I can’t think of a more beautiful, colorful, sweet fruit than blueberries.
The highbush blueberry, Vaccinium corymbosum, is a woody perennial plant
that is native to North America. The fruit was a staple for early settlers who
used the berries in various food dishes and medicines. Because of the star-shaped
calyx on top of the berry, North American natives called this fruit the “star
berry.”
In addition to flavorful fruit, blueberry plants are attractive ornamentals.
This rounded bush has white flowers in the spring and bright red fall foliage
color. Moist, well-drained, acidic soils with high organic matter are best for
blueberries. Blueberries perform best in a soil with a pH between 4 to 5. Soils
with a slightly higher pH than desired can be adjusted by incorporating granular
sulfur into the soil before planting. Blueberries require at least 1 inch of
water per week and will benefit from organic mulch to a depth of 4 inches.
This year in central Illinois, blueberries will ripen about the end of June.
Depending on the weather, the season generally lasts a couple of weeks.
For optimal storage, keep covered berries in a refrigerator. To reduce water
loss from the berries, store in moisture-proof containers. Blueberries will
maintain their quality for 10 to 14 days after picking. When ready to use or
eat, wash blueberries in cold water.
Blueberries are delicious raw or they can be included in pies, pancakes, muffins,
syrup, coffee cakes or on top of ice cream. One cup of fresh blueberries provides
3 grams of dietary fiber and 15 percent of daily vitamin C, is low in fat, sodium
and cholesterol free, and has about 83 calories. The downside to blueberries
is that a large portion of the calories come from sugars. There are about 2
cups of blueberries in 1 pound.
For more information, go to the North American Blueberry Council’s Web site
at www.blueberry.org.
Pickin’ and grinnin’
If you don’t have your own blueberry plants, consider supporting local growers
by picking your own (u-pick) at a local blueberry patch or buy fresh berries
at a roadside market.
Pick berries in the morning after the dew has evaporated or later in the day
when the fruit is naturally cool. Select fully ripe berries that are firm, dry,
plump, and smooth. Berries should be deep purple, blue to blue-black, and have
a powdery, silver-white bloom on the skins. They should be easy to remove from
stems. Berries turn blue three to four days before they attain maximum sweetness
and flavor. Avoid picking green or reddish berries; they are not ripe. Size
is not an indicator of maturity.
Decide how many pounds you will purchase before you visit a u-pick patch;
once you get to picking it is hard to stop. Before leaving home, call for picking
status. Only pick ripe berries, and don’t leave them in the sun.
Here are a couple local u-picks that have blueberries:
• Jefferies Orchard, located five miles north of Springfield off of Route
29 at 1016 Jefferies Rd., 487-7582.
• Fromm-Huff Farm, located near Pleasant Plains, at 10998 Salisbury Rd., 626-1583.
Take Rt. 97 North through Salisbury, turn left at Pleasant Plains sign onto
Pleasant Plains-Salisbury blacktop, go about 3 miles. Fromm-Huff Farm is on
the south side of the road.
This article appears in Jun 24-30, 2004.
