Simply Delicious

Blueberries: The Fruit Of The Summer Season

Fully ripe berries may be easily removed in clumps.

Nothing says “summer” like fresh blueberries. Not only are they widely available and delicious, they contain antioxidants that protect the body from free radicals — unstable molecules that can damage your cells and contribute to aging and diseases such as cancer.

Beyond the health benefits, blueberries are fun to pick. Unlike harvesting some fruits and vegetables, blueberries tend to fall off the bush right into one’s hand with little effort required. Of course, that means being ready to catch them before they fall to the ground, and not catching them with too much force so that they get crushed. (Experts say the rule is: If you “accidentally” damage a blueberry, you must eat it right away. That hard-and-fast rule may account for the blueberry-pickers who come away with blueberry stains around their mouths.)

Blueberries come in two general categories: high-bush blueberries, which are the most common cultivated variety in the United States; and low-bush or “wild” blueberries, which tend to be smaller but richer in antioxidants.

As a child, we would roam along the electric power lines where wild blueberries grew in profusion. It likely took some time to fill our berry containers, but we had so much fun that we did not really notice how long we were out. While many of the berries undoubtedly reached our mouths, rather than the containers we brought to collect them, we would still come home with full buckets that would be turned into blueberry pies or served with milk in a bowl.

It was not until much later that we decided it was easier and quicker to pick or buy the high-bush varieties, which could fill a container much sooner. When a relative bought a farm with what seemed to be 1,000 blueberry bushes, we were happy to help out with the pruning and picking.

Today, many farms offer pick-your-own blueberry options. In the Lakes Region, they include Norland Berries off Route 28 in Barnstead (603-776-2021), Locke’s Blueberry Farm on North Barnstead Road in Center Barnstead (603-776-2021), Stonybrook Farm on Glidden Road in Gilford (603-293-4300), Triple Trouble Farm on Cherry Valley Road in Gilford, Green Acres Farm on Donkin Hill Road in New Hampton (203-533-9090), and Surowiec Farm on Perley Hill Road in Sanbornton (603-286-4069).

Those who want to grow their own blueberries will need to be sure to pick the varieties that are suited to their area. Also consider planting a variety of species so they ripen at different times during the season. Multiple varieties also allow for cross-pollination, which means that plants will produce higher-quality berries.