blueberries

An unassuming sign

blueberries are one of those "super foods". i guess the blue is what makes them so good for you. did you know that as a general rule of thumb, the darker the vegetable/fruit, the better it is for you? yup, eat the dark veggies first!

indiana soil is much better for growing blueberries than our fantastic ohio soil. blueberries like a more

Mature blueberry bushes

acid soil with a lower ph than we have around here. since i grew up in indiana, making the trip is always worthwhile in that i get to visit with family and friends while picking. this year, debbie and her daughter emily assisted in my blueberry picking adventure. we have a favorite picking patch, craig's blueberries, located in a plain community outside clunette, indiana. the craig's began planting their 4,000 bushes in 1963, so they are

Debbie picking berries

nice and mature. the caretaker told us that this year promised to be the best they have had since taking ownership in the mid-80's.

picking blueberries is easy. blueberries typically grow on bushes. it's easy work with no thorns and no bending over. we use baler twine to tie 10# cans around our waists and drop the picked blueberries right in the cans. the drawbacks of picking are the heat of summer, biting bugs and the

Denise in the berry patch

annoying "bird guard" calls used to chase the birds out of the blueberry patch. blueberries come ready in july. this year, harvest started a week or so later than usual due to the cold spring. we enjoy picking at craig's since it's really off the beaten path and kinda hidden

Emily, Denise and Debbie

, very well established patch, located in a plain community (quiet) and it's the place where many memories have been made. you see families and friends coming together to pick their annual quota of blueberries. much laughter is heard in the patch, along with many complaints about the heat. this year it was 90 degrees while we were picking. poor emily developed a bit of heat stroke and hung out in the shade most of the second day of picking.

a few years ago, my chef friend martha, gave me a wonderful new recipe for blueberries, blueberry salsa.

blueberry salsa

3 c. blueberries, roughly chopped
1 red bell pepper, diced
2 scallions, including green tops, thinly sliced
1-2 jalapeno peppers, diced
3 T. fresh cilantro, minced
juice of one lime
salt and pepper to taste
sugar if desired

mix ingredients well. let flavors combine in frig for one hour. serve.

serving suggestions: use with any curried meat, use on burritos or tacos, eat with spoon or chips. we like it best served with lightly seasoned ground turkey and lime cilantro rice all wrapped up in a large flower tortilla.