As of Saturday, blueberries are officially in season in Delaware County. With classes winding down, blueberries are one way to get a last boost of energy before Finals Week.
"Blueberries have been called a super food," said Geraldine Airriess, instructor of family and consumer sciences.
They contain many compounds and one of the phytochemicals is the compound that gives blueberries their color, she said.
Not only that, but they have twice the amount of healthful antioxidants as spinach, three times that of oranges and cherries and four times that of bananas and apples, according to the Web site for The Blueberry People.
Blueberries are one of few fruits that are native to North America, according to the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council.
Northeast American Indian tribes admired blueberries and had folklore based on them.
These tribes also used blueberries for various medicinal purposes, such as treating coughs.
Blueberry leaves could be used for tea, and blueberry juice could be used for dying cloth and baskets, according to the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council. There are several varieties of blueberry, including the northern highbush, southern rabbiteye and lowbush, also known as wild blueberries.
Blueberries are sold fresh, canned, frozen, dried and even liquefied.
Around 50 percent of blueberries produced are committed to the fresh market, according to the U.S. Highbush Blueberry Council.
Fresh and frozen berries appear to be the healthiest. "One cup of fresh blueberries provides only 84 kcalories frozen and thawed berries is about double the kcalories," said Airriess. One kcalorie is equal to 1,000 calories.
One cup of fresh berries provides 4 grams of fiber and 15 grams of sugar. One cup of raw and frozen berries provide about 25 percent of the recommendation for vitamin C, said Airriess.
Cooking the berries decreases the amount of vitamin C, she said.
During these last few weeks of classes, students can easily take advantage of the freshly produced blueberries.
"They provide good flavor, nutrition and health benefits," said Jason Reynolds, chef for the Atrium and Bookmark Café. "The natural sugar will give them energy to get them through the day unlike a candy bar that has added sugar and makes them tired and sluggish."
Blueberries are easy to enjoy. Fresh berries can just be washed and stored.
"For lunch and dinner you can put them onto a spinach salad with some toasted almonds," Reynolds said.
Eating blueberries fresh is not the only option, though. They can be found in yogurts, wines, beers, cereals and even barbeque sauces.
Cooking with blueberries is easy, as well. Blueberry pancakes are a fast and simple breakfast option. Muffins, breads, cookies, cakes and pies are just some of the ways that blueberries can be used in baking.
Easy blueberry-lemon parfait, allrecipes.com
- 2 cups fresh or thawed frozen blueberries
- 2 (8 ounce) cartons non-fat lemon yogurt
- 10 gingersnaps, crumbled
In four glasses put half a cup of blueberries, followed by half a cup of yogurt, then crumbled gingersnaps. Continue layering until glass is full.
Makes four servings
Alex Audia is a freshman journalism major and writes 'Scrumptious' for the Daily News. Her views do not necessarily agree with those of the newspaper.
Write to Alex at aeaudia@bsu.edu
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