frozen blueberries Archives - Page 2 of 2

Jam: Winter’s Taste of Summer Relies on Frozen

Fruit jams are sometimes referred to as “summer in a jar”, and no wonder. Jam is fruit in the extreme, providing a perfect taste bud boost when spring is still several long weeks away. Even those who didn’t share in an annual canning ritual during the summer months can take part – anyone can cook up this tasty treat in the winter as easily as they can in July. That was certainly the view of Allison Carroll Duffy when she shared her recipe for Blueberry Vanilla Jam on Maine’s 207 recently. She reminded us in no uncertain terms that frozen wild blueberries are the solution to winter jam making.

“Since it’s winter, I’ve been making this recipe with frozen berries,” said Duffy, “and you know what? I actually prefer using frozen at this time of year, as I can use locally-grown [or “wild”] berries.” Duffy’s comment serves as a perfect reminder of the advantages that frozen affords us. Convenient, loved by bakers, chefs, and home cooks, available year round in the frozen food section, and just as nutritious and delicious as fresh, frozen helps us adds important cups of fruit to our daily nutritional needs, all while providing a taste of a local summer favorite. The utter ease of availability of frozen wild blueberries means there is nothing standing in our way of making homemade jam this month – or any month – and experiencing the superior taste and nutrition of wild blueberries.

Keeping jam on hand is a must in Duffy’s household – she finds the sweet fruit taste of homemade jam irresistible. Besides its role as a foil for toast, jam lovers like theirs for lunch in classic PB & J(am), as a sweet topper for ice cream, in yogurt, or with cottage cheese. The unique sweet and tart flavor of wild blueberries are a classic for fruit jams – unsurpassed in flavor and color – especially when it’s used in small, warmed amounts whisked into salad dressings or glazes for chicken or meats, or for dolloping over goat cheese for a tasty hors d’oeuvre.

Wild blueberry jam is also a pantry staple for bakers – Blueberry Jam Sandwich Cookies come to mind. Even Medina County Life has the right idea, miles away from the wild blueberry harvest, in Ohio: they suggest frozen blueberry jam as the complement to everything from pound cake to sliced bananas. Well done!

Jam’s Jarring Health Benefits

Homemade wild blueberry jam is a sweet treat with broad appeal, but it offers big benefits when it’s made at home. Making jam helps side-step the extra sugar, calories, and preservatives that can run high in many supermarket jams. Made with whole ingredients, homemade jam helps us feel good about enjoying its many health advantages without the health hazards.

Jam’s biggest advantage is the main ingredient, wild blueberries. Wild blues have powerful antioxidant properties that support our disease prevention efforts, and since we tend to eat fewer cups of fruits and veggies this time of year, now is when we need good-for-us food the most. When we enjoy any half cup of wild blueberries, we’re giving the nod to nutrition by leaving less room for foods that satisfy our sweet tooth but offer empty calories. And just like frozen berries, jam is there to be used whenever we please: it stores well in the freezer for several months and will last in the fridge for 2 to 3 weeks.

Now that you are jam savvy, what’s stopping your from cooking up a jar of summer sweetness while the snow flies? You’re bound to find it a welcome taste of summer this season!

Looking for more jam recipe ideas? Find other ways to enjoy this Summer Fruit Spin-off all winter. You can also find out more about Allison Caroll Duffy’s classes and workshops on home canning and other methods of food preservation at CanningCraft.com.

LATEST NEWS: Victory for the Frozen Message

Dr. Oz & TIME Magazine Help Bring Frozen to the Public

The American food supply is abundant, nutritionally sound and affordable – and it can be found in your supermarket.

An article written by Dr. Mehmet Oz, well-known surgeon, author and personality, in a TIME cover story called “What to Eat Now,” might include the most important message today’s families can hear when it comes to their diet. Though the idea is not exactly new, talking about it in a new way has been tectonic, and it may change, once and for all, the way we think about nutrition.

It’s a message consumers and their families are prepared for. Dr. Oz’s clear statements about frozen and canned food speak to nagging myths we’ve lived with too long. For example, is frozen food as nutritious as fresh? Today, technology allows us the taste and nutritional advantages of fruit and vegetables harvested and preserved at their peak. (In his article, Dr. Oz explains the shift in freezing that began with Charles Birdseye.) Nutrition, in fact, comes in many forms, and one is certainly frozen. Eating frozen and canned foods is an important part of how most of us can eat healthily now.

Eating for Our Time

Today, the message to consumers that affordability, convenience, and ease is not just OK, but it can also be nutritionally sound is one embraced by families tasked with providing meals nutritious enough to stave off the increasing threat of obesity and disease. Healthy food should be, and is, achievable for all of us by shopping right at the supermarket where we can take advantage of frozen and canned food as well as fresh or when fresh is not available. Families facing squeezed food budgets and precious little time for food preparation can turn to frozen and feel good about their nutritional choices.

Dr. Oz makes his case, he says, after years of research and experience. “The American food supply is abundant, nutritionally sound, affordable,” he said of what he calls the 99% diet. (You can hear Dr. Oz talk more about this on CNN.) It’s time for all of us to throw our hats skyward to join him in celebrating frozen and the opportunity for good health for everyone.

Wild: The Best of Frozen

According to Dr. Oz, canned salmon and frozen peas are a part of eating well on a budget without sacrificing nutrition – and with no concerns about waste, a major food budget killer. Dr. Oz is also a notorious proponent of wild blueberries), and wild blueberries offer a perfect case in point: while they are harvested in Maine and parts of Canada, the frozen fresh method of freezing allows our region to supply the entire country and parts of the world all year round with the berry’s wild nutritional advantages. Live outside of these regions? Not the harvest season? Buying affordably in bulk at the supermarket? Wild blueberries are there to oblige in the supermarket’s frozen aisle, easily purchased in large bags to be used as needed anytime, always at the peak of taste and nutrition, just like they were at the moment they were frozen.

Among its many rewards, frozen allows for variety, which is one of the best way to eat nutritiously. Wild blueberries lead the pack when it comes to nutrition. A wonderful way to introduce color into your diet, wild blueberries stand out because they outperform other fruits when it comes to measuring total antioxidant capacity per serving. Because of their powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, they can help protect against diseases such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes and Alzheimer’s. Wild blueberries are an important component of an affordable, nutritionally sound diet, not to mention a gift to mothers everywhere: have you ever heard a mother warn their child to “finish your wild blueberries”? Of course not – they are already gone.

Forging A Path to Frozen

We’ve assembled some of our favorite frozen-focused posts that have helped herald this new age of nutrition. In light of frozen’s passionate support from Dr. Oz and countless other experts, we thought it would be appropriate to look at them in a new light – as part of a revolution to bring good nutritional health to one and all.

Here are some highlights from past posts that have helped forge a path to frozen.

Saving Your Frozen for Processing? You’re Missing Out
That frozen is only for food processing is a once widely held belief is changing rapidly. Today, frozen wild blues are an ingredient that works in more than smoothies. IQF freezing means each berry maintains its size and structure. That means we can bake with frozen when the individual berry is important, or thaw them for use in any number of toppings, salads and entrées.

Frozen Fruit Myths…Debunked!
Here, the myths of frozen face incontrovertible evidence to the contrary. Think frozen means a glob of ice or a square of green? Not a chance. Not premium quality? Nope. Less nutritious than picked from a field? No sir. Get hip to the next generation of frozen and dispense with the old school beliefs.

Milk, Eggs, Butter….and Frozen
Got frozen on your list? Here’s why you should. Frozen can eliminate kitchen prep time, it’s easy to work with, and it’s there when you need it – in your freezer, as good as the day you purchased it.

Frozen Bombshell: Why Nutrition No Longer = Fresh
Consumers have wisely tuned in to foods that offer competitive prices and low waste. They’ve had to. From the ultimate foodie to the frying-pan challenged, we all need healthy ingredients that are affordable and available. Thinking “frozen” as well as “fresh” offers the answer.

Embrace the Brrr! 5 Summer Fruits to Eat Frozen This Winter
Got a yen for summer fruit but the mercury is low? Enter frozen! Find out how you can eat mangoes, peaches and wild blueberries as if it’s the height of the summer (and not have to pay more.)

Help make the case for frozen! Check out these 10 Fruity Reasons to Visit the Frozen Aisle.

Maine Author Teaches Benefits of Wild Blueberries

There’s something about being a Maine wild blueberry farmer that makes you want to spread the word about the unique fruit to which you have devoted your life. That’s just the way it is with Gail J. VanWart.

Her most recent book gets the word out in the form of a children’s book. It’s called Ellery Didn’t Know That, a charming story about a bear’s adventures searching for wild blueberries. The tale tells of Ellery Bear, an adventurous, amiable creature who pays a visit to a Maine family and in doing so, sends the very worthy message to young readers that Maine lowbush wild blueberries are a natural, native fruit rich in attributes.

VanWart lives in Dedham, Maine on Peaked Mountain Farm, where she maintains the native Wild Blueberry fields as a proud fourth generation steward. The author and publisher named her main character “Ellery” for her grandfather who lived and cared for the Dedham Farm before her. The book sends a perfectly delicious and healthy message with a delightfully furry messenger to help send it.

VanWart’s previous book, Life Raked In is a collection of poems, recipes and thoughts on life inspired by the Wild Blueberry fields on the family farm. She is a self-proclaimed huge wild blueberry fan, dedicated to spreading the word about wild and the wild lifestyle. (You can buy the book and see her appearance on Good Day Maine).

Gail VanWart’s Mid-Winter Treat: Wild Blueberry Gingerbread

VanWart was kind enough to share a favorite recipe with Wild About Health from Life Raked In. Her Wild Blueberry Gingerbread is an ideal mid-winter treat that uses frozen wild blueberries to achieve gingerbread nirvana. Enjoy!

Gail’s Wild Blueberry Gingerbread

2 cups flour
½ cup shortening
½ t. salt
1 cup sugar
1 egg
½ t. ginger
1 t. cinnamon
1 t baking soda
3 T. molasses
1 cup sour milk*
1 cup Wild Blueberries (fresh or frozen)

3 T. sugar
to sprinkle on top before baking

Confectioner’s Sugar
to sprinkle on top after baking

½ cup fresh Wild Blueberries
for garnish, if available

Cream shortening and add salt and sugar gradually. Add unbeaten egg and beat until light and fluffy. In separate bowl, mix flour, ginger, and cinnamon. In another bowl, mix baking soda with sour milk, stir until soda is dissolved. Then add dry ingredients and sour milk mixture alternately to the creamed mixture. Add the molasses and fold in the cup of Wild Blueberries. Turn into a greased and floured pan (either a 9” x 9” square or 10” round pan works well). Sprinkle top with 3 tablespoons sugar and bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes. When done, turn onto rack to cool. When cool, place on a plate and sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar and garnish with fresh blueberries.

*If you don’t have sour milk on hand, add 2 tablespoons vinegar to one cup of whole milk.

Health.com Cites Wild Blueberries as Pick for Winter

It’s a set-in-stone rule for cold-weather eating: fruit can rescue good nutrition in the winter months. We often don’t get the fruit requirements we need when the mercury drops, but frozen makes our favorite fruits available and as nutritious as fresh (if not more, due to being quick-frozen at their peak). So why are we ducking our daily requirements? There should be no excuses.

Health.com lays out the best winter fruits, and starts their list with powerful wild blueberries, urging readers to “Buy ’em: Frozen” and touting the nutritional and economic virtues of the small, wild fruit.

From Health.com’s How to Get Your Favorite Fruits in Winter:

“Frozen blueberries are typically the petite wild version, which have been found by scientists to contain more disease-thwarting antioxidants than their traditionally cultivated counterparts (the type you’re most likely to find fresh right now). Also, fresh blueberries are pricey in winter and, if trucked in from afar, can go moldy fast.”

The article also cites wild blueberries as one of the best superfoods for weight loss, and no wonder: a 1-cup serving is just 80 calories, and provides 4 grams of fiber for helping you feel full – a perfect food to help you keep your New Year’s resolution.

Get ’em frozen indeed! Well done, Health.com!

Saving Your Frozen for Processing? You’re Missing Out

A recap of the 2011 Berry Health Benefits Symposium includes some interesting data about those small nutritional gems we know as berries. All varieties were under discussion this year at this California symposium, including strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries, as participants piled on the evidence for the berry’s superfood status and the impact they have on health.

Berries seem destined to be in the spotlight. Research continues to uncover their powerful anti-aging properties and scientists continue to learn more about the important role they play in disease prevention, including skin cancer, colon cancer, brain health, and vision, even obesity. However, there is one point in this recap we take issue with:

“Unless you live in Maine, the fresh blueberries you eat are of the ‘high bush’ type. The ‘low bush’ or wild blueberries of the northeast (including Canada) are much smaller and have a very short season. They are mostly frozen and used in food processing.”

It’s true that the northeast shines when it comes to wild blueberries, and the point that wilds are only indeginous to the areas of Maine and Canada is well taken: it’s what makes this little blue berry so unique! However, this interesting fact requires some clarification. On behalf of frozen wild blueberry lovers across the nation, we felt compelled to make these two points to ripen the berry discussion:

#1. Actually, they may have a short season, but the wild blueberries harvested in Maine and parts of Canada supply the entire country and parts of the world. Maine, for example, produces about 38% of the world’s wild blueberries and 15% of all blueberries in North America. Between Maine and Canada, around 204 million pounds of blueberries are harvested per year!

It’s becoming more and more common to live outside of Maine and still enjoy the benefits of wild — thank goodness, since the best way to get the most powerful dose of antioxidant benefit is to make sure you are buying wild, or lowbush berries.

Wild are smaller and have a higher skin-to-pulp ratio, and the skin is where the advantages reside. So while you may have trouble procuring a just-picked pint of wild blueberries outside of Maine or Canada, frozen wilds are available widely. You’ll find them in New England, in the South, in the West, even in California! Find out where to buy frozen wild blueberries.

#2. The idea that frozen is used primarily in food processing is simply short-sighted.

First, frozen is the best thing that has happened to nutrition since the icebox became the refrigerator. Frozen produce of all varieties provide a nutritious solution for families looking to make healthy eating more convenient and affordable.

What’s more: chefs love frozen wild blueberries and use them widely. Among our many interviews with chefs and cooks using frozen wild blues, the consensus is clear: they hold a sweet, complex flavor after baking because they are not as acidic as some fruits. They maintain their flavor nicely compared to other berries as well, and they stay truer to their original form. While some berries are processed, they are overwhelmingly used in recipes where they are not: wild blueberries can handle being mixed much more easily than a number of other fruits, and they are often used when the appearance of the whole fruit is important.

Second, frozen is as nutritious as fresh, and individual quick freezing (IQF) means berries are frozen at the peak of freshness in a way that preserves the whole berry: no blocks of ice, no cylinders of puree. Just all the wonders of wild blues. Yes, frozen is perfect for smoothies, but they are also perfect for most any purpose where fresh is used.

So, if you are saving your frozen wild blueberries for processing only, your missing out. Frozen wilds are much more versatile! Here are some of the many ways to take full advantage of their taste, texture, and nutrition, no processing involved:

In any recipe that calls for blueberries. That includes salsas and sauces, pies and cakes, crisps, grunts, crumbles and crème brulee.

As a topping. Wild blues add a colorful crown to many foods, no processing required. In fact, they are perfect for times when the appearance of the whole fruit in all its individual glory is needed. That includes yogurts, cereal, pancakes, and many uniquely delicious and colorful entrées, including fish, pork, and chicken.

On their own. Thaw (and strain a little, if you like) your frozen wild blueberries overnight, defrost in the microwave, or simply leave them on the counter briefly, and consume them with a fork, by hand as a snack, or scoop them out as a side for a sandwich or salad, au naturel. Each individual berry is beautiful preserved. And that blue on your fingertips is the stamp of rich nutrition—any time of year.

Berries from Coast to Coast

Kudos to California’s Berry Benefits Symposium for getting the word out about the wonders of berries. In Maine, the Bar Harbor Group dedicates itself to continuing nutritional research as it relates to berries as well. Each year, researchers and scientists from around the country gather to share ongoing research and findings about nature’s true nutritional jewels. In past years, presentations taking place at this famed summit have included research involving disease prevention and anti-aging, cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s and macular degeneration. We’ll keep you posted about this year’s summit, taking place during the summer.

Did you know? Frozen wild blueberries can remain ready to eat in the freezer year round, and the individually quick frozen method means they can remain frozen for over two years without losing their flavor or nutritional value. Love your frozen? Tell us why!

Frozen Fruit Myths…Debunked!

With ample evidence that frozen is just a good as fresh when it comes to getting delicious, healthy fruits into your diet, you might still hear that voice in the back of your head – the one hanging on to the notion of “fresh” – the one that makes you feel that during the winter months when produce shelves are wanting, frozen is a necessary compromise.

It’s understandable. Fresh is great, and it has long been a mantra for healthy eaters. And, old notions of frozen – those established prior to quick freezing technology – can bring to mind ideas of ice-encased foods that lack taste or nutritional value. But those ideas are old-school. A rising interest in competitive prices and low waste, along with an effort by consumers to raise the bar on their nutrition has only contributed to making frozen, well, cool.

It’s important to get your servings of fruits and veggies. They are simply the best avenue to maintaining weight, improving health, and preventing disease. So, in an effort to reinforce what those who enjoy their fruit every season of the year already know, we’re debunking some frozen myths (using the wild blueberry as a case in point) that will help even fresh fanatics turn toward the freezer section.

Myth #1: Frozen isn’t as nutritious as fresh.

Not so. In fact, this myth has been proven to be untrue for quite a while. Way back in 1998, the Food & Drug Administration confirmed that frozen fruits and vegetables provide the same essential nutrients and health benefits as fresh – great news for those seeking year-round healthy foods. Consider this: wild blueberries top the ORAC chart of 40 tested foods, making them the #1 antioxidant fruit – fresh or frozen – it makes no difference.

Myth #2: OK, but frozen definitely isn’t better than fresh.

This one may surprise you: Quick frozen foods like wild blueberries actually can be. They retain their nutritional value longer, and they are preserved at their peak, not before. Since development of a technology known as the individually quick-frozen (IQF) method, foods can be frozen when they are at their peak of freshness. Some fresh-sold fruits are picked early to ensure they won’t spoil during the long shipping and storage, but not those that are quick-frozen. And, their value doesn’t deteriorate during storage periods, something that is inevitable with fresh-sold fruit. The ability to be captured at their peak of taste, ripeness and nutrition means everything you like about your favorite fruits is captured and locked in for the duration.

Myth #3: Frozen means a glob of ice.

Chalk this one up to quick freezing technology as well. IQF means the integrity of delicate foods like berries is completely preserved. The wild blueberry, for example, as small as it is, holds its shape and texture through the quick freezing method. Because the “I” in IQF stands for Individual, frozen berries maintain their identities – they don’t glob together in balls of ice. They maintain their quality for more than two years, too. So, if you still think using frozen foods means chopping through the tundra, think again.

Myth #4: I cook, and frozen is harder to use.

This is simply not the case. Performance is first class for IQF fruit. For example, blueberries have superior performance when used in recipes, and retain their structure even better while frozen – and they can be used in most recipes that call for blueberries. Plus, frozen is a better choice for concocting frosty, nutritious smoothies. (Also, did you know frozen wild blueberries have less water than cultivated blueberries, making them the better choice for most recipes?)

Myth #5: Big frozen packages just aren’t convenient.

Don’t kid yourself. Single servings are easy to extract from the freezer for use in meals, in recipes, or for snacking. Stand-up bottoms with resealable zip pouches are available for some premium products. And, frozen is always there when you want it – whenever you need a cup, a scoop or a sprinkle. What could be more convenient?

Myth #6: Frozen fruit isn’t premium quality.

Debunked. The most popular frozen fruit brands use only premium fruit for freezing, yielding a consistently superior product.

Myth #7: With frozen, I don’t know what I’m getting.

Frozen fruit is just that: fruit. Unless the label says otherwise, frozen fruits like blueberries contain one ingredient. They have no caloric syrups and additives, and are just pure, unadulterated, nutrient-rich fruit.

Myth #8: Impressive. So, frozen must be more expensive.

Not a chance. Frozen fruits are usually found at a remarkable value when compared to in-season pricing. And, you can buy them in economically sound bulk packages knowing that no aging or spoiling means no waste, adding to the economic benefit.

Forgoing fruit during the long winter season? How uncool. Now is no time to compromise on your health. Every season is the perfect season for taste and nutrition – go frozen!

High Five Your Freezer – March is Frozen Food Month

A month that celebrates what is in your freezer? You bet. Consider that less than a century ago, before the launch of quick frozen foods, consumers were unable to take advantage of the convenience and nutritional value of fruits, vegetables, meats and fish. Today, “frozen” has truly caught on with consumers who seem poised to take full advantage of the benefits. The race is on to feed healthy foods to our kids at home and at school, and all across the country people are paying attention to rising rates of obesity and preventable diseases. As a result, the demand for available, nutritious foods has skyrocketed. Nothing comes to the rescue better than frozen foods.

In 1998, the Food & Drug Administration confirmed that frozen fruits and vegetables provide the same essential nutrients and health benefits as fresh. What’s more is that quick frozen foods can actually be better than fresh because they retain their nutritional value longer, and they don’t lose nutrients as they age during shipping and storage. Foods like wild blueberries, for example, are picked and frozen at the peak of freshness, locking in all that antioxidant power, thanks to individually quick frozen (IQF) technology, and that’s exactly how they show up on your plate. And, fruits and vegetables like frozen wild blueberries are available in stores everywhere.

Consumers have discovered the facts about nutritional value, and they are demanding food that is available year round without nutritional sacrifices. A rising interest in competitive prices and low waste has only contributed to the budget stretching trend known simply as frozen. So go ahead and give your freezer a little love this month by stocking it with the benefits of frozen!

You can also join the fun by entering a $10,000 sweepstakes sponsored by the National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association. Check it out at EasyHomeMeals.com.

Berry Accessible – All Winter Long

We commend Real Age for touting alternate ways to get the cancer-fighting, anti-aging benefits of berries during the long cold winter. They suggest freeze-dried as an alternative to fresh. But don’t forget frozen. Frozen can have advantages over freeze-dried (quick freezing helps them to retain their shape) and also retain all the nutritional benefits!

Benefits of Frozen on CBS: Foods that Go “Above and Beyond”

“Get them frozen!” was the call from Frances Largeman-Roth, Senior Editor at Health Magazine, when she visited CBS’s Early Show recently to talk about women’s health. “They are cheaper, and just as good as fresh,” she reported about superfood list-topper, wild blueberries. Wild blueberries made the exclusive America’s Healthiest Superfoods for Women list which highlights only the foods that experts agree deliver mega-benefits when it comes to energy boosting, fat busting and disease prevention.

The list is made up of foods that go “above and beyond” Largeman-Roth said, working double-time to provide ways for women to be smarter, leaner and stronger. Her support for frozen is great advice for those of us who want convenience and nutrition year round. (You can read a previous post about why frozen is just as good as fresh.[link to frozen post])

Largeman-Roth also stressed that it’s wild that fits the bill: wild blueberries have a higher concentration of nutritional value than their cultivated counterparts.

View the Superfoods video at CBS.com.

Frozen Bombshell: Why Nutrition No Longer = Fresh

Whether your cupboards look like Dr. Oz has set up shop in your kitchen, or the puffy pastries and cheesy chips give away your nutritionally-challenged status, we all struggle with affordability and availability of healthy foods. How can we better integrate nutrition into our lives?

We must making healthy eating easier. This demand for year-round availability of nutritionally potent food at good prices seems to have caused a change in thinking about what constitutes healthy eating. For some, this change in thinking may not be news, but for others the shift could be seismic.

For decades, nutrition was synonymous with fresh food – it seemed to be the only way to enjoy the nutritional benefits of fruits and vegetables. It meant fresh from the tree, vine, plant or ground. It meant high nutrient content – the best thing you could put in your mouth.

Fresh is great, that’s true. But here’s the snag: often what we think of as fresh – unfrozen, unpackaged fruits and vegetables available in the produce section of the supermarket – has been subject to weeks in delivery trucks. Travel and transport to deliver fresh food to your local market may mean weeks off of the vine, tree or plant. Furthermore, by the time you put your selection in your cart, bring it home, and consume it, several more days have gone by.

Not only are our choices limited to seasonal and productivity shifts in the produce aisle, but when you eat “fresh” are you really eating fresh?

A New Kind of Fresh

A 2009 State Indicator Report was recently released showing that no state in the nation is meeting objectives for recommended amounts of fruit and vegetables. Access and availability figure prominently on the list of challenges in reaching nutritional benchmarks. Taking advantage of frozen fruits and vegetables could serve as the key to overcoming these barriers.

It may go against our intuition, but thanks to advances in technology, frozen is just as good as fresh. In 1998, the Food & Drug Administration confirmed that frozen fruits and vegetables provide the same essential nutrients and health benefits as fresh. For example, fruit is quick frozen at the peak of ripeness (allowing it to be picked at the perfect time, not prior to its peak in efforts to prevent spoilage). This “individually quick frozen” method (known as IQF) allows for the fast preservation of taste and nutrition, and the fruit can remain frozen for over two years without losing flavor or nutritional value. (That means an IQF wild blueberry has all its antioxidant power locked in until its ready to be used!)

For those unfamiliar with the nutritional value and convenience that frozen fruits and veggies provide, it can seem like a whole new way to shop. The frozen food aisle can serve as an extension of the produce section, offering good, healthy food, season in and season out.

Toward a Healthier Budget

More and more, consumers are tuned into to nutritional value: we can’t afford to make nutritional sacrifices, but at the same time, food budgets are tight. Interest in frozen fruits and veggies may also be driven by a concern about stretching budgets. Frozen means competitive prices and low waste – fruits and veggies can be purchased in bulk sizes, and portions are available in the freezer whenever they are needed.

The Bottom Line

If you are still waiting for summer to get a brief taste of healthy foods, it’s time to change your thinking. You need to make nutritionally potent fruits and vegetables a priority every day of the year. Nutrition is no longer synonymous with fresh: when it comes to getting your fruits and veggies, make frozen your secret nutritional weapon!