Blueberries

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Blueberries are a special fruit. When purchased at a store, you may notice that they seem to taste a bit tart; this is because they are often picked before they are ripe, and will never fully ripen once picked. This is not always true though, you may find delicious blueberries at the store. Michican is the best state to pick blueberries. There are several hundred farms devoted to growing blueberries.

Blueberries are great to eat fresh, or freeze and eat cold later. They can be added to smoothies for a special taste and a purple color.

Dried blueberries are wonderful to add to grain based desserts.

"Blueberries appear to help reduce brain-aging, such as that implicated in Alzheimer's disease. According to the USDA Human Nutrition Research Center on Aging, blueberries contain compounds endowed with the highest amount of anti-oxidant capacity among the 40 fruits and vegetables tested. Anthocyanin seems to be the good-guy here, also correlated with cancer-prevention and vision-preservation." localharvest.org.

"Blueberries should have a waxy silvery bloom, and should never be soaked. One pint of berries provides about four to five servings of fresh fruit." Ibid.

If you are interested in purchasing organic blueberries, which are grown without extra chemicals and pesticides, visit localharvest.org for more information.