This week, we’re happy to introduce you to Linda Tambunan, the force behind TheUrbanMrs.com, a blog about cooking simple, healthy dishes. The blog’s tagline, “Eat. Play. Love – Daringly Delicious” fits her perspective perfectly. It’s a place where Fridays usually have the adjective “Fun” and “Muffin Mondays” are a weekly occurrence. Her approach to cooking says it all: “to explore new flavors and leave the dishes unwashed.”
The self-proclaimed food enthusiast draws her inspiration from her upbringing in Asia spent hanging around her mother’s kitchen, and more recently from her own culinary experimentation in her San Francisco kitchen, thousands of miles from her childhood home. Her edible exploits, revealed in engaging narrative and visual documentation, are often interpretations of Asian-influenced dishes infused with West Coast style.
Many of Linda’s recipes reveal a love of fusion at their core, like this Turkey Empana and Chimichurri Sauce, a solution for Thanksgiving leftovers, these sweetly health-conscious Gluten-free Apple Cider Doughnuts, and the surprisingly appetizing Spam Pasta Salad, where two worlds collide deliciously. This week, she shares a recipe perfectly suited to Wild About Health. For these Wild Blueberry Cupcakes with Coffee Frosting, she says, “I rely heavily on the sweetness and colors of blueberry, hence this recipe is not as sweet as a regular cupcake,” and adds, “this is one of our family favorites”.
Inspired to increase your wild blueberry intake? You’re not alone. More and more of us are putting our yen for this colorful, delicious, powerfully healthy superfruit where our mouth is. Eating more wild blueberries means you’re replacing empty calorie foods with nutrient-rich ones, eating something you love, and, most likely, cooking more at home. And that’s good for your weight, your health, and your well being.
Luckily, there’s a place that satisfies a desire for everything blue and provides a new wild blueberry recipe every day to help maintain enthusiasm for your daily dose – it’s our Pinterest page – a place where those who love wild blueberries come together to share their passion.
Our “WildBlueberries!” page provides lively, colorful boards with themes like Wild Blueberry Cocktails and Wild Blueberry Daily Recipes. The Wild Blueberry Videos board contains a wealth of visual delights, facts about wild blues, and one-on-ones with chefs that use them in their recipes. Where else could you find a fabulous Fruit Pizza, a French Toast Sandwich and this Forbidden Rice Pudding with Blueberries in one place? And, because our Wild Blueberry Daily Recipes board provides a brand new wild blueberry recipe every day, it will inspire and assist you in your quest to get your daily dose of blue.
A Community of Blue
If getting a daily dose of blue sounds easy, that’s because it is. Many people already incorporate a half cup or more of wild blueberries into their diet each day. While some insist on a daily smoothie, others enjoy finding new and original ways to incorporate their favorite blue fruit into salads, sandwiches, entrées and desserts. In fact, if you are someone who is always seeking out new ideas to make meals exciting, you may reap health benefits. Those who eat a varied diet, include a diversity of fruits and vegetables, and eat widely across the color spectrum are often healthier. A colorful diet that incorporates a rainbow of colors provided by nature is an excellent basis for getting needed nutrients. Eating a daily dose of wild blueberries fits the bill perfectly, especially because of their year-round availability in the frozen aisle.
Get on Board
Ready to show your love for wild blueberries?
First, log in to your Pinterest account and visit our page. There’s lots of things to do there:
Follow us. Follow a favorite board, like Wild Blueberry Cocktails, the Wild About Health board, recipe board, video board – or all of them!
Get a link. Re-pin something anytime during the month of October from any of our boards and we’ll post a link to your Pinterest board on Facebook and Twitter.
Have your recipe featured on Wild Blueberry Daily Recipes. Choose a favorite wild blueberry recipe – something you found surfing the web, or something from your own website or blog. Then, post the URL to your recipe in the comment section here. We might choose it to be one of our Wild Blueberry Daily Recipes and share it with all our followers!
Indulging your passion with a pin is a fun way to learn about health and get inspired to create new dishes and share them. You’ll see how easy it is to start eating more wild blues – you may even want to do it every day.
Interested in incorporating a daily dose of blue in your diet? Ease into your regimen with ½ cup twice a week. Eating anthocyanin-rich fruits just twice a week, particularly wild blueberries, has been shown to reduce risk of type 2 diabetes. Then, move to ½ cup every day as a way to attain the recommended goal of two cups of fruit per day. Getting two cups of fruit per day means you have an ally in the battle to stay healthy and age well. It will help you maintain weight and may help protect you against diseases such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes and Alzheimer’s.
Need something else to sweeten the pie? Dishes that include wild blueberries satisfy cravings for the sweet and delicious – and that helps maintain a healthy diet 365 days a year. Happy pinning!
Wild Blueberries Create New Traditions in Seasonal Fare
Right now, wild blueberry barrens throughout Maine and Nova Scotia are being fertilized and closely checked for growth and pests as farmers anticipate the coming harvest season. Around here, it seems like everyone has wild blueberries on their mind. Of course, there’s no reason to wait for August when today’s quick freezing technology makes blues straight from the field available anytime, but the thought of thousands of acres of this Maine fruit simultaneously bursting with deep blue color just seems to trigger our taste for the sweet, tangy wild blueberry.
There’s no forcing wild blueberry pie off the most-loved foods list, but there are some other less traditional ways to encounter the area’s indigenous ingredient that have burgeoned in popularity. Recently, the Portland Press Herald discussed the penchant for some to indulge in non-traditional lobster rolls (consider the convention-busting wasabi roll, or the BLT-style roll), and we’re doing the same with wild blueberries. We consider these outside-the-box specialties the new summer essentials. Incorporating them into your summer fare will steer you clear from the hum-drum and satisfy your hankering for the uniquely sweet taste you long for. There are plenty of options perfect for a season ripe for something small, cool and blue!
Blueberries & Seafood: A Sizzling Summer Pairing
Pairing wild blueberries with seafood has been a culinary secret held by the best chefs in the nation. Now it’s yours: blueberries create an ideal flavor profile for all types of proteins, but especially seafood, which comes to life when complemented by a bright, tangy sauce. Wild blueberries fit the bill perfectly due to their particularly complex flavor that’s like no other fruit or berry, and the result can be exquisite.
For example, wild blueberries paired with hearty fish, like this Grilled Halibut with Blueberry-Pepper Sauce from Heart Healthy Living is the perfect foray into seasonal eating. Think lobster and blueberries make an unlikely pair? Catherine Ryan Quint’s Baked Stuffed Lobster (reprinted here by Maine Travel Maven Hilary Nagle) says differently. Her recipe has a history of taking home the gold at the Machias Wild Blueberry Festival – can hundreds of Down Easters be wrong? The crabmeat and blueberry stuffing is the surprise. Another summer favorite from Food.com gets a new lease on life with Lobster and Crab Cakes with Wild Blueberries. Wild takes these cakes from same-old to seconds-please.
Blueberry Brews – A Summer Basic with a Twist
Hanging out around festivals tents, backyard barbeques, or under umbrellas on the deck of a local brewery this summer? Then you know that beer is a summer standard. Clearly, local breweries know the flavor for the season: it’s blueberry, and using Maine wild blueberries is imperative for a perfect brew. Atlantic Brewing has the idea with their Bar Harbor Blueberry Ale (their all-ages Blueberry soda is made with Maine blueberries, too). Sebago Brewing, not to be outdone, offers Bass Ackwards Berryblue Ale, brewed exclusively during the Maine blueberry harvest. (They suggest a Black and Blue – Bass Ackwards mixed with Lake Trout Stout – for a killer quaff.) Sea Dog Brewing Company makes their mark as well with Bluepaw Blueberry Wheat Ale, a sud beloved for its fruity, nutty flavor. Try all three and more with Bacon Wrapped Blueberry Jalapeño Poppers, a bar-side favorite with a twist that hails – who knew? – from the South.
Popsicles: Cool Blue Beats the Heat
The best summer treats are cool and blue, and what’s more, they come on a stick! Homemade popsicles with real fruit is ingenious – they cool you down during the heat wave and take advantage of what wild blueberries have to offer in addition to powerful health-preserving antioxidants: big fruit taste. If you don’t have these fruit-forward missiles in your freezer from June to August, then pack up your big-brimmed hat, summer just isn’t for you.
Start with Martha Stewart’s Banana Swirl Popsicles, or these classically cool Blueberry Pops (use frozen just as easily without sacrificing nutrition, taste or convenience). Or, put some Blueberry Pomegranate Pops in your freezer. They are colorful, cute, and cold, and they require just three ingredients and one minute (give or take) to make.
Salsa: The Ultimate Summer Side, Improved (with Blue)
Why is salsa so summer friendly? It’s a chilly side that incorporates some heat (if you like), and it transcends super snack status by also being a super entrée side. Why wild blues? They represent the epitome of fruit flavor – more so than their cultivated cousins, according to Chef Steve Corry of Portland’s 555 – which turns this classic into something exciting. Dip tortillas in it, pair it with chicken, pork or fish dishes, or heap in on a turkey sandwich for the ultimate solution to the bland dish that incorporates the crucial but sometimes overlooked part of the dietary color spectrum. Here’s an elegant recipe for Blueberry Salsafrom Whole Living – the Kitchen Is My Playground takes you through the all the visual steps. It uses the typical ingredients, including cilantro, jalapeno and lime juice, and takes it all to the extreme with the smashing taste of blueberries. Or, dip into Mango Blueberry Salsa. Its big taste is courtesy of an expert Maine chef, Executive Chef Louis Kiefer Jr. of the Bar Harbor Inn. You can also use your own garden bounty (or someone else’s) to make this Blueberry and Basil Habanero Salsa from Closet Cooking, a savory salsa that provides fresh taste with some heat.
Got a summer recipe that uses wild blueberries? Whether it’s a classic dish or an extreme creation, tell us.
Need a Healthy Eating Idea? These Favorites are Tried, True & Blue
Looking for a new dining or dessert idea that’s big on health and just as big on taste? We’ve assembled the top most-viewed recipes from wildblueberries.com from the last twelve months and made them into our – that is, your – countdown of the Top 5 Wild Blueberry Recipes. Of all the unique, creative ways to use wild blueberries, why do these recipes keep coming out on top? The answer is palpable. Here, you be the judge.
We were delighted to see a non-dessert recipe show up in the past year’s Top 5: This one is perfect for its easy pairing of protein with the sweet, tangy taste of wild blueberry sauce. The secret: deglazing the pan with red wine, wild blueberries, lemon rind and salt. It turns chicken into a superfruit specialty. Using frozen wild blues means you can keep this recipe up your sleeve for any time you want something unique, easy, and big on healthy ingredients.
#4: Wild Blueberry Crisp The jury is in: we simply can’t resist a crisp – the crunch, the sweetness, and the satisfaction is what makes this dessert a true favorite. This crisp recipe delights over and over again because of its fruit combination (apples paired with blues) and its ease. Add chopped pecans if you wish for an additional nutty crunch – undeniable dessert excellence.
#3: Brownie Dominoes with Wild Blueberry Cinnamon Sauce Brownies are a consistent, seasonless favorite, and this recipe comes in at #3 for its winning combination that rose quietly above the rest. It must be its chocolately flavor that pairs so wonderfully with blueberries. Served with wild blueberry sauce as recommended gives them the crave-worthy quality that makes them a list topper. Hard to believe, but these are Color Code health-approved, too.
The second place spot for popularity over the last 12 months is no surprise – it’s a pie classic that stands the test of time because it is always flawless and delicious. Winning out over more inventive desserts, Wild Blueberry Pie reigns for its supreme beauty (and rustic lattice-top crust, if you choose) and its bountiful six cups of wild blueberries that flow past its corners. Wildly delicious? Agreed.
What makes this recipe the top visited recipe of the last year? There’s no secret that the smoothie is a beloved way to get healthy antioxidants. While nutrition experts advocate eating the whole fruit rather than those in juiced form to preserve desirable fiber, the Wild Blueberry Smoothie fits the bill. It contains all the fiber of the whole fruit, and all the dark blue skins where beneficial phytos reside. Add the benefits of yogurt and honey to this naturally sweet concoction, and yep, it’s the best of the best.
#1 Recipe, Wild Blueberry Smoothie, is a star in health.
Runner-Up: An Easy Summer Dessert.Looking for an easy, colorful, warm-weather dessert that everyone will love? Try #6 on our list, Wild Blueberry Cassis Mousse Cake, a perfect choice for summer.
Check out our new look! A brand new design for wildblueberries.com means searching for all our best recipes is even easier and more fun, whether it’s for breakfasts, snacks, salads, entrees, desserts or a delightful summer drink. (Bookmark us for when you need a delicious, antioxidant-rich dish any time of day!)
The 10 Most Popular Questions About Cooking with Frozen Wild Blueberries – Answered!
More than ever, wild blueberries are smothering breakfast, lunch and dinner plates, and they are doing it in a variety of unprecedented ways. Today, consumers are taking full advantage of this delicious, high-antioxidant fruit.
Why? The wild blueberry’s role in preserving brain health, preventing some types of cancers, and battling inflammation caused by free radicals is no longer the secret of researchers and scientists. Wild blueberries are the domain of everyone from nutritionists and chefs to home cooks and time-starved moms.
Wild blueberries share space at the very top of most any list of the healthiest foods – rivaling omega-3 rich fish and leafy greens – as nutrition’s most superb delivery system. It’s made the “at least one serving per day” rule of wild blueberries gospel in kitchens across the globe. Thousands of recipes showcase their versatility and their knack for making a simple plate soar with taste.
Whether you are new to cooking with frozen or you’ve known about this IQF ingredient for years, you’ll benefit from knowing the ins and outs of how to best use your blues. We’ve compiled the most popular questions about using frozen wild blueberries in your kitchen so you are getting the very best out of one of the natural world’s most superior foods. Here are our ten most frequently asked questions about cooking with blue, including how to make the perfect pancake and debunking the myth of blue batter.
1. Do frozen wild blueberries work in a recipe that calls for fresh?
Yes. Frozen wilds are ideal for recipes in just about every instance. Allison Fishman, author of You Can Trust a Skinny Cook, says using frozen is her ideal method for cooking, mostly because “it’s they best way to get the whole berry.” She also likes the cost savings of frozen, and uses frozen wild blueberries in all of her recipes that call for blueberries, with the rare exception of those used to garnish lemon tarts, where she opts for fresh. The IQF method makes making the case for frozen easy—they are a seamless substitution for recipes, jams, toppings, and for eating blueberries all by themselves.
2. Can I substitute wild for the larger cultivated berry?
Absolutely. In fact, for reasons of nutritional impact and flavor, it’s always advisable to substitute cultivated blueberries with wild. Cultivated blueberries come fresh and frozen, so look for the moniker “wild” whenever you purchase – they are a product exclusively of Maine or Nova Scotia. Wild will provide you with more powerful nutrition, thanks to the higher skin-to-pulp ratio and the environmental “stressors” that allow wild blueberries to develop a protection that translates into powerful nutrients and more intense flavor than their cultivated cousins. It’s also important to keep in mind that wild blueberries, due to their wild nature, naturally contain a variety of berries, which accounts for the variations in size, color and taste.
3. Can I substitute blueberries for other fruits in recipes?
As in this recipe from Tastebook.com, blueberries are a straightforward substitute in most recipes. When fruit is the key ingredient, consider using a mixture of wild blueberries and another fruit. It can create a wonderful flavor combination. And, the wild flavor is one that many find preferable to other berries; they provide a delicious burst of flavor ranging from sweet to tangy, thanks to their natural variations. It’s a taste you just can’t duplicate it with other berry ingredients.
4. What’s the best way to cook with frozen wild blueberries? Should they be thawed?
Frozen blueberries do not need to be thawed before you add them to cake or muffin batter, for instance. They can and should be left in their frozen state for most baking unless the recipe calls for them to be defrosted. Keeping them in their frozen state will preserve their texture and individuality and will keep the blueberries from bleeding into the recipe.
Fresh frozen blues usually come without additives or syrups, making them a seamless substitution. However, if you find your frozen blueberries give off a little more juice than fresh berries, it might be necessary to reduce the liquid and increase the thickener when you use them in desserts such as pies, tarts or cobblers.
5. Is frozen as good as fresh?
Yes. The IQF method freezes wild blueberries at their peak of taste and nutrition. Today, we’re lucky that this modern freezing technique means there is no compromising when it comes to nutrition (they can remain frozen for over two years without losing their flavor or nutritional value). It also means they are economical and accessible any season and any day of the week for spontaneous recipes and meal improvising.
6. How do I declump frozen berries?
In fact, the days of clumped fruit and vegetables are virtually over. With little exception, today’s frozen wild blueberries available in the frozen food aisle use the IQF method of freezing. That means they are “individually quick frozen” which preserves their individuality when they are frozen and when they are thawed.
7. What’s the best way to use frozen wild blueberries in pancakes?
When using frozen wild blueberries in pancakes, eHow.com suggests adding them to each pancake as it cooks. The berries will sink into the batter and will be hot and juicy after the pancake is turned and cooking is completed. Avoid adding frozen berries directly to the batter – that goes for fresh or frozen – most chefs prefer their pancake additions to assemble in the middle of each cake. Sprinkle enough for each pancake on the batter-up side before flipping for the ideal pancake aesthetic.
8. How can I use wild blueberries for more than just dessert and breakfast?
It’s a great question, and one consumers are asking more and more as they discover that integrating blueberries into more recipes can enhance health benefits and give dishes a unique flavor profile.
There are plenty of resources for cooking with blueberries (that don’t have to do with pancakes or muffins) online and in cookbooks devoted solely to the fruit. Blueberries are a popular addition to many salads, for use in chutney, and in glazes and sauces that make delicious additions to pork and fish dishes. Wild blueberries also provide the basis of oodles of unique appetizers such as spicy tortillas or dishes like this Savory Blueberry Ricotta Pizza.
Tip: The sweet and tangy taste of wild blueberries provides an ideal contrast to dishes featuring duck or pork, as in this recipe for Pork Chops with Blueberry Ginger Relish from EatingWell.com. The burst of flavor makes protein dishes memorable—it’s why they are so popular with chefs.
9. How can I prevent my batter from turning blue when I use wild blues?
“Personally, I think frozen blueberries are good for purées and smoothies and not much else.”
Statements like this are troubling—it means some of us are missing out on convenient, healthy additions to our cooking repertoire. It’s not necessary to be stuck in the smoothie rut because of the “swirl” factor – today’s IQF blueberries are much more versatile then many people realize. While it’s true that a blue swirl can interfere in some recipes where the batter must remain pristine, there’s no need to wait for August to buy fresh to bake with blue. Just follow these easy steps instead:
Freeze & Fold: First, wild blueberries create the blue color when they defrost or burst, so be sure to keep them fully frozen and unmangled. Then, make sure not to add your blues too early. Adding blueberries to a cake or muffin recipe should be done last. They should be folded in and baked immediately to prevent bleed. Tip: Toss your blueberries in a touch of flour to provide additional insurance against the blue swirl.
Mind the pH: According to the Blueberry Council, if your muffin, cake or pancake batter is too “basic”, that is, it has a high pH, it can lead to a batter’s colored haze. Blueberries turn reddish when exposed to acids, such as lemon juice and vinegar, and greenish-blue in a batter that has too much baking soda, which creates an alkaline environment. The rule of thumb for preserving the beauty of blues: adjust the acidity of your batter by replacing some of the liquid with buttermilk, sour cream, applesauce or citrus juice and reducing baking soda/powder.
Embrace the Swirl: As shown in this cheesecake recipe, which takes advantage of the blueberry’s ability to create an eddy of purple-blue color, it can sometimes be a boon to embrace the swirl. It can also work to your advantage in things like eggnog, yogurt servings, or any dessert with a monotonous white topping. Use berries sparingly on toppings to create the perfect blue twist. Take a look at how Sassandveracity.com makes use of color with these Not Quite Blue Cupcakes with Not Quite Red Ice Cream. Way to embrace the swirl!
10. How do I keep wild blueberries from “dropping”?
One reason blueberries sink is because the specific gravity may be too low, says the Blueberry Council. Increase specific gravity by using a thicker, denser batter. Dropping can also be the result of too much air in the batter: avoid over-blending during the first stage of creaming. Bonus FAQ: Basic Measurements & Conversions for Wild Blueberries:
1 pint of fresh blueberries weights about 3/4 of a pound or 2 cups
1 10-ounce package of frozen blueberries = 1-1/2 cups
1 quart = 1-1/2 pounds or 4 cups
Cultivated and wild are 1:1, but your count of wild will be higher due to their compact size. (That’s more skin per cup and more antioxidant power!)
Frozen and fresh are also 1:1; allow for a bit of moisture for frozen by pulling back on a liquid ingredient by a 10%.
It takes about 4 cups of blueberries to make a blueberry pie. They make their point with this classic deep dish blueberry pie recipe.
A normal batch of blueberry preserves, jam or jelly requires 5 pints of berries. Here’s the recipe in 12 Simple Steps.
Jam Lovers Rejoice!
Q: Can you really use frozen for jams? A: You can. Most frozen wild products are pure wild blueberries with no syrup, making it a seamless substitution. Find this and other tips for frozen substitutions at eHow.com.
A view of the many Pinterest boards devoted to blueberries and wild blueberries. The new social sharing site puts enthusiasts’ passions on display.
Whether you’re keeping tabs on the latest social media trends, or you’re an old-school scrapbooker, Pinterest is probably piquing your interest. Suddenly, this social sharing site is the talk of the digital town, and in the race to create personal “boards”, a true diversity of user interests has appeared.
Pinterest mimics a traditional pin board, letting you virtually “pin” favorite images, photos and recipes from around the digital world on your own “board”, peruse other boards, and find new discoveries to pin. It’s addictive, social fun for image-friendly topics like food, style, weddings and decor.
Though boards are widely diverse, it’s clear that many Pinterest users have a yen for a little blue fruit. These enthusiasts for blue are not shy about sharing their passion. Blueberry boards – many dedicated specifically to wild – are teeming with blueberry images, blueberry-themed food, recipes and personal photos. The result is an array of boards such as the Everything Blueberry board, the Food Blueberry board, boards devote solely to blueberry breads, blueberry cakes and simply blueberry obsession (think blueberry cake times 100.) It’s more than enough to sate a hunger for a very photogenic berry.
Blueberry Pinterest Finds
Seeking some bright blue ideas to stimulate your meal? On Pinterest you can find the creative, the practical, and truly mouth-watering. Here are just a few of our own blueberry finds – that is, images – suitable for our own wild blueberry board, along with the original source that inspired the Pinterest user to pin.
The Find: Blue Velvet Cake with Blueberries & Cream Cheese Frosting The Source: Adventures in Cooking Blog
The sight of this true blue velvet cake will have you reeling with pleasure. It’s breath-taking blue piled high with white frosting (Sold? Print the recipe for this exquisite creation).
The Find: Blueberry Ice Cubes The Source: We Are Not Martha
Inspiration doesn’t have to be complicated. This super simple superfruit recipe is perfect for a fun drink when you feel like giving blueberries a nod. We Are Not Martha takes you through the ice cube making process on this “favorite things” page, photographing each simple step along the way, the true indication of pin royalty. Here’s a preview:
1) Place 3-4 wild blueberries in an ice cube tray
2) Fill with water
3) Freeze
4) Use in sparking water, lemonade or your favorite cocktail.
5) Enjoy!
The Find: Blueberry French Toast Sandwich The Source: Blue Willow (a “duochromatic blog” about only things that are white and blue)
This pinable Blueberry French Toast Sandwich adroitly bridges the gap between breakfast and lunch. It’s touted for its winning taste, and such a pin-worthy image has to taste good. Here’s the ingredients:
Package of cream cheese, softened
Some confectioners sugar
French toast slices
3/4 cup fresh (or go for nutrient-rich wild frozen) blueberries
From there, you are merely a mix, a toast and a spread away from yummy.
The Find: Blueberry Pop Tarts The Source: Food Coma
It’s the homemade equivalent of the beloved family favorite. It’s hard to avert your eyes from this perfectly sweet manifestation of blueberry pop-tarts made fresh at home. The pin-worthy trick is puff pastry filled blueberry and topped with a sugary frosting. Pintastic!
Create Your Own ____ Board
Think you know wild blues? Show your colors! Create your own wild blueberry board – or fruit board, veggie board, healthy eating board, antioxidant food board, or anything full of nutritious, imagistic inspiration.
Making your own Pinterest board is easy. Start here. Request an invitation. (Yes, there’s a waiting list to this exclusive party.) Then, get to work on your own creation and share it, or browse other boards for likely additions and inspirations.
Move Over Yogurt – These Wild Blueberry Ideas Give Fruit a Whole New Meaning
“Wild blueberries? I’ll eat them with absolutely anything,” said one dyed-blue-in-the-wool Wild About Health reader. If you agree – and if by everything you mean everything, this is the post for you.
Wild blueberries lovers, these are our halcyon days. In our quest for good health, adding fruits and vegetables to our meals is high priority. Those deeply colored wild blueberries are the go-to food for enhancing our health and disease prevention efforts. They are high in antioxidants, they have a low glycemic index, and they are low in calories. They are also deliciously, complexly sweet and tangy.
As a result of the good news surrounding blueberries, specifically wild (wild offers more concentrated nutrition per berry), there’s a swell of interest in eating the fruit – but not in the traditional way. Wild blueberries are popping up in some unexpected places, and they seem to be a new mainstay in a wide array of foods, drinks, and snacks.
So, move over yogurt, step aside pancakes – we love you, but these new traditions in blues will blow your mind (without blowing your commitment to healthy eating).
7 Unusual Ways to Use Your Blues
The Blueberry Bagel Debate
A discussion of blueberry uses that are out of the ordinary must start with the Great Blueberry Bagel Debate. Loved or hated, all bagel aficionados have an opinion. On the one hand, this choice of bagel can have a tendency to be blue of hue – for some, disturbingly so. While some blueberries remain discretely nestled in the bread, others turn bagels vastly different from the expected earth tone. Depending on the maker, the blueberry bagel has been accused of being cakey, and toppings like lox and capers can seem like a difficult fit.
But for others, the delicious bagel consistency mixed with the sweetness of blues is pure breakfast food bliss, and cream cheese is the ideal pairing. It’s simply the only bagel choice for some bagel lovers, whether they have a berry affinity or not. Read more about the blueberry bagel debate. Then, go ahead and make your own homemade Blueberry Bagel, if you are so inclined.
(Nutritionally) Potent Potables
For the occasional imbiber, blueberries are a clever, inventive, multipurpose bar ingredient. Blueberries are no stranger to vodka, for example – they provide a twist to the norm with the added attraction of the “wild” mystique of their origin. Recently, jumping on the blueberry bandwagon, Hangar One announced the release of Maine Wild Blueberry Vodka. It’s a trend that may have its roots with the local Cold River Vodka, an 80-proof vodka made by steeping Wyman’s wild blueberries in alcohol for several days, then filtering it off. They use just a small amount of sugar to achieve this aromatic bouquet and subtle flavor. Try it, along with their recipe ideas, such as Blueberry Melon Martini, for yourself.
If you are looking for a unique way to use your blues, this one not only fits the bill for your kitchen, it also makes a wonderful homemade gift during the holiday season. Making blueberry vinegar is simple, and its taste and versatility pays off in spades. Blueberry Vinegar can be added to many recipes that call for vinegar to add a unique twist of flavor: try it on salads, as marinade, or have it handy to sprinkle on fish or chicken while you cook. It offers big taste at approximately 4 calories per serving, too.
This slurpable summery treat, which can also be served in winter (buy frozen wild blueberries for easy cooking), fits the bill for savory, elegant and unique. Ladle this Chilled Wild Blueberry Soup from Moveable Feasts into bowls, garnish with sour cream or crème fraîche and top with a mint leaf, and you’ve got a bowl of exquisiteness. Or try this smashing Maine Wild Blueberry Soup which calls for Pinot Noir (weigh it against Moveable Feast’s white wine) and a bit of honey.
Blueberry Swizzle Sticks
We love this idea for its creativity and for the surprising addition it provides to a drink. Wild blueberries create the basis of this swizzle stick drink stirrer that makes a fruit drink more fabulous. Assembly is simple: place blueberries on a wooden skewer and freeze. Then place them in your guests’ drinks at your next wing-ding. You can find the “recipe” here, where you’ll also find some other unique serving ideas for wild blues. They include out-of-the-ordinary notions such as crushing frozen wild blueberries into vanilla frosting to create a beautiful purple color for your cakes that amplifies the flavor and the fun. Blueberry Wine
It may not be the first thing you think of when you think of blueberries, but it’s not the last, either. Blueberry wine conjures the crush of flavorful berries and mellow, sweet subtle of flavors that makes perfect sense. If you are adept at making wine, blueberry is a particularly pleasurable option. The wine-making process can take up to several months however, so depending on your schedule, buying it might be easier.
If you are local to Maine, you might try Bartlett Winery in Gouldsboro or Blacksmith’s Winery in Casco. They both make a practice of using native fruits. Also, Maine Mead Works offers HoneyMaker Blueberry Mead made with wild blueberries and wildflower honey from Maine, which is described as having a cherry-rose color and a clean, honey-like aroma with berry notes – berry irresistible.
Hot & Spicy Sauces
This unusual marriage is made in heaven. The piquant spice of the hot pepper, matched with the sweet tang of blueberries is a taste that thrills the palate and compliments myriad foods. This hot-sweet flavor combination may sound like a one-time treat, but it can quickly become a daily delight. It works with potatoes, sandwiches, chicken, burgers, even scrambled eggs. The Sensitive Pantry has the right idea with this recipe for Blueberry Chili Hot Sauce. You can also start your culinary experimentation with this recipe from Food & Wine, or this simple, sweet Hot Spiced Blueberry Sauce that works for vanilla ice cream as well as for chicken on the barbie.
A similar taste profile can be created with a creatively unusual Blueberry Mustard, something threatening to become a table staple (see evidence here and here for starters), and no wonder. Easy to make and keep on hand for your midnight Dagwood, it’s lovely enough for a homemade Christmas gift for friends. Complete the package with your own jar and label.
Try this simple Spicy Blueberry Mustard recipe from Helium. It calls for just three ingredients: blueberries, mustard and honey…pure condiment delight.
Hungry for more?Endless Simmer will sate your appetite. They have 100 ways to use yours blues – an impressive list that we’ve referred to here before. These ideas are less unusual than they are simply fabulous. Our favorite discovery? Blueberry Mint Ice Cream Sandwiches.
You may think harvest season marks the one time of year when wild blueberries truly get their due. But if your idea of wild blues is stuck in August, it’s time to change your thinking: November is the wild blueberry’s heyday.
With homemade food in the spotlight and new recipes to impress the family on the radar, wild blueberries steal the show at a Thanksgiving spread. Maybe it’s because they are one of few blue foods that appear in nature. Or maybe it’s because they make everything a little more fun. Bring wild blueberries to dinner and you’ll put a smile on your host’s face, and you’ll be a hit at the kids’ table as well. When all the gobbling is over and the tryptophan kicks in, you’ll be thankful you did. Here’s why:
Taste. There’s nothing comparable to the sweet-sour-spicy taste of wild blueberries. They work well with just about any Thanksgiving dish and provide the ideal yin to the generous yang that makes up the usual Thanksgiving suspects like turkey, tubers, and stuffing.
Tradition. The best Thanksgiving dish puts a subtle twist on tradition, and wild blueberries fit the bill. Indigenous to Maine and eastern Canada, their presence provides a nod to native American foods. In fact, there are only three native North American fruits – Concord grapes, wild blueberries and cranberries – so you’d be remiss to leave out this essential berry.
Ease of cooking. Wild blueberries are a busy cook’s dream. They are smaller and more compact than their cultivated counterparts, and that helps them hold their shape for whatever you put them through. And, thanks to IQF, freezing preserves their individuality (not to mention their nutrition). They are great for baking, boiling for sauces, they work cold and warm, and they garnish as well as they cook.
Health benefits. Total indulgence is so yesterday. Today, there’s a trend toward maintaining healthy eating so even during the holidays your nutrition doesn’t go to pot. That’s where wild blueberries excel. High in antioxidants, low in calories, and high in fiber, they satisfy the palate and nourish the body while still tasting like an indulgence.
Color. Seeking out colorful foods for Thanksgiving is a must. Because of the abundance of earth tones as a result of turkey, potato, stuffing, onions and other foods that are on the beige part of the spectrum, a spark of color is crucial to bring a Thanksgiving plate to life. Enter wild blueberries, a rare opportunity to add high-octane color to a piled-high platter.
Cranberries optional. If some members of your clan don’t care for the traditional cranberry sauce, wild blueberries save the day. Their flavor is a unique brand of sweet due to a wonderful natural flavor variation that is a result of a combination of several different varieties of plant that create this indigenous crop. Or keep the cranberries – they pair extremely well with blues, enhancing the taste of both in pies, sauce, and stuffing.
Cost. According to the American Farm Bureau Federation, Thanksgiving dinner will be 13% more expensive this year than it was last year. The price of turkey alone is up .25/lb. If you’re hosting Thanksgiving dinner for a crowd, keeping costs down is key. The best advice? Think big. Buying ingredients in bulk helps, and oversize bags of frozen blues are economical and never go bad if they are unused. Avoiding pre-packaging is another way to stretch the food budget, and wild blueberries are a perfect unprocessed ingredient – it’s a frugal gourmet’s dream.
Plan Your Holiday Menu! How Will You Use Your Blues?
Looking for a Cranberry Sauce alternative? This Szechwan Crispy Duck with Chinese Wild Blueberry sauce creates a fantastic flavor profile. Using turkey instead of duck works equally well to show off these two tastes. Or make this very scoopable Wild Blueberry Salsa. Even Betty Crocker recommends adding cherries and blueberries to their Cranberry Stuffing recipe to vary the taste.
Done with traditional pie? Think outside of the circle – Wild Blueberry Grunt is a fun alternative to pumpkin pie, or you can impress the relatives with your culinary know-how by making Wild Blueberry Crème Brûlé.
Chef Jérôme Ferrer is a Montreal chef with a flair for creative, delicious food and a talent for distinctive use of market fresh produce. As Grand Chef at the celebrated Restaurant Europea, a true hot spot of creative, modern cuisine located in a luxurious Victoria Mansion in the heart of the city, Ferrer and his staff of 22 chefs can be found fixing up dishes on the famed menu that provide some of the best edible evidence that food can be turned into art.
The Wild Blueberry Association was fortunate enough to procure Chef Ferrer for some exclusive creations using the beloved wild blueberry as his primary ingredient. The results speak for themselves – they are part of a winning selection of brand new recipes on www.wildblueberries.com.
Want a taste? Chef Ferrer’s distinctive Foie Gras Cutlets with Wild Blueberry Sauce features a generous helping of wild blueberries, along with puréed parsnips and seared foie gras cutlets. His inspired Lamb Bites with Celeriac Bulb & Wild Blueberry Sauce uses the unique flavor of celery root (he transforms it into “fries”, sautés and seasons it) along with the perfect accompaniment: he reduces wild blueberries with lamb stock and wine to create the sauce. Fantastique!
What’s this French chef’s wild blueberry connection? It’s based in part on wild blueberries being a popular indigenous Canadian crop. Lowbush blueberries are harvested only in Maine and Eastern Canada, meaning the versatile ingredient is right at home in Montreal. It’s also a match made in heaven for a chef who specializes in haute French cuisine. French cooking is known for its sweet indulgences – think crème brûlée, parfaits, sorbets, petit fours and marcarons – and the sweet, complex flavor of wild blueberries fits the bill. Ferrer is an expert on the subject – he is the author of Les Secret des Desserts, which reveals his insider info on creating delectable French-themed desserts. One of those strictly-on-the-QT tips? Create your confection using fresh produce and the best local products.
The creative use of wild blueberries is a particularly perfect fit for the Wild Blueberry kitchen due to Chef Ferrer’s dedication to a “from the market” menu at Europea. His efforts to serve food retrieved daily from fresh local providers is clear from his menu. He provides his signature je ne sais quoi to Quebec-raised veal, Appalachian Coast venison, and dishes such as Lobster Cappuccino Truffles, and North Coast Scallop Crèpes.
The Wild Blueberry Association consistently works with renowned chefs in order to develop original recipes that combine the creative ideas with the unparalleled taste and nutrition of wild blueberries. You can enjoy more of the European influence in Wild Blueberries à la Crème Brûlée, a blue take on a traditional French classic, and in Warm Wild Blueberry Petit Fours, a breakfast-inspired interpretation of a fave French treat from the Executive Chef of Kennebunkport’s White Barn Inn, Jonathan Cartwright. In light of all the palate-delighting options, only two words come to mind: Bon appétit!
