Fresh Picked: How to Choose, Store, Wash and Freeze Blueberries.

Right now, we are in full blown blueberry season! With your grocery store packed to the rim with summer-time fruit goodness you can finally get all the yummy fruit you want!

But are you getting the best out of your fruit?

Wish Farms is here to help!

First off- blueberries are grown all year long! Lucky for blueberry lovers, these little blue dynamos can be found in your grocery store at any given month throughout the year. The growing regions do change pretty quickly. It’s all based on mother nature aka weather of course!

Florida kicks off the domestic blueberry harvest beginning mid March through mid May (approximately 6 weeks). As the weather warms up in Florida the growing region for blueberries moves north to find cooler weather. Next stop is Georgia blueberry season which is followed by South and North Carolina, Michigan and New Jersey. Of course seasons can start early or late and even overlap.

Choose:

When choosing the perfect container of blueberries find the container that has vibrant color with plump berries on the inside; however, try to avoid containers that look a little damp or stained because this might mean that particular container is over-ripe. You want to pick up a package of blueberries from your grocery store that is kept in a refrigerated case in the produce section. Your berries will last longer if the cold chain is maintained.

Store:

It is best to store your blueberries in the fridge and wash just prior to eating. Berries are delicate and very perishable. If you wash them first and plan to store them for a long period of time in the refrigerator they can start to break down faster. Blueberries should last a week and a half or more!

Wash:

Place berries in a colander (strainer) and dip the colander in a larger bowl of cold water. (Because blueberries are so delicate, running them under the water may cause breakage) Swish the berries around and drip dry!

REMEMBER- Make sure to rinse berries ‘as you go’…rinsing them all at once can cause them to absorb the water and become mushy too soon!

Freeze:

After washing, place berries on a baking sheet so they can easily freeze separately. Once frozen solid, transfer the frozen berries to a plastic freezer bag and lay flat in the freezer. Frozen blueberries are a great replacement for ice when making a smoothie. Not only do they pack a punch of natural sweetness, frozen blueberries will prevent your smoothie from getting watered down. If a smoothie is too much work for you, simply grab a handful of frozen blueberries as a refreshing snack.

Enjoy!