Blueberry season isn’t here yet but I had such a craving for them that I went to the grocery store and bought frozen ones. Reading the ingredient list took only a second – one ingredient in the bag – Blueberries. No additives, no sugar. Just blueberries. One cup of fresh or frozen blueberries contains only 50 calories and is so loaded with antioxidants and vitamins that they are considered one of the “super foods”.
To debunk one of those food myths I wrote about a few weeks ago, frozen fruits (and vegetables) are just as nutritious as fresh and they have the added benefit of being available all year round. They are also, in most cases, less expensive than buying out of season fruit. Example – when I looked at the tiny package of fresh blueberries (grown outside of the US), maybe a cup of berries in amount, it cost twice as much as a bag of berries (US grown) that gave me twice as much fruit or more. So, there is no reason not to enjoy these delicious and healthy foods now.
So, what can you do with frozen blueberries? I’ve got a few ideas for you - they can go right into a luscious blueberry muffin recipe without thawing, you can create a 2 ingredient, low calorie – low sugar blueberry compote to put on pancakes, waffles or biscuits instead of butter and syrup,www.nobadfoods.com/recipes/blueberry-compote or you can make a fabulous blueberry chutney to use as an appetizer or spread on top of grilled chicken. www.nobadfoods.com/recipes/blueberry-and-ginger-chutney
When berry season does comes along, you can freeze your own berries. Simply line a sheet-pan with waxed paper or parchment paper, spread the berries out on the pan, uncovered, and freeze them until solid. This keeps them from sticking together. Once frozen solid, place in air tight containers (I always date them) and return to the freezer. They keep well for about 6 months if they last that long.
