As well as being a delicious snack and ingredient, here are a few more interesting facts about Blueberries…
•Blueberries are native to North America. Highbush blueberries were first introduced to Europe in the 1930’s and to Britain in 1949.
They were called 'Star Berries' by Native Americans because the five points of the blossom resemble a star.
•Blueberries require acidic and sandy soils to grow in.
•Blueberries are a versatile fruit, they can be easily frozen and eaten dried. They go incredibly well with other fruit such as apples, bananas, raspberries, strawberries and many more.
.They also make delicious ice cream, smoothies – even when frozen whole they are delicious popped into the mouth as a "mini-sorbet" on a warm day!
Recent studies in US universites have shown the blueberries may reduce the symptoms and chance of Alzheimer's and slow down the ageing of the brain.
•Native Americans used Blueberries as spice to season meat. They can be a great accompaniment to chicken and lamb, as well as being used in muffins, cakes, sauces, salads and desserts.
•Blueberries have the highest levels of antioxidants out of ANY fresh fruit of vegetable!
The Blueberry market in UK is thought to be worth £76 million a year.
.The juice of the blueberry has been widely used as dye, giving a lovely blue/purple/grey hue.
.Every year more and more research is showing that the blueberry is truly a wonderful fruit, packed with health-giving properties that protect the body against a host of illnesses – the list is too long for us to put up here! (One i should mention though is that it helps preserve youthful good looks…. which is why i eat them in Huge quantities!!)
