Blueberries

Nobody can resist them - the intensely blue colored beads from the forest with a unique aroma. Unfortunately, they are difficult to pick, and the yield of the wild blueberry is rather modest. You can, however, provide for yourself with cultivated blueberries from your own garden! Blueberries can only be stored for a few days, the cultivated blueberry keeps a little better. The flavonoids and phenolic acids they contain are particularly beneficial to health. Blueberries can be harvested between July and September…

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Botany
ingredients
Use and preparation
storage

Botany

The genus of the heather berry (Vaccinium) belongs to the heather family (Ericaceae). A distinction is made between the wild blueberry, also blueberry (Vaccinium myrtillus), from the cultivated blueberry, also garden blueberry (Vaccinium corymbosum), a special cultivated variant for commercial cultivation.

The wild berries grow on a subshrub up to 50 centimeters high and are the size of a pea; the fruit of the cultivated form reaches twice the size, it becomes up to cherry-sized. The blueberry peel is dark to black-blue due to the anthocyanin dye. The cultivated blueberries have a slightly thicker skin than the wild form. The inside of the wild blueberry is dark in color, not so in the cultivated blueberry, which contains colorless pulp and colorless juice. In contrast to raspberries or blackberries, blueberries only have very small kernels, which many people find less annoying when chewing. While the wild blueberry thrives only in the forest or bog or in clearings or heaths, the cultivated blueberry can be planted in the garden and grows up to two meters high. It also delivers significantly more yield.

Note Since the blueberry bush is originally a bog plant, the soil should always be kept moist, loose and acidic (pH 3.5 to 4.5). Do not use calcareous fertilizers such as compost, but nitrogenous fertilizers such as blueberry or rhododendron fertilizers.

ingredients

Blueberries are rich in minerals such as iron, calcium and potassium. Their high content of dietary fiber causes the digestive effect. The tannins contained are used in naturopathy: Dried berries are used against diarrhea. Blueberries are also rich in, among other things, antioxidant polyphenols such as flavonoids and phenolic acids. For more information, see Phytochemicals and the overview table: This is how flavonoids and co. Work. The taste of blueberries is aromatic to slightly sour and can have a slight bitter note due to the tannins. The wild blueberry is significantly more aromatic than the cultivated variant.

Blueberry ingredients	per 100 g edible portion, raw	Blueberry ingredients	per 100 g edible portion, raw
Energy (kcal)	37	Iron (mg)	0.9
Fat (g)	0.6	Vitamin A (µg)	5.7
Protein (g)	0.7	Vitamin B1 (mg)	0.02
Carbohydrates (g)	6.1	Vitamin B2 (mg)	0.02
Dietary fiber (g)	4.9	Niacin (mg)	0.4
Potassium (mg)	78	Vitamin B6 (mg)	0.06
Calcium (mg)	10	Vitamin C (mg)	22nd
Magnesium (mg)	2	Vitamin E (mg)	2.7

Use and preparation

Blueberries are mostly eaten raw, e.g. as a fruit salad. They can be used very well with milk and dairy products such as yoghurt or curd cheese to make shakes, desserts, desserts or other light snacks. Blueberries are also suitable as an ingredient or topping for cakes, tarts and muffins. They are also used to make jams or compotes, which are particularly colorful.

storage

Blueberries can only be kept for a few days. It is best to put it in the refrigerator. Due to the thick skin, cultivated blueberries keep a little longer. To prevent the other fruits from spoiling quickly, berries with bruises or mold should be discarded. Wash blueberries only immediately before consumption!

If you want to stock up on blueberries for longer, you can freeze them - to do this, wash the berries carefully and let them drain well. In order to keep the shape of the fruit as well as possible when freezing and to avoid clumping, the blueberries should be pre-frozen on a tray in the freezer, for example.