| Storing and Serving Blueberries |
| Tips on storage, and three delicious recipes |
From "Fresh From the Orchard"
episode DFFO-107 |
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Blueberries freeze better than almost any other fruit, and Kelly Givens demonstrates the best way to freeze berries for future enjoyment. She also reveals a trick to making blueberry muffins not only tasty but beautiful as well!
Storing, Preparing and Enjoying BlueberriesFollowing a few simple steps will help you make the most of your blueberry harvest.
After picking blueberries,
store them in a wide
shallow dish and place
in the refrigerator.
Refrigerated berries
should stay fresh for
a week to 10 days.
| 
Don't wash blueberries
until you're ready to
use them: otherwise,
the extra moisture may
cause spoilage.
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Blueberries are one of the few fruits that freeze really well. To freeze them, place unwashed berries in a single layer on a cookie sheet or in a shallow pan (figure A). (Don't wash them before freezing them: washing will make their skin tough.) Place the berries in the freezer for two or three hours, or until they are completely frozen, then pour them into a plastic freezer bag (figure B). By freezing the berries separately before storing them in a bag, you can ensure that they won't stick to one another; you'll be able to remove as many or as few berries as you want whenever you're ready for them.
Blueberries are among the most healthful fruits you can eat. They are low in fat, high in fiber and packed with flavonoids and antioxidants that can reduce the risks of some types of cancer and also fight aging. The most popular muffin in the U. S. is, of course, the blueberry muffin. The secret to making perfect muffins is to wait until the last minute to add the berries; that way the blue stays in the berries instead of oozing into the batter and turning the muffins purple.
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