As more and more people continue to be interested in where their food comes from, it’s no surprise that wild foods are gaining in popularity. Wild foods, like Wild Blueberries, have never been hybridized or modified by man to alter any of their natural attributes. They are not planted and only grow where mother nature intended. They are nature in its purest and most authentic form. People also gravitate towards wild foods because they believe them to be healthier and taste better. Today we’re celebrating wild foods because Wild Foods Day is around the corner on October 28th!

Most wild foods have a rich history because they’ve been around for thousands and thousands of years. Wild Blueberries have been around for over 10,000 years and thrive in the harsh growing conditions of Maine and Eastern Canada. Wild Blueberries naturally protect themselves by producing phytochemicals (like anthocyanin) to combat stressful environmental conditions. This is one reason why smaller Wild Blueberries have 2x the antioxidants per serving of the larger cultivated blueberries that have been bred to grow on farms all over the world.

It’s these potent phytochemicals that give Wild Blueberries their deep-blue color and potential health benefits including gut health, heart health, diabetes, cancer, and brain health. I suppose Native North Americans were on to something believing the Wild Blueberry had magical powers.

To enjoy the flavor and health benefits of Wild Blueberries requires no foraging. Wild Blueberries are one of the most accessible wild foods to us because they are harvested at their peak of ripeness and frozen to lock in nutrition and flavor. You can find them in the frozen aisle of your local grocery store all year round.

If you’re looking to incorporate more wild foods into your diet to reap some of the health benefits then you’re going to love this recipe, which includes three different wild foods and is perfect for fall. This Wild Foods Salad contains wild rice, flaked wild salmon, Wild Blueberries, arugula, butternut squash, and pecans and is topped off with a maple vinaigrette. It’s hearty thanks to the grains and butternut squash and full of flavor thanks to all the wild foods!

Summer weather is almost here, and that means it’s time to break out the lawn chairs, sunglasses, and refreshing drinks. I’m all about sipping something fruity when it’s warm outside, and my Wild Blueberry Green Tea Mojito is the perfect summertime drink!

This fresh and tasty Mojito is packed with summery flavor – fruity Wild Blueberries, refreshing iced green tea, tangy lime, and tons of fresh mint. Plus, it’s super simple to make! Just muddle together Wild Blueberries and fresh mint leaves, then stir in the lime juice and brewed green tea with honey. I wouldn’t shy away from adding in a shot of rum, either…but that’s your choice!

Besides it’s gorgeous color and delicious summer vibe, this drink is loaded with health benefits, too. Wild Blueberries contain anthocyanins, plant compounds that give them their deep purple color and powerful antioxidant capacity.

Plenty of research suggests that anthocyanins can help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, cognitive decline, and cancer. Plants that produce anthocyanins do so to protect themselves against environmental stressors, like temperature shifts and UV light (hello, natural sunscreen!). Since Wild Blueberries first started growing in harsh climates in Maine and Canada nearly 10,000 years ago, they needed to arm themselves with lots of anthocyanins for protection, which is why Wild Blueberries have twice the antioxidant capacity of regular blueberries!

The best part of all the antioxidant capacity in Wild Blueberries is that it translates into anti-inflammatory health benefits (and delicious drinks!) for you.

This fruity Wild Blueberry drink takes its antioxidant benefits even higher by including green tea. Green tea contains a different type of antioxidant called catechins, which also help reduce cardiovascular risk and inflammation.

Are you ready to start sipping on this super refreshing and delicious anti-inflammatory drink? I sure am! Grab the full recipe below.

It’s finally spring, which means salad season has arrived. Before you find yourself in a rut – add some new flavors and combinations to enjoy this year. Adding frozen Wild Blueberries, which have twice the antioxidants of ordinary blueberries, will make your tasty seasonal green creations nutrient and antioxidant-rich. Antioxidants have been shown to protect against a variety of diseases including heart and brain disease, metabolic syndrome, and cancer. These health benefits are a result of Wild Blueberries’ high concentrations of phytonutrients, namely anthocyanins.

Anthocyanins are naturally occurring plant compounds that give Wild Blueberries their deep rich blue-purple hue and powerful antioxidant capacity. Their power may be because plants that produce anthocyanins do so as a protective mechanism against environmental stressors, such as ultraviolet light, cold temperatures, and drought. This production of anthocyanins in roots, stems, and especially leaf tissues is believed to provide resistance against these environmental hazards.

Take the Wild Blueberry as an example. Wild Blueberries emerged on the desolate plain, aptly called The Barrens of Maine, Eastern Canada, and Quebec, following the retreat of the glaciers more than 10,000 years ago. Wild Blueberries survive in thin, acidic, glacial soils and thrive in cold, harsh climates. A wild plant like Wild Blueberries can’t just get up and walk away when confronted with an environmental stressor. Instead, it has evolved over thousands of years to combat stress by producing powerful phytochemicals to protect itself. These are the same natural plant compounds that protect us from inflammation and chronic disease when we eat wild foods.

Ready to start creating some delicious Wild Blue and Green combinations? Here are three easy salads that go beyond the basic greens that will help you eat healthier. And, they may even WOW your friends and family at the next picnic potluck.

Move over potato salad, there’s a new favorite in town. If you enjoy a crunchy salad, this Wild Blueberry Zoodle Bowl recipe created by Danielle Omar of Food Confidence is your new go-to. Made with spiralized zucchini instead of pasta, this salad offers a fresh and light option that includes diced jicama, grilled corn, and cherry tomatoes. Adding the frozen Wild Blueberries give a pop of sweet and tart flavor to this savory salad.

Photo credit: Vermont Creamery

This fantastic salad comes from our friends over at Vermont Creamery. They’ve recently created a Wild Blueberry, Lemon & Thyme Fresh Goat Cheese that is out of this world. While we’d eat an entire log of this cheese without the salad, that’s probably NOT the best choice. Use your favorite greens, cucumbers and some toasted almonds for crunch to keep the salad simple and let the flavor of the goat cheese shine. If you’re looking for a vinaigrette to compliment this salad, check out our Wild Blueberry Vinaigrette later in this post.

If you prefer grains, like quinoa or farro, over orzo, you can easily substitute them in this Wild Blueberry Orzo with Asparagus recipe. Not only do the Wild Blueberries add an unexpected pop of flavor in this salad, it also gives it a gorgeous purple color. Danielle Omar of Food Confidence created this recipe as her potluck and picnic go-to and we can see why! The dressing is simple and includes Wild Blueberries to make sure each bite gives you antioxidant power. Honestly, the dressing is so good that you’ll want to use it on everything, not just this salad!

Skip the dressing aisle next time you’re at the supermarket and make your own. It’s super easy, we promise! Homemade dressing is full of so much more flavor and they keep rather well, too. Give your boring salad new life with this tasty and delightful Wild Blueberry Vinaigrette. It will have you looking forward to lunchtime. This recipe is one of our all-time favorites, making it a staple during salad season.

Happy March! Did you know that March is both National Nutrition Month and Frozen Food Month?! To celebrate, I’m sharing the recipe for these Matcha Wild Blueberry Bran Muffins that are packed with antioxidants, whole grains, fiber, and more, and make use of my favorite frozen fruit: Wild Blueberries.

Wild Blueberries are perfect for celebrating National Nutrition Month, because they’re chock full of healthy antioxidants that have been shown to protect against a variety of diseases including heart and brain disease, metabolic syndrome, and cancer. These health benefits are a result of Wild Blueberries’ high concentrations of phytonutrients, namely anthocyanins.

Anthocyanins give Wild Blueberries their rich purple color as well as their powerful antioxidant benefits. And according to one study, freezing Wild Blueberries makes them even healthier! The ice crystals that form during freezing disrupt the structure of the plant tissue, making the anthocyanins more available for our bodies to use. You know how frozen Wild Blueberries leach their bright color when thawed? That’s because the freezing process breaks down the cells that hold anthocyanins, which are concentrated in the skin. Since the berries are preserved by being frozen, all of those anthocyanins are captured in the berry until they’re thawed, when the natural leaching process releases the anthocyanins, making them super easy for our body to access.

The fact that Wild Blueberries are even more beneficial after being frozen is great news, considering 99% of the crop is frozen. Wild Blueberries are smaller than regular blueberries, meaning there’s more surface area of antioxidant-rich skin, so they’re often frozen to preserve their antioxidant goodness at its peak.

Want to know what makes these muffins super healthy? I’ve combined Wild Blueberries with another antioxidant-rich ingredient: matcha green tea. I love adding matcha to baked goods for an extra nutritional boost and earthy flavor. Matcha is high in a different type of phytonutrient called catechins. Catechins are antioxidant compounds associated with reduced body fat, improved heart health, brain health, and more.

In addition to the antioxidant goodness of matcha and Wild Blueberries, these muffins are a great source of insoluble fiber, thanks to the wheat bran. They make the perfect grab-and-go breakfast to keep you full all morning long or a hearty snack to hold you over until lunch. Plus, they’re deliciously moist and sweet enough. Here’s the full recipe!

February is all about the heart. There’s Valentine’s Day – a day dedicated to outwardly expressing our love with gifts, flowers and special words – and February is Heart Health Month, too. A time when the American Heart Association wants us all to remember to take care of our hearts.

In this country, heart disease is the leading cause of death for both men and women. About 2,300 Americans die of cardiovascular disease each day, an average of 1 death every 38 seconds. Scary, right? While we can’t change things like age and family history, we can decide to make healthy choices now and lower our risk of disease. That starts with visiting your doctor so you have a clear understanding of your risk factors, scheduling regular check-ups, adding doctor-approved exercise to your daily routine, and eating healthier.

You probably think red when it comes to heart health, but when it comes to eating for your heart, it’s blue and purple foods like Wild Blueberries, Concord Grapes, purple cabbage and carrots that you should add to your plate.

Why Blue foods?

Blue foods contain anthocyanins, a naturally occurring plant compound that gives them their deep rich hue and powerful antioxidant capacity. The role of anthocyanins in the prevention of disease has been linked to their antioxidant properties. Although scientists still aren’t sure how or why anthocyanins prevent disease, two decades of research (animal and human studies) have suggested that anthocyanins play an important role in helping reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), cognitive decline, and cancer.

Their power may be because plants that produce anthocyanins do so as a protective mechanism against environmental stressors, such as ultraviolet light, cold temperatures, and drought. This production of anthocyanins in roots, stems, and especially leaf tissues is believed to provide resistance against these environmental hazards. Take the Wild Blueberry as an example.

Wild Blueberries emerged on the desolate plain, aptly called The Barrens of Maine, Eastern Canada, and Quebec, following the retreat of the glaciers more than 10,000 years ago. Wild Blueberries survive in thin, acidic, glacial soils and thrive in cold, harsh climates. A wild plant like Wild Blueberries can’t just get up and walk away when confronted with an environmental stressor. Instead, it has evolved over thousands of years to combat stress by producing powerful phytochemicals to protect itself. These are the same natural plant compounds that protect us from inflammation and chronic disease when we eat wild foods. As a result, Wild Blueberries have twice the antioxidant capacity of regular blueberries.

Blue Power Recipe

So, if you’re ready to embrace the power of blue, here’s a delicious recipe featuring frozen Wild Blueberries and one other blue power ingredient.

Wild Blueberry Cauliflower Smoothie

This smoothie includes both frozen Wild Blueberries and purple cauliflower to add even more antioxidants to your diet, and really bring out the vibrant purple color of the smoothie.