ABGA | Berrylicious Ideas

Selection

To select the best and freshest blueberries, look for blueberries that are:

plump and juicy in appearance,
dark blue and uniform in colour, with a whitish coat called “bloom”, and
smooth skinned without signs of dehydration.

Storage

If blueberries are treated well at home, they can keep for up to two weeks. Here’s how:

Always keep blueberries refrigerated. If kept at room temperature they will spoil quickly.
Store blueberries in a container to prevent squashing them in the fridge.
If there are any damaged berries or signs of mould, remove them immediately. Otherwise mould could spread to other berries.
Avoid getting blueberries wet. Washing them too soon removes the protective “bloom” coating, and storing them wet will lead to early spoilage. Only wash immediately before use.

Quick Serving Tips

Adding just a handful of blueberries to your diet each day is a great way to get into the blueberry habit and increase your antioxidant intake. Why not try these berrylicious ideas:

Drinks:

Crush blueberries and combine with soda water for a refreshing summer cooler.
Add blueberries and strawberries to white wine and soda for a berry wine spritzer.

Breakfast:

Wizz up blueberries with yoghurt and juice for a breakfast smoothie or healthy snack.
Throw fresh blueberries on breakfast cereal and porridge.
Spread a warm English muffin with softened light cream cheese and top with fresh blueberries.

Dessert:

Add fresh blueberries to summer fruit salads.
Blueberry pie, cobbler and muffins are classic favourites.
Make a blueberry sauce or jam for pancakes or puddings.
Blueberries are fabulous with ice-cream, yoghurt or sorbet.
Mix blueberries into a pikelet or pancake mixture and top with maple syrup or ricotta.
Freeze blueberries and give to kids as a sweet summer treat.

Dinner/Lunch:

Add blueberries to a savoury salad of spinach, red onion, slivered almonds and grilled chicken.
On a bed of mixed salad greens, sprinkle low-fat feta, strawberries and blueberries. Toss with a balsamic vinaigrette.
Combine a punnet of blueberries with light olive oil and red wine vinegar to make a berry vinaigrette perfect for summer salads.
Make a blueberry jam by simmering blueberries in a pan with fruit juice or water. Enjoy with roast turkey or pork.
Create a unique salsa
combine blueberries with red onion, red capsicum, chilli, fresh coriander and lemon juice for a salsa to be spread on chicken or fish.