The berry family is one of the healthiest natural food options on the planet. They are rich in antioxidants that help prevent the development of disease and fight off free radicals that cause cancers and other degenerative diseases. It is especially helpful for those who are suffering from osteoporosis, Alzheimer’s disease, and other degenerative diseases. Blueberries are laced with antioxidants that act as cancer tactics. They also contain potassium, magnesium, and iodine that strengthen our immune system to fight off infection. Blueberries are so nutritious, they provide more in Calories than many other fruits. They include 19 different vitamins and minerals. The blueberry is one of the healthiest foods of this family and it provides many health benefits to our body.
A rich source of Vitamin C, imagination is the only way to explain how the healthy benefits of blueberries evolved. Superstition was not part of the original recipe. While it is a delicious and quite refreshing dessert, people were originally very put off by the strong smell. The blueberry is actually essential for the growth of kernels and as such has a very high smoke point. The smoke point of the berry depends on the end product, more on the fructose than the sugar. Since the fruit is sweet and doesn’t have much sugar, it’s important to pick the sweetest fruits and then prepare them properly for cooking.
Real blueberries should be at least a day old, and in some cases several days old. They should be firm and heavy but not too thick, or too small to be too easily peeled. You can keep them in Juice or ripe in their shells however they should be at room temperature for up to 3 days.
A tasty and easy to prepare breakfast dish that can be prepared in a fraction of the time of a dehydrated chicken is Crockpot Fried Blueberries. For this recipe you will need about 1 pound of fresh or frozen blueberries and enough oil to cover them. Pour a little oil into a 4-6 quart pot and add the blueberries and their liquid. Burn everything on low heat for about an hour. About 2 minutes before you finish frying the berries, fill a bowl with enough ice and water to cover the blueberries. Then stand the blueberries over night or for several days to chill and charge. When you are ready to fry the berries, cook enough oil to cover the blueberries and fry them in the oil for about five minutes. While you are frying them, cook the lemon juice and add it to the pot. You will need about 2 tablespoons of lemon juice for every pint of blueberry juice.
Another great way to cook blueberries is to thinly slice them and put them in a salad. A plain garden salad with no cooked ingredients would be the best choice. And then they would have a dressing made with olive oil, lemon juice, honey, and perhaps some minced garlic. These are healthy and delicious.
The best time to harvest blueberries is early spring. They piling them up ready to pick in late spring or early summer. Since they bloom in a matter of days you don’t have to worry about them being ruined because of a bad harvest time.
Blueberries have a long and rich history. Even though it has been altered a few times, it is one of our best known and most delicious fruits. As even the most exotic ingredients must be cooked and prepared with the highest quality and freshness in mind, the blueberry has long stood the test of time. It remains a beautiful and delicious fruit, well suited for both sweet or savory dishes and remains a favorite for jams, jellies, and preserves.
