With winter behind us and warmer spring days ahead, we’re approaching the best season for enjoying fresh, locally grown fruits and vegetables. Summer is particularly exciting because it brings an abundance of delicious, locally grown blueberries, especially in August, which is my favorite month for this reason.
Blueberries are celebrated as a superfruit by nutritionists and health experts. They’re chock-full of vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and antioxidants, including a compound called lutein. Lutein isn’t just found in green leafy veggies like spinach and kale—it’s in blueberries too! This nutrient is known to help prevent and even reverse macular degeneration, a common cause of vision impairment or blindness in older adults. Plus, blueberries are touted for their weight-loss benefits because they can help speed up metabolism.
What better way to take care of your health and vision than by enjoying these tasty berries? You can eat them raw or turn them into a delightful syrup by cooking them with a little sugar, a dash of cinnamon, and a bit of cornstarch until thick and rich. Pour this syrup into a pie crust and bake for a delicious blueberry pie. Or, use the syrup to enhance almost any dessert, your morning cereal, or even a fresh green salad.
Even if you can’t get fresh blueberries, don’t worry—organic gourmet blueberry syrup and canned blueberries often retain many of the health benefits of freshly picked ones. A tablespoon of natural blueberry preserve on whole-grain bread or toast can be a healthy breakfast. Drizzle some warm blueberry syrup over a bowl of vanilla ice cream or freshly made pancakes for a wholesome treat the whole family will love, any time of day.
So, now that summer is here, take full advantage of the bounty Nature provides. Embrace the locally produced goods at your farmer’s market and grocery store, and don’t forget to add fresh, locally harvested blueberries to your shopping cart. It’s a fantastic way to savor the best of summer’s culinary delights.
Remember, blueberries are among the richest sources of antioxidants, alongside other super berries like Acai from Brazil and Goji Berries from the Himalayas. Enjoy!