of red) is developed in the fruit during this early stage of maturation. The berries ripen at different times on the same bush. Just don't pick your berries as soon as they turn blue. Let the berries hang on the branches a few more days to develop their full sweetness and aroma. Once blueberries color up, the fruit will continue to ripen and sweeten for up to a week on the bush. If you need to pull at a berry to get it off the branch, it's not ready yet.

Question: Do you have a recipe that uses blueberries and can be served at an Independence Day, 4th of July, picnic? Blueberries are in season where I live, and I'd love to use them for a dish that I'll be bringing to a picnic this Friday (4th of July). I'd prefer to avoid Jello or whipped cream. Dessert recipes are fine; but main dish and side dish recipes would be great.

Answer: Blueberry Salsa This fruity salsa is a refreshing side to grilled pork, chicken, and fish, and is good served w/ pita or corn chips as a dip. 2 cups chopped fresh blueberries 1 cup whole fresh blueberries 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice 3 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro 2 seeded and minced jalapeño peppers 1/3 cup diced red bell pepper 1/4 cup chopped onion 1/2 tsp kosher salt Coarsely chop 2 cups fresh blueberries. Stir together chopped fresh blueberries, 1 cup whole blueberries, 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, 3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro, 2 seeded and minced jalapeño peppers, 1/3 cup diced red bell pepper, 1/4 cup chopped onion, and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt in a large bowl. Cover and chill until ready to serve. Yield: Makes about 3 cups --Southern Living, JULY 2005 ------------------------------------------------ (**For this, you can make your own "pie filling" by boiling fresh blueberries w/ sugar and a Tbsp or so of water, and a dash of lemon juice or zest. Bring to a boil for 2 min, then cut off and let cool to room temp.**) Blueberrry Delight Crust: 2 cups flour 2 sticks butter,melted 1/2 cup chopped pecans Mix together and press into a 9 x 13 cake pan. Bake at 350 for about 15 minutes until slightly brown. Let cool completely. Filling: 1 8 oz. cream cheese,softened 1 8 oz. cool whip 1 box powdered sugar Mix together and spread on top of crust. Top with 1 can of blueberry pie filling. (Can use any type of pie filling you like.) ------------------------------------- Blue Salad 8 cups mixed greens 1 carton fresh blueberries 1 pkg. blue cheese 1 cup walnut pieces 1/4 cup purple onion Vinaigrette: 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar 1/4 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. fresh ground pepper 1 clove garlic minced Whisk together dressing ingredients and then toss with salad. Makes 6-8 servings.

Question: How can I freeze and store fresh blueberries so they don't loose any of their integrity? I would like to store blueberries when the price is reasonable. I want them to maintain their flavor and texture. When thawed out, I want them to appear fresh and plump, not shriveled up. When I buy the frozen blueberries,there is no doubt that they were frozen. They don't have the same texture they had when they're fresh. Is it possible to freeze fresh blueberries and not loose any of the flavor or texture?

Answer: There is nothing you can do to preserve the fresh appearance of berries. Freezing them expands the liquid in the cells. That breaks the cell walls. When the fruit thaws, the broken cell walls collapse giving that crushed appearance and texture. It's simply a function of freezing: there's nothing you can do about it.

Question: Does anyone know when a meal requires fresh blueberries/strawberries and rasberries will frozen work? Does fresh berries have nutritional benefits over frozen berries? If I use the frozen they contain no sugar and just fruit. I ask because a special mealplan that I'm on calls for 1 cup of fresh blueberries and I'm wondering would the frozen work just as well? By the way, these berries are not being cooked. Thanks Julie M. I like your response...it makes me want to do frozen even more so. And everyone else seems to echo the same that frozen is fine.

Answer: thaw them slowly in the fridge. after that drain them and then use. it works I have done it.

Question: Is it good to have blueberries for breakfast? Is it good to eat blueberries for breakfast and drink water? We have some frozen blueberries and bottled water but I don't know if that's a good thing to eat for breakfast. Any other suggestions? No Mean Comments Please!

Answer: Fruit is always a suggested source of food for a morning meal since it stimulates the digestive system and helps metabolism. Hence: Health benefits of blueberries The health benefits associated with blueberries include improved eyesight, stronger blood vessels,reduced risk of heart disease, reduced risk of urinary tract infections, better memory performance, and promoting and maintaining a healthy weight. Blueberries are also one of the richest sources of antioxidants in the average westerner's diet. Antioxidant properties One of the most beneficial antioxidants contained in blueberries are anthocyanins. These important nutrients are also contined in radishes, red cabbage, apples, blackberries, and grapes, but blueberries are one of the richest sources of anthocyanins. Blueberries are also being studied for their abilty to reduce the formation of blood clots and possibly preventing heart disease with regular consumption. Like its cousin bilberry, blueberries are also thought to help night vision and slow the progression of macular generation by strengthening the small blood vessels in the back of the eye. Blueberries are also among the lowest calorie foods in a healthy diet. A half cup serving of blueberries provides a scant 40 calories, yet it provides a strong lineup of vitamins and minerals like potassium, iron, and vitamin C. Blueberries are also strong sources of dietary fiber. Each half cup serving of blueberries provides a full two grams of dietary fiber, which is as much as in one slice of whole wheat bread. Blueberries are among the richest sources of antioxidants and other important nutrients. Blueberries are also delicious, versatile, high in fiber, and low in calories. They go great on whole wheat cereals and are expecially delicious when fresh organic blueberries are frozen.