All About Blueberries

Blueberries - photo istock

Having lived in the UK for ten years or more, I grew to love blueberries. They were readily available in the supermarkets there. On returning to South Africa I didn’t think I was going to find them available, but I was wrong. I didn't think blueberries were grown in South Africa, but the good news is they are grown near Keiskammahoek, in the foothills of the mountains just inland from East London in the Eastern Cape... that's no so far from where I now call home! They are also grown in the Cape mountains, where they also grow grapes for wine, in the Midlands of Kwazulu Natal and even in the Limpopo province. According to the ‘Farmers Weekly’, THE magazine for farmers, there is a big move going to establish the growing of this fruit wherever the suitable chilling environment required for these delicate berries can be found. The best varieties to grow in our climate appear to be the Souther Highbush Cultivars like Sharpblue, Misty, O’Neal and Georgiagem. The cultivars currently under trial in South Africa  include Earliblue, Duke, Spartan, Patriot, Bluecrop, Elliot.

I wouldn't say that I eat these delectable little berries every day, because that would be a stretch of the truth, but I would if I could. I buy them when I see them fresh, otherwise I might look for the frozen berries, which are more likely to be available in some of our supermarkets. If I have any left from a batch of fresh berries I might freeze them myself; it’s quite simple. I don’t wash them before freezing as this will add freezer burn to the fruit; I simply spread them on trays and bag them once frozen. Fresh berries can be recognized in the market by the silvery white sheen on firm berries and usually keep in the fridge for a week or two and, when frozen, will last up to about 9 months. It’s doubtful they would last that long in my freezer anyway.

Blueberries are best used raw and don’t have to be pitted or peeled. They are great for a snack as they have only 80 calories per cup! Blueberries are high in antioxidants, a good source of fibre, high in Vitamin K and Vitamin C and contain no fat.  Vitamin C is good for gum health and your immune system.  Vitamin K aids in circulation. Blueberries improve overall bodily function, may reduce the risk of infection, improve night vision, motor skills, reverse short-term memory loss in the aged, help keep cholesterol in check, improve glucose and insulin levels and reduce the risk of cancer and heart disease.

Add blueberries to breakfast cereals, oats or mealie meal porridge, smoothies and yoghurt. When used in cooked recipes, blueberries loose some of the nutritional values, but are still very nutritious. They are fabulous in muffins, jams, tea breads, cakes, pancakes, pies and sauces. Blueberries are such a healthy little fruit, you can’t afford to not eat this delicious little blue fruit.

In the wild, blueberries grow in acid, moorland soil. Growing blueberries in the garden they need a moist, peaty, very acid soil and an open, sunny position. If your soil is limey, grow the bushes in pots of acid compost. The cultivated blueberry originates in America. There are four different groups. Low bush blueberries are suited to cold districts; high bush require some chill; southern high bush prefer warm districts; and Rabbit Eyes do well in very warm areas. Before choosing a variety if you want to grow blueberries, find out from an established grower which varieties would be suitable for growing in your particular environment and climate.

References:

http://www.farmersweekly.co.za/search.aspx?s=blueberry

http://www.orchman.com/BlueberrygrowinginSA.html

http://www.southafrica.info/business/economy/development/aspire-240613.htm#.Uk6wiIZcxrA

http://www.readersdigest.co.za/how-to-grow-blueberries

Other interesting articles on blueberries:

  Blueberries Nutrition

 Nutrition and Health – Blueberry Nutrition

The World’s Healthiest Foods – Blueberries

Blueberry Milk

Milk is a meal in one for a toddler, a delicious snack for a school child and an enjoyment for a busy adult on the go. It’s great on it’s own, but even better when flavoured, but I’m not condoning the consumption of store-bought flavoured milks. Far from it! They are all filled with chemical additives, some of which are so dangerous to health, I’d even go as far as to say they are killers. I cannot understand how they are allowed to be added to food products, but maybe it’s a conspiracy to keep the gullible public sick and dying…. Ho hum! Go figure…

Anyhow, I have a fun, easy flavoured milk drink for you. No processed cordial from the store, no added chemicals. Just good plain fruit syrup. It’s homemade, natural, healthy, and you can feel assured that it’s okay for the kids, even if it does have sugar in it. When they are on the go, they need the energy.

What you need to do is make up the blueberry syrup, keep it in the fridge or serve immediately with your favourite milk, be it cow’s milk or some other nut milk that is your preference. So simple, and totally fresh and delicious.  

This fruit syrup can be made with other fruits such as cherries, strawberries, raspberries etc.

Ingredients: To make enough syrup to mix with a litre of milk.

2 cups blueberries, preferably fresh, but frozen will do if you can’t get fresh.

1/2 cup sugar

350ml water

Method:

In a small saucepan, heat the blueberries, sugar and water over a medium heat until the mixture comes to the boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and allow to simmer for 10-15 minutes. The syrup will reduce and thicken slightly. Remove from the heat, strain through a fine mesh strainer, bottle and refrigerate.

To Serve:

Whisk together ¼ cup of blueberry syrup with 1 cup cold milk.

Blueberry Bakewell Tarts

These delightful little tarts are a treat with a cup of tea or coffee, or even for a dessert after a delicious meal.

Ingredients:
For the blueberry jam:
125g fresh or frozen blueberries
15ml caster sugar
A squeeze of lemon juice

For the pastry:
200g plain flour
100g butter, chilled and cubed
40g icing sugar, sifted
1 large egg, beaten

For the frangipane:
55g butter, softened
55g caster sugar
1 large egg, beaten
40g ground almonds
15g plain flour

To decorate:
50g icing sugar, sifted
Fresh blueberries

Method:
Preheat the oven to 170C.

In a small saucepan, combine the ingredients for the jam and heat gently until the berries start to burst. Cook for a few minutes until the mixture is very thick and has lost its watery appearance. Press through a sieve to remove the skins. Allow to cool completely.

To make the pastry, sift the flour into a bowl and rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Stir in the sugar. Using a palette knife cut in the egg, press the dough all together to form a ball, wrap in cling film and chill for at least 30 minutes.

Roll out the pastry between a sheet of greaseproof paper and the cling film to 3mm thickness. Use a 5cm round cutter to cut out 12 discs. Use the rounds to line the base of a greased 12-hole, non-stick muffin tray. Cut 12 strips 1cm wide and 20cm long from the remaining pastry. Use these to line the sides of the muffin tray, carefully pressing the pastry together at the seams to seal. Chill for 15 minutes.

Place the ingredients for the frangipane in a bowl and beat with an electric mixer until smooth and thoroughly combined. Prick the bases of the pastry cases with a fork. Divide the cooled jam among them, placing half a teaspoon in each. Top with the frangipane.

Bake for 25 minutes, or until the frangipane is risen and golden. Cool in the tray for a few minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.

Mix in the icing sugar with a little water to form a runny paste and use to decorate the tarts. Top with blueberries.

Semolina Pudding with Blueberry Compote

At boarding school, semolina pudding was one of my favourites,

so I had to learn how to make it.

This is a gorgeous version,

which can be made with any berries just about,

but blueberries are my favourites.

Ingredients:

600ml milk

60g semolina

Grated nutmeg

20g butter, cut in small cubes

60ml caster sugar

200g fresh blueberries, or frozen if fresh is not available.

60g caster sugar

Method:

Preheat the oven to 150C. Heat the milk in a medium saucepan until lukewarm, then gradually stir in the semolina along with a small grating of the nutmeg, stirring constantly. Tip in the butter and 2 tablespoons of the sugar, then simmer for 10 minutes or until thickened, stirring regularly. Taste and stir in more sugar if needed.

Pour the pudding into 4 buttered ovenproof dishes, such as individual ramekins or small gratin dishes. Sprinkle each with a little more nutmeg and bake for 20 minutes or until a golden crust has formed.

For the blueberry compote: meanwhile, put 60g of the blueberries into a small saucepan with the 60g sugar and 1 tablespoon of water. Simmer on a medium heat for a couple of minutes, stirring occasionally, until the blueberries start to pop. Remove from the heat and leave to cool.

Once cool enough, gently stir in the remaining fresh blueberries. If you are using frozen blueberries, you will need to warm these up a little before adding to the compote.

Spoon a little of the blueberry compote on the puddings and serve.

Blueberry Coffee Muffins

Whether served as a desert,

a breakfast muffin or to girlfriends on a coffee morning,

these muffins are a favourite treat.

Ingredients:
180g butter
325ml sugar
3 eggs
7.5ml vanilla extract
250g sour cream
60ml milk
625ml flour
10ml Baking powder
5ml bicarbonate of soda
2ml salt
5ml instant coffee granules
2 punnets of blueberries

Method:
Preheat the oven to 180C.
Beat together the butter and sugar until fluffy, then while beating add the eggs one at a time.
Add the vanilla, sour cream and milk and fold in to create a batter.
In a separate bowl, mix the dry ingredients of flour, baking powder, bicarb, salt and coffee.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet, a little at a time, until all combined. Don't over mix.
Add the blueberries and fold into the mixture.
Spoon into muffin pans with muffin papers and bake in a moderate oven for 25-30 minutes. Makes about 15-16 muffins. I like my muffins large, so I make 12 from this mixture.

Poached Pears with Blueberry Mascaponi

This is a simple desert that's quick and easy to prepare.

If preferred, it can be served with vanilla ice cream instead of mascarponi.

If serving with ice cream, serve the blueberries over the pears,

put ice cream on top and drizzle sauce over the ice cream.

This quantity serves two people.

Ingredients:
2 pears, pealed and halved
250ml white wine
10ml honey
1 inch piece of cinnamon stick
5ml vanilla extract
1 inch piece of crystallised ginger
60ml granulated light brown sugar
60ml water
125ml blueberries
125g mascarponi

Method:
Remove the central seed portion of the pear with a teaspoon.
Put the wine, honey, cinnamon stick, vanilla, ginger, sugar and water in a pan and bring to the boil. Turn down to simmer.
Place the pears in the poaching liquid and simmer for about 15-20 minutes till tender.
With a slotted spoon, remove the pears from the liquid and set aside.
Return the poaching liquid to the boil. Add the blueberries and continue to boil until the blueberries are soft, but not popping.
With a slotted spoon, remove the blueberries and add them to the mascarponi. Gently mix the fruit into the cheese.
Continue to boil the poaching liquid until it thickens into a sweet sauce.
Serve the pears covered with the mascarponi and blueberry mixture and top with the thickened sauce.

Blueberry Pancakes

It's a special day for my husband and I today

and I was after having something a bit special for breakfast,

so we had Blueberry Pancakes....

Yum yum!

Ingredients:
200g self-raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
Pinch of Salt
1 egg
300ml milk
knob butter
150g blueberries
sunflower oil or a little butter for cooking
maple syrup to serve

Method:
Mix together the flour, baking powder and a pinch of salt in a large bowl.
Beat the egg with the milk.
Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and whisk in the milk to make a thick smooth batter.
Beat in the melted butter, and gently stir in half the blueberries.
Heat a teaspoon of oil or small knob of butter in a large non-stick frying pan.
Drop a large tablespoonful of the batter per pancake into the pan to make pancakes about 7cm across.
Make two or three pancakes at a time.
Cook for about 3 minutes over a medium heat until small bubbles appear on the surface of each pancake, then turn and cook another 2-3 minutes until golden.
Cover with kitchen paper to keep warm while you use up the rest of the batter.
Serve with golden syrup and the rest of the blueberries.

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Hanneica's Blueberry Muffins

One of my favourite breakfasts.

Ingredients:
375ml (one and a half cups) of flour
15ml Baking Powder
2ml salt
150g caster sugar
40g dessicated coconut
175ml milk (or hazelnut flavoured yoghurt - I use a small tub [150g] mixed with 25ml milk)
1 egg
100ml vegetable oil
5ml vanilla extract.
1 cup frozen blueberries.

Method:
Preheat the oven to 200C (Gas 6, 400F).
Mix together the dry ingredients in a large bowl.
Measure the milk - or yoghurt - into a measuring jug.
Add to that the egg, oil and vanilla and whisk well.
Mix the milk mixture into the dry ingredients with a spatula.
Mix in the blueberries, reserving a few to go on the top of each muffin.
Spoon the mixture equally between 10-12 paper muffin cases and top each with one or two blueberries.
Place in the oven and cook for 20-25 minutes

Serve warm or store in an airtight container for later consumption.

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