One of America’s favorite holidays – The 4th of July – is right around the corner, and we couldn’t be more excited for the celebration to come! The 4th of July is dedicated to celebrating the independence of America, but it also consists of a lineup of some of America’s favorite activities. From grilling burgers and hot dogs, to conversing with family and friends in the warm summer heat, to ending the day with the thunder of booming fireworks.
BUT, there’s more – your 4th of July is about to get a whole sweeter, because we have some delicious wild blueberry recipes to add even more fun and flavor to your 4th of July weekend. Whether you’re grilling for yourself, or partaking in a potluck, we have plenty of recommendations for dishes you can serve up to keep the celebration going.
Now, is it really the 4th of July if you don’t have someone manning the grill at all times? Instead of just serving the classic burgers and dogs, spice up your grill menu by adding these turkey meatballs glazed with flavorful Wild Blueberry bbq sauce. This dish makes a delicious side or appetizer, served with toothpicks and napkins to keep eating clean and kids’ hands less sticky!
Speaking of spice, kick it up a notch with these Wild Blueberry jalapeno poppers. Stuffed with goat cheese, wild blues, garlic and chili powder, these poppers are coated in breadcrumbs and served to perfection. If your party prefers poppers with a little less of a kick, they also go well with a side of cream cheese to help tone down the heat.
Looking for something red, white and blue to help elevate the celebration? These red velvet and vanilla ice cream sandwiches topped with wild blueberries are festive and delicious! These treats will help keep the party cool and all the stomachs satisfied.
Another easy treat to whip up are these wild blueberry coconut yogurt pops. Made with coconut yogurt, wild blueberries, lemon juice and maple syrup, these healthy pops will easily freeze overnight and are ready to be served at the kids’ request.
If you’re looking to forego pie for something on the simpler side, these wild blueberry buckle bites roll pie and cake into one delicious dish. Cut into perfectly sized squares, guests can indulge in these sweet treats while mingling and walking about.
Last, but certainly not least, we have a thirst quenching wild blueberry sangria recipe that will keep the adults happy while the kids play! No matter your beverage of choice on the 4th, this sangria mixed with chopped fruit and wild blues makes for a great addition.
How will you be celebrating the 4th of July this year? We want to see what your festive Independence Day spread looks like! If you whip up any of these wild blueberry recipes, make sure to take a picture, post on social media, and tag us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter so we can see just how *wild* your 4th of July weekend really was.
For most, January 1st beckons a fresh start, but sometimes achieving those “big” resolutions can be a little bit challenging. Whether it’s setting a healthy eating goal for yourself or finding ways to get the whole family invested in putting nourishing foods on the table, consider adding Wild Blueberries into your morning routine as an easy way to treat the body and your brain better. Here are three reasons why Wild Blueberries are a great addition to your daily diet, along with some recipe suggestions to help make this change a reality.
Nourish the Noggin with Wild Each Morning
There is a growing body of evidence that suggests people can reduce cognitive decline by adopting key lifestyle changes. One of those is eating a balanced diet that is low in fat and high in vegetable and fruit consumption. There is ample research that suggests Wild Blueberries may improve cognitive function for both young and old. So, prioritize your brain health in 2020 and feed it the tastiest brain food – Wild Blueberries. All you have to do is add a healthy scoop of frozen Wild Blueberries to whatever’s for breakfast to give the whole family a better start to the day. It’s never too early to eat for brain health and it’s recommended you do so for your entire lifespan. Nourish their noggins with this easy-to-make Wild Blueberry Oat Muffin recipe that can be made ahead so you have on hand a nutritious, delicious and convenient breakfast.
Make it a Fiber Filled Day
It’s reported that in 2018, only 5% of Americans got enough fiber in their diets. Well if you’re looking for a way to up your fiber intake, Wild Blueberries are a tasty way to do just that. The Wild Blueberry skin is an excellent source of fiber – because the berries are smaller you’re getting more skin (which equals more fiber) in every serving. Plus, according to the USDA’s Dietary Guidelines for Americans MyPlate, it’s important that half your plate consists of fruits and vegetables. Fill up on fiber and start your day off right with this Wild Blueberry Blast with Banana & Chia Seeds Smoothie.
Frozen for Your Convenience
Let’s face it, we’re all busy. And busy schedules mean that we’re constantly looking for options that make our lives easier. Enter: frozen Wild Blueberries. The great thing about frozen Wild Blueberries is that they are frozen with 24-hours of harvest, ensuring that taste and nutritional benefits locked in. The berry is picked locally in the U.S., frozen, and on its way to your table in less time that it takes ordinary berries to make the same journey from Chile, South America, and a variety of other places. When you pick wild it’s like eating a Wild Blueberry right out of the fields. Plus, frozen fruit is super convenient and accessible all year long, eliminating food waste. This weekend, treat yourself with these drool-worthy Wild Blueberry Ricotta Pancakes.
With 2020 right around the corner, help your family – and yourself – achieve realistic health goals. You can get a great start by adding Wild to your diet every day. Happy (almost) New Year!
According to the YMCA, April 27th is officially Healthy Kids Day®. It’s a day where “Y” organizations all across the country plan activities to help promote active minds and healthy bodies to raise awareness about the importance of improving the health and well-being of all children. If you want to join in on the celebration, please check out your local Y to see what they may have planned.
One way to promote health and well-being in children is through diet and nutrition. Wild Blueberries make a great addition to any healthy eating plan you create for your children – upping the nutrition in foods kids love like pancakes, smoothies, popsicles, and yogurt parfaits. Recent research has shown that the pigments called anthocyanins that make Wild Blueberries purple-blue can help improve memory and concentration in children. They can also boost mood impacting executive function, which relates to decision-making. Plus, Wild Blueberries taste great. Frozen Wild Blueberries are never bland like their fresh counterparts can be and are known for their more intense blueberry flavor that’s part-sweet and part-tang.
To help you step up your child’s nutrition game in time for Healthy Kids Day – and for every day after, here are four recipes that are sure to please even the pickiest of eaters.
Kids love fruit leathers, but if you’re a parent like me, you’re not a fan of the prepackaged options filled with artificial ingredients found in most grocery stores. You don’t have to deny your kids these fun little snacks. Instead, make them at home using this simple recipe from Sally Kuzemchak, MS, RD, of Real Mom Nutrition. To make it even more fun, involve the kids. They’ll feel super special, especially when they share them with friends after school or at practice.
Warmer days are just around the corner here in Maine, which means we’ve started dreaming of refreshing summer treats like these Wild Blueberry Yogurt Pops from Lindsay Livingston, RD, of The Lean Green Bean. Made with yogurt, frozen Wild Blueberries, lemon zest, maple syrup, and chia seeds, you can turn the sweetness dial-up or down based on the yogurt you use. This recipe includes a protein powder to give you extra energy, but it’s an optional ingredient. Now, name one kid who doesn’t love a popsicle. They’ll be screaming for more of this pretty, fro-yo popsicle treat.
Smoothies are an easy way to get more nutrients like calcium, fiber, and vitamins in your kids. All it takes is having a few key ingredients around to create delicious, easily portable smoothies your children will love. This Kid-friendly Wild Blueberry & Kefir Smoothie recipe from Sally Kuzemchak, MS, RD, of Real Mom Nutrition is one of our favorites. It uses fiber-rich Wild Blueberries and pro-biotic kefir to help take care of little tummies, and a handful of iron-rich spinach that disappears because of the incredible color of the wild blues. We love Sally and her words of wisdom, ‘how did people feed their kids before smoothies came along?’.
Get even the stubbornest of sleepy heads out of bed in the morning with this Wild Blueberry and Chocolate Skillet Pancake. Danielle Omar MS, RDN of Food Confidence created this easy-to-make recipe using frozen Wild Blueberries (and dark chocolate) that’s tasty and rich in flavonoids. Research has documented the positive effects of flavonoids on brain health – flavonoids as part of a healthy, mixed diet might help prevent low mood and depression in young people. Wild Blueberries are loaded with a type of flavonoid called anthocyanins that gives them their deep blue pigment. And about that dark chocolate… its full of flavanols that can help raise serotonin – the “feel good” neurotransmitter. The kiddos will love how delicious this pancake is and you’ll love knowing that you’re giving them a good start to their day.
Right now, the Wild Blueberry Barrens of Maine and Eastern Canada are simply bursting with gazillions of purple-and-blue, anthocyanin-rich, scrumptious Wild Blueberries. These little wonders are fulfilling their biological destiny—ripening to perfection over thousands of acres of remote, wide-open barrens—just as they have been doing for over 10,000 years in only one special place on earth. It’s a marvel to behold, and to taste.
What better way to celebrate the splendor of this unique annual phenomenon than to travel North in August, rake Wild Blueberries for yourself, and engage in a creative competition to test your smoothie-making prowess.
Recently, we did just that. A group of 14 exceptional bloggers, writers, and journalists from around the United States, joined us on a 3-day exploration of the Wild Blueberry Barrens of Maine. A highlight of the trip was a spirited smoothie making competition that brought out a playful competitive spirit and some serious creative genius. If you’ve managed to fall into something of a smoothie rut, have a look at these interesting ingredients. Just a couple new ingredients can really spice up your smoothie and bring in a host of new vitamins and minerals that your body might be craving.
Over 40 Great Ingredients
In all, our competitors had over 40 ingredients to work with. The only rule was that each smoothie must include Frozen Wild Blueberries, picked at the peak of ripeness and flash-frozen to lock in their nutrition. Here’s the list.
How many of these ingredients are in your go-to smoothie “pantry”?
Frozen Wild Blueberries
Lemon
Spinach
Bananas
Lime
Protein Powder
Strawberries
Almond Milk
Maple Syrup
Pineapple
Low-fat Milk
Honey
Watermelon
Coconut Water
Medjool Dates
Dragonfruit
Yogurt
Cacoa Powder
Avocado
Cream Cheese
Vanilla Extract
Hemp Seeds
Walnuts
Cardamom
Chia Seeds
Cinnamon
Turmeric
Almond Butter
Fresh Mint
Matcha Powder
Coconut Butter
Fresh Basil
Graham Crackers
The smoothies were judged for taste, texture, and visual presentation by Wild Blueberry nutrition advisor Kit Broihier, MS, MD, LD, and Bar Harbor Inn Executive Chef Louis Kefir. Two first place winners were selected, and the prize was a 900 Pro Series NutriBullet.
14 NEW Inspiring & Healthy Smoothies
Explore the list of out-of-this-world recipes created by our entire team of writers. Each has its own unique character, flavor, and appearance, so try them out (and check out the cool names):
Drum roll, please. After careful consideration by our two judges, the following two smoothies were selected as contest winners. Spice Market Smoothieby Regina Ragone, Food, Director at Family Circle, was selected for its exceptional taste and the use of cardamom, which adds serious interest and uniqueness. The Wild Blueberry Basil Mojito Smoothieby Marnie Schwartz, Nutrition Editor, SHAPE Magazine, was selected for its fresh flavor, beautiful color, and overall appeal.
Spice Market Smoothie by Regina Ragone, Food, Director at Family Circle
Making great smoothies is a healthy way to get a tasty and easy on- the-go meal. Sometimes, we get into a smoothie routine that needs to be shaken up a bit. Try adding some new ingredients now and then. Variety will spice up your life and add new vitamins and minerals too. Who doesn’t want to feel healthy, happy, and spicy?
As registered dietitians and health research scientists, we all love working with food and seeing the positive impact it can have on peoples’ health. That’s why the NutriBullet is an amazing tool — it helps transform health by increasing fruit and vegetable intake in the average daily diet. Sometimes, by simply changing the texture of a food, you can appreciate it in a whole new way.
As NutriBullet RDs, we get a lot of opportunity to play around in the kitchen and blend together new combos of fruits and vegetables. Over the years, we’ve come to love certain foods in our NutriBlast smoothies, not only because they taste delicious, but because they offer so many great and nutritious health benefits. Here’s a roundup of some of our very our favorite ingredients:
Sarah Greenfield, RD CSSD – One of my favorite ingredients to use in a NutriBlast are figs! They’re high in fiber and they’re so sweet that just a little goes a long way. They also play a beneficial role in digestion, which I love!
Unfortunately, the Standard American Diet lacks good sources of fiber. It’s recommended women consume 25g of fiber and men consume upward of 38g of fiber on a daily basis.. Fiber helps keep you full so you eat less overall, it helps balance hormones and blood sugar levels, and, most importantly, it helps promote regularity. When you eat more figs, you’re consuming more fiber! When they’re in season, I eat them almost every day!
While fiber is a good for you, make sure to eat figs in moderation. Too many can sometimes lead to excess bloating and upset stomach.
Gigi Kwok-Hinsley DrPH, MS, RD – I like to look for ingredients with a variety of color. Right now, my absolute favorite smoothie ingredient is a beet. Beets contain iron, a variety of B vitamins and are packed full of phytochemicals, which have a wide array of health benefits.
What’s so intriguing about phytochemicals is their ability to protect the body. Researchers have examined the mechanism of phytochemicals within the body and have shown they help boost immune function, inhibit the progression of chronic diseases (e.g. cardiovascular disease, cancer and age-related macular degeneration,) and decrease inflammation. While more research is needed to solidify these findings and understand the right amount needed to attain these health benefits, it’s clear that—no matter which research article you read—phytochemicals are an asset to your daily diet.
Susie Rockway, PhD, C.N.S. – Although I’m not a dietitian, my passion has always been nutrition. My degrees and my work have led me to like-minded people whose goals are to achieve long and vibrant lives though healthy eating. I’ve developed supplements, worked in labs conducting research and have always been fascinated by the impact real, whole food can have on health. That’s why I love using Wild Blueberries when I make my smoothies – the perfect high-antioxidant, low-glycemic fruit with tons of flavor. And like beets, Wild Blueberries are high in phytochemicals.
Wild Blueberries contain 2 times the antioxidant power of regular blueberries and are great for the brain. They can protect the body from inflammation, which is thought to be a main cause of degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s. I love to mix Wild Blueberries with a generous amount of greens, like spinach and celery, and I use coconut water as my base. These truly are some of the healthiest foods you can eat!
Krista Haynes, RD – I really like almonds, because they contain healthy fats and can help keep you full. Smoothies are the perfect meal replacements, so I love ensuring that I have the right balance of nutrients to fuel me through to my next meal.
Contrary to popular belief, “Fat on the lips does not necessarily mean fat on the hips!” When you eat foods containing dietary fat, you do not signal insulin secretion and, once fat is absorbed, it goes through a metabolic process that turns its components – glycerol and free fatty acids – into energy, hormones, ketone bodies, or triglycerides. Triglyceride is the storage form of fat. When dietary fat is reduced and replaced with carbohydrates, then insulin levels raise and this “storage” hormone most likely will increase. Replace those carbohydrates, especially junk food carbs that don’t energize your body long term, with foods containing healthy fats, like almonds! That’ll help reduce the fat stored by your body and keep you fuller, longer.
It’s back-to-school season and that means packing lunches, again! For many parents, packing the lunchbox can send the heart into nervous palpitations. But for registered dietitian Liz Weiss, it’s an art form. After reading her lunchbox ideas, your anxiety will magically transform into inspiration.
Liz Weiss, RD
Liz is an award-winning broadcast journalist, cookbook author, and radio show host who started Meal Makeover Moms’ Kitchen, a leading blog for parents in search of better ways to feed their family a super-nutritious diet. She’s also the co-author of two great books: No Whine with Dinner: 150 Healthy, Kid-Tested Recipes from The Meal Makeover Moms and The Moms’ Guide to Meal Makeovers: Improving the Way Your Family Eats, One Meal at a Time and she recently released a mobile recipe app called, Meal Makeovers. You can read more about Liz at http://mealmakeovermoms.com/ and you can download the Meal Makeover app here.
Meal Makeover Moms App
Here’s some of the wisdom Liz shared with us about packing lunches.
How do you get inspired with packing a good lunchbox? To get inspired I think about color, flavor, nutrition, and seasonality. I really like to include all of the senses – smell, sight, touch, and taste when thinking about the lunch box.
What has worked for you in the past? I have found that it’s really helpful to include my kids in the process. I do this by simply asking them: “What do you want for lunch?” The last thing we want –or I want as a dietitian – is to throw away food or for a child to not eat something because it’s not appealing. Plus, if they don’t eat what you packed for lunch they are getting no nutritional benefit. One of the most important ways to get children excited is to present the food in a kid-appealing way. For example if you’re going to slice up apples, put a little lemon on them so they don’t turn brown. Put grapes in a small container. Think about how you package your food. Use small containers and put a little utensil in there. Make it cute and playful. That’s why Bento Box Lunches are so appealing. Kids like to play, so it pays off to think about finger foods –something easy to pick up and bite into. Most young kids are either missing teeth or they have braces – and it’s important to be mindful and make sure they are physically able to eat the food you pack. For example, I would never send young kids to school with whole pieces of fruit like apples.
How important is it to be organized?
It’s very important. As moms we really relish our sleep. If you can get 5-10 extra minutes of sleep in the morning, wouldn’t you want that? Pack shelf-stable milk boxes in the fridge before going to bed. That way it will be cold in the morning and will help keep your kid’s lunch cold. If you’re packing sandwiches, wash and dry the lettuce leaves the night before, and have them in a bag ready to go. Cut up your veggies the night before – have bell peppers, carrots, and cucumbers ready with a small container of dip. Recently, I sent my son to school with pasta salad. I boiled the whole wheat pasta the night before and it was ready to go in the morning.
Can you provide a few simple ideas for recipes? There are lots of lunchbox recipes on my website. Here are a few ideas to get you started.
Yogurt, granola and fruit cup— morning snack time at school is a perfect time to integrate some healthy options. I like to pack a small container of yogurt and pour some frozen wild blueberries over the top. Then I add a second container of granola to sprinkle on the top.
Pasta salad—I’m all about whole grains, so I start with a whole-wheat rotini. Then I add all-natural deli ham, feta cheese, diced bell peppers, zucchini ribbons, corn on the cob (leftover from last night’s dinner), and some Italian dressing. This is simple and delicious.
Kebabs — These are a favorite. I use cheese cubes, leftover chicken or deli meats like turkey or chicken. Then I add grapes, melon cubes or berries in between.
Chicken salad — Here’s an easy one. I use cubed chicken mixed with plain Greek yogurt, some low-fat mayonnaise. Then I add nuts, dicedgrapes or apples, or diced avocado.
Quesadillas – These are a hit for lunch and offer a nice change of scenery from the standard lunch. I heat the tortilla and then I add beans, veggies, cheese, and BBQ sauce and wrap these hot in foil.
What are some common lunchbox mistakes? Packing too much food is a common mistake. Kids have about 20 minutes to eat so I encourage parents to pack the right amount of food for their child and prepare it in bite-sized pieces. Be sure to observe what comes back in the lunch box – this can be very telling. A lot of parents tend to focus on refined carbs because they are easy– they will pack a bagel with cream cheese, a juice box, and a bag of chips. The challenge when packing a bagel/juice box/bag of chips is that it lacks color and nutrition, so focus on a rainbow of colors instead!
What is the trick to keeping it healthy? Make sure you have fresh fruit and a veggie in your lunch box. Some parents consider juice to be a fruit serving, but it’s best to think about fresh, frozen, or dried fruit as a true serving. Don’t forget about snacks. I view snacks as a mini-meal. Snack time is an opportunity to weave in ingredients that are missing in the diet. If they are not getting veggies or fruit in the morning, make sure they’re an option as a snack. One of my favorite snacks is my Mini Blueberry Cornmeal Muffins.
7. What are some of the worst lunch boxes you’ve seen?
I’ve seen a morning snack of Hawaiian punch and chips. I’ve also seen Gatorade and chocolate chip cookies. These “snacks” bring calories and sugar to the diet, but not much more. Remember that kids are small, and it doesn’t take much to fill their stomachs – so every bite should be packed with nutrition – think nutrient rich and the colors of the rainbow. Every time you pack that lunchbox ask yourself: “What is this ingredient doing for my child?”
What are favorite things to pack for your kids’ lunches? What’s the worst lunch box you’ve ever seen?
Guest Blogger and Registered Dietitian Lindsay Livingston from The Lean Green Bean has sent us yet another tasty recipe that is sure to impress friends and family this coming Labor Day Weekend. Her newest Wild Taste of Summer recipe is a really fun way to get some antioxidants into your diet and create a summer memory at the same time. Be sure to share this recipe and Lindsay’s other great summer recipes — Wild Blueberry & Spinach Turkey Burgers, Wild Blueberry Ice Cream Sandwiches and Wild Blueberry Zucchini Bread —with your friends and family. You can find them right here on the Wild Blueberries blog!
For me, there’s something about summer and ice cream that just go hand-in-hand. As a young child, we used to visit a place called Cup & Cone almost weekly. It was a small free-standing shack that served ice cream during the Minnesota summers and it shared its parking lot with a retired train caboose. I can still remember the thrill of ordering and devouring my ice cream cone and then spending endless hours climbing on, running around and wandering through that caboose with the other local kids.
As I got older, I spent my summers working for a landscaping company. We worked long hours in the hot Kansas sun and let me tell you, there was nothing better than getting off work and heading straight to the local ice cream store where we could sit in the air-conditioning and enjoy some ice cream.
As an adult, my husband and I often ride our bikes to our favorite ice cream store to enjoy a summer treat, and with a baby on the way, I can’t wait to create our own family ice cream tradition!
Yet, while going to get ice cream brings back a lot of memories for me, sometimes it’s not the most economical choice. Especially during the summer when I seem to crave it all the time! So, to ease the burden on your wallet, the next best option, in my opinion, is to make your own! With the help of a relatively inexpensive ice cream maker that pretty much does all the work for you, you can spend your summer dreaming up and creating dozens of your own ice cream flavors that are customized just to your liking!
I’ve had a lot of fun with my ice cream maker over the years, both recreating store-bought favorites and coming up with new ones. Recently I got a little creative and came up with a new combo that I thought I would share with you!
As I started brainstorming, I knew I wanted to include frozen Wild Blueberries for several reasons:
The color- so vibrant and pretty to look at.
The flavor- Wild Blueberries are smaller and more flavorful than regular blueberries making them ideal to use in recipes like this where you really want their flavor to shine!
The health benefits – ice cream is not always the healthiest dessert option but the addition of Wild Blueberries means your ice cream gets a healthy dose of antioxidants. Wild Blueberries have been shown to have positive effects brain and eye health, heart health and more!
As for the mix-ins, I’m a huge proponent of pairing blueberries and chocolate together, so I added some dark chocolate chips. I also added in some crumbled graham crackers for a touch of added sweetness. To keep the ice cream making simple, I kept it egg-free and instead of all cream, I used some 2% milk to make it a bit healthier without sacrificing flavor or creaminess!
Here’s how you make it!
Wild Blueberry Ice Cream
2 cups frozen Wild Blueberries
2/3 cup sugar
1 ¼ cups heavy cream
¾ cup 2% milk
1 cup crumbled Graham Crackers
½ cup dark chocolate chips
Directions:
1. Combine first four ingredients in a blender and blend until well mixed.
2. Pour into ice cream maker (do not overfill).
3. Turn on ice cream maker and let run for approximately 20 minutes. As the ice cream starts to thicken, you may need to scoop out some if your ice cream maker gets too full. Consider it a taste testing opportunity!
4. About 2 minutes before turning off, pour in grahams and chocolate chips and let run until mixed in.
The Harvest is Months Away, But Growers Are Thinking Blue
Each year when winter is slowly replaced by high sun and rising temperatures, our thoughts naturally turn to planting. It means spring is on the way, and the time for taking advantage of the earth’s bounties is close at hand.
In Maine, Quebec and Eastern Canada, wild blueberry barrens are stirring. In early spring, plants begin to emerge from snow cover, and before too long, green leaves and white blossoms of fruit will appear. It’s a time when those who farm wild blueberry fields begin planning for late summer when they will finally burst with blue fruit.
Late winter on the wild blueberry barrens in Maine’s Washington County.
Photo courtesy of Geoffrey Leighton.
This year, wild blueberry plants have endured another harsh winter, but that’s part of their wild nature: they are naturally resilient to challenging winters in the Northeast. They have evolved to grow in acidic soil, thrive through wildly changing temperatures, and use their natural UV protection to survive unshielded in summer sun. In fact, these environmental challenges make them uniquely powerful when it comes to the phytonutrients they produce to protect themselves. Scientists believe that resilience may translate into superb disease prevention and aging protection when we eat them – that’s the unique power of wild.
Wild berries naturally have a distinctive taste and variations in color that their larger cultivated counterparts simply can’t match. In fact, winters with abundant snowfall are good for the crop. Snow provides protection to the plant as well as plenty of moisture, which can increase the size of the bud and the potential to have more fruit per plant. More fruit means more healthy, antioxidant-rich berries.
During March and April, growers spend their time assessing crop damage and pests in the field. They may order supplies necessary for the harvest season and to prepare fields that are “fallow” – non-crop bearing fields that are resting as part of their two-year rotation – and continue the mowing and burning of fields that would have begun in the fall. They may also prepare to bring in bees to pollinate the plants when spring is in full swing. Bringing bees to the fields is a necessary part of production, and every year wild blueberry growers import a billion bees to help pollinate their barrens. (You can read about spring bee pollination in this week’s Portland Press Herald). It’s all in service to the millions of pounds of wild blues that will be harvested in the growing areas in July and August.
But while it’s still early, and the fields are quiet and snow-covered, there’s time to reflect on the many things wild blueberries offer the area – not to mention kitchens and freezers all over the country. And it’s a perfect time to tip our hat to the growers who carefully manage and nurture them, right here in harvest country, all year long.
We have nature to thank for the wild blueberry. Wild, lowbush berries are naturally occurring berries that have been growing in Maine, Quebec and the Maritime Provinces for over 10,000 years. They differ from cultivated or planted blueberries – you can identify cultivated by their larger size – that are propagated, planted and harvested in commercial operations throughout the U.S. and other parts of the world.
Wild blueberries spread naturally and slowly here, where they survive in the glacial soils and northern climate, and those natural challenges only makes them special. Here are some of the unique advantages of the smaller, wild berry that is only grown in areas of the Northeast:
Antioxidant capacity. Wild Blueberries are being studied for their powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties that may help protect against diseases such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes and Alzheimer’s.
Genetic diversity. Wilds consist of hundreds of different naturally occurring varietal clones – a mix that provides the intense, complex flavors that range from sweet to tart.
Smaller size means higher skin-to-pulp ratio. Because of their size, foods that contain wild blueberries have more berries in every bite. That translates to more taste, more nutrition and more antioxidants.
Wild blueberries are a cherished part of Maine and Canada – and their wild nature is why.
See Wild Blueberry Country First Hand! It’s your last chance – there are only a few days left to enter to win Five Days of Food and Fun in the Land of Wild Blueberries.
If your entry is chosen, you’ll receive transportation for two to Québec City, Canada, 4 nights lodging in the historic Château Frontenac, and a $1,000 Wild Taste dining allowance to experience the city’s culinary delights.
In the fall, the cranberry’s heyday begins. Harvest season is marked by a sea of red for many regions, and while top cranberry producer Wisconsin is the state most recognized for its cranberry crop, Maine and parts of Canada also contribute to global cranberry production. Maine alone produces approximately 2 millions pounds annually, and this year, the state’s production may exceed 2.5, owing to few pest challenges and obliging weather conditions.
Known for its colorful skin and flavor pizzazz, the cranberry is one of just three fruits native to North America, where it enjoys renown for its distinctly sweet-tart flavor and its irrevocable role in juices and as a holiday complement. The cranberry is also a contender when it comes to antioxidant content. While wild blueberries outperform them when it comes to measuring both antioxidant capacity and cellular antioxidant activity, cranberries pack their own health punch. Just by virtue of being a member of the high-antioxidant, free radical-fighting berry family, they are implicated in many benefits for the brain and cardiovascular system, and as a defense against some cancers. Eating cranberries is a key part of experiencing the rainbow of colors that nature provides to assist in disease prevention efforts.
If this intrepid berry has piqued your interest, your timing is right on target. Here are five things that will help you better understand and embrace a colorful fruit this season.
1) An Historical Remedy
It’s widely known that cranberries are a lauded home remedy for urinary tract infections. Research into whether cranberries have earned their reputation as a UTI treatment is ongoing, but studies have found that they do provide a defense against the bacteria responsible for UTIs, as do wild blueberries. The berry’s ability to prevent bacterial attachment may also provide benefits for ulcers, for example. Native Americans were well acquainted with this bacteria-preventing characteristic – they would crush up cranberries and use them as treatment for wounds.
2) Berries from the Bog
Cranberries are known for their unique growing and harvesting method in bogs. Cranberries actually grow on vines – they thrive in soft, marshy ground and grow naturally in areas that provide this environment. When cranberries ripen on the vines growing in these wetlands, farmers fill the area with water. A machine used to beat the water releases the cranberries from their vines, and they are left to float on the water’s surface, creating the crimson tide that we know as the cranberry bog. There, the floating berries are easy to collect and ship.
3) Scarlet, Frankly
Initially, cranberries are white (harvesting while the berries are still white explains white cranberries and white cranberry juice) and they take on their deep ruby color with ripening, thanks to anthocyanin, a phytonutrient that provides color and health benefits. Natural sunlight is the catalyst to increasing phytonutrient content in the cranberry – the more sun, the more powerful the berry’s health benefits. Anthocyanins, found in all berries, promote health by fighting cell damage and reducing inflammation, a risk factor in many health issues, including cardiovascular disease and cancer.
4) Synergy
This red berry has more than spunk – it has synergy. Synergy is nature’s way of “packaging” nutrients that results in big health benefits. It occurs when components within the same food, or components between different foods, work together in a way that is more powerful than their effects would be separately. This heightened nutritional value supports disease prevention efforts and other aspects of health, such as weight loss. Some recent studies indicate that cranberries eaten whole rather than consumed as a liquid, dried, or in supplement form, for example, allow a synergistic reaction that heightens their dietary impact. (It’s the same with other foods like wild blueberries, a fruit that lends itself to being consumed whole if you are looking for a healthy, easy-to-eat alternative.) It’s another reason that buying the whole fruit is best for health – the special nutritional power of berries the way nature created them simply can’t be replicated.
5) Beyond the Bird
It might be early in the season to think about stuffing your Thanksgiving bird, but that’s no reason to wait to start enjoying cranberries. Berries of all kinds complete the health picture every day of the year by providing superb nutrition. And, cranberries are an excellent way to enjoy red-colored foods as we strive to eat across the color spectrum. Start welcoming them in your non-holiday recipes right now, in a Cranberry Relish for starters, to use in everyday sandwiches and sides. Enjoy a Cranberry Almond Cinnamon Tart to add zing to a meal, or bake Oatmeal Cranberry Cookies for the kids. Keep the trend going with Creamy Cranberry Salad to take full advantage of this colorful fruit. And, remember that you can substitute frozen wild blueberries for cranberries in many recipes.
Want a pie that packs and antioxidant punch? Please your palate with a Cranberry and Wild Blueberry Pie. Healthy eating never tasted so good!
What other fruits are native to North America?One is the wild blueberry, of course, indigenous to Maine and parts of Canada. The other is the Concord grape, which traces its history to nearby Concord, Massachusetts.
By many accounts, the American diet is in crisis. Our plates and portions are oversized, and our fat, sugar, and salt intake is stratospheric. Only a few of us, it seems, are getting the recommended amounts of fruits and vegetables – as low as 11% according to some studies.
But the more we know about the benefits of fruits and vegetables, the more inspired we are to change our habits. Fruits and veggies hold the nutritive power to lower cancer risk and decrease our chances of getting diabetes. They contribute to a healthy heart and brain and help us maintain our weight. Eating fruits and vegetables has a positive effect on almost every organ in the body by helping to preserve their function, prevent disease, and allow us to live longer, better quality lives.
Many of us are making efforts to get our recommended servings. These efforts can leave us wondering: is that salad at dinner really providing the nutrients we need? Does the tomato sauce in a pasta dinner mean we’ve logged a serving? Is it better to grab a bowl of wild blueberries or a carrot? That orange or that potato? The more we improve our eating habits, the more we want to know how important our fruit and veggie choices are, and if eating any serving is better than none at all.
He and She weigh in on the question, and provide their evidence.
Q: Does it matter what fruits and vegetables we eat as long as we eat them?
He: No. Getting the recommended number of servings of fruits and vegetables will provide important health benefits no matter what those fruits and vegetables are. Here’s why:
Reason #1. It is recommended we eat a wide variety of fruit and veggies that span the color spectrum. The more fruits and vegetables, the lower the risk of developing heart disease, some cancers, and lower there risk of diabetes and weight related illnesses, end of story. The USDA Food Plate specifies no types of fruits and vegetables. Even the Mediterranean diet, for instance, touted for its dietary excellence, emphasizes not specific kinds of fruits or vegetables, but that more are eaten, and eaten with with lots of olive oil, nuts and plenty of fish.
Reason #2. When we fill up on fruits and vegetables, they take the place of less healthy foods. For most Americans, eliminating high calorie foods, sugary snacks, fast foods, and processed foods in favor nutrient-rich fruits and vegetables is the key to better health. Whenever we are making the choice to eat any fruit or vegetable, we are eating a whole, natural food, not a processed one, and that means better health and more powerful disease prevention, period.
Reason #3. In the future, a simple saliva test will determine our susceptibility to certain diseases, and it will be affordable and accessible to everyone. We’ll understand then how certain hereditary risk factors can be counteracted by specific food choices. However, today, most of us simply don’t know which nutrients will promote a desirable gene reaction. Until we know more about our genetic makeup, we can’t be sure of how to target the best fruit and veggie Rx for our personal health, and getting our servings and eating widely across the color spectrum is the best advice.
Reason #4. Focusing on good foods, bad foods, and better foods is simply counterproductive. Any and all foods can be part of a healthy diet. They key to good nutrition is balance and moderation, with a focus on portion control. What’s more, there are virtually no unhealthy fruits or vegetables. As long as they are not processed, fried, or interfere with medications, allergies or other conditions, all are good for you. Enjoy!
She: Yes. Making smart nutritional choices about which fruits and vegetables you eat is vital to good health.Here’s why:
Reason #1. Some foods are just better than others when it comes to disease prevention, and if you are eating for good health, why not eat the best? For instance, targeting high-antioxidant, deeply colored foods will help with prevention as we age more effectively than less colorful, lower antioxidant fruits and vegetables. Eating nutrient dense, high antioxidant foods like wild blueberries has been found to combat free radicals and prevent diseases aging, some types of cancer, and heart disease. This fruit has also been found to improve cognitive function. If you have disease prevention in mind, says EmpowHer, and you’re reaching for an apple or orange for breakfast, you may want to reach for blueberries or strawberries instead.
Reason #2. As He pointed out, we must eat variety, and the best fruit and veggie choices are those that span the color spectrum, including rich greens, deep blues, bright oranges and reds. Making a conscious decision to “eat across the rainbow” is important for food in general, and especially fruits and vegetables. And while we may agree on that, the fact is, focusing on broad fruit and vegetable servings without digging deeper into nutritional quality can lead to deficits and less effective disease prevention. Not making an effort to eat specific types of fruits and vegetables that provide the highest nutritional value can lead to eating only those we love or are used to, or those that stretch the budget more effectively. That can often mean missing out on valuable nutrients, antioxidants, phytochemicals, and vitamins that are crucial to our health. That tomato sauce has valuable lycopene, but that’s just a piece of the puzzle. Those potatoes are potassium-rich and full of vitamins, but their value can be negated by portion size and preparation.
Reason #3. One reason to choose your fruits and veggies carefully is that high Glycemic Index foods should be eaten in moderation (or paired with other things that have a low GI.) The Glycemic Index ranks foods according to its effect on blood glucose levels, and some fruits and vegetables may score higher on the GI scale. For optimum health, especially for those people with diabetes and weight concerns, we must understand glycemic measurements, obtain a list of foods and their Glycemic Index scores, and eat accordingly.
Reason #4. For some dried fruit, fruit juices, or fruits with additives, the nutritional benefits are outweighed by high calorie or sugar content. The truth is, not all fruits and vegetables are created equal, and weighing your food choices carefully – even when it comes to fruits and vegetables – makes good, healthy sense.
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Did You Know? Antioxidants combat inflammation in the body which prevents diseases like cancer, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s, and provide major anti-aging and disease preventing benefits.Wild blueberries top the list of health promoting properties over most other fruits. Read the latest news about how blueberries, especially wild blueberries, protect the body.
Are you filling up on the healthiest foods? See what superfoods will change your life.
