Planting Blueberries – what’s in it for you?

Need reasons for planting blueberries?

Here are a few more blueberry facts that you might find interesting:

• blueberries actually reduce ‘bad’ Cholesterol.
• blueberries cut down belly fat.
• Eating the blueberry fruit helps digestion, bloating and constipation.
• Blueberries contain the highest amounts of Antioxidants such as: Anthocyanin, Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, B-complex, Copper, Selenium, Iron and Zinc.
• Blueberries are a rich source of Sodium, Fiber, Magnesium, Manganese and Phosphorus.
• Consuming blueberries strengthens the immune system and aids in the prevention of various infections.

If you ever considered Planting blueberries, think no more, it’s fun, extremely healthy and the Blueberry plants look great!

Planting Blueberries – what’s the use?

The blueberry fruit is a delicious and tasty little gem.

Planting blueberries gives us a variety of ways to delight ourselves.

Here are some of the ways that we get to enjoy the blueberry fruit:

- Home made baked goods such as pies, whole grain pancakes or jams.

- The blueberry fruit taste wonderful in a smoothie and as a topping on low fat frozen yogurt.

- You can briefly microwave frozen blueberries, take out and gently mix them together to apply heat evenly. Add to vanilla or plain yogurt. You can also top it with whole grain cereal, nuts such as walnuts and cinnamon. Now you are ready to start your day the antioxidant way.

- Instead of a mango or peach salsa to accompany fish or chicken, try experimenting with a blueberry base salsa. For example, blueberries can be crushed into a powder to make a rub perfect for flavoring any meat.

- Chop dried blueberries in a blender mixed with almonds and raspberry jam to make a fruit chutney – tastes fantastic on top of a sweet potato or with ricotta on toasted whole grain toast.

- Blueberries make a fantastic snack for toddlers or preschool aged children. For infants it is probably better cutting them in half.

- Pack them for your child’s snack or in their lunch box in a small re-usable container to prevent them from getting squished.

- Blend frozen blueberries with a frozen banana, a tablespoon of orange juice and a dash of cinnamon to make a luscious frozen sorbet.

In short, Blueberries are a luscious summer time treat. Blueberries freeze perfectly, and easily retain their color and flavor. The sweet tasting gems can be eaten raw or baked in pies, cakes or other desserts. Blueberries also taste fantastic in pancakes, muffins and yogurt. When dried, blueberries taste fantastic in soups and stews. Blueberries can also be canned whole to preserve them or made into tasty jellies or jams.

Planting blueberries is an excellent way to go, you always get fresh blueberries. Blueberries retain their freshness for about five days.

So what are you waiting for?
- If you have the space, get your own blueberry plant and begin growing it today.