|
|
|
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
|
Green-Seeds.com
Fruits
& Others
|
|
|
Blueberries
 Blueberries are the
second most popular berry in the United States. Everyone loves these delicious
sapphire-colored berries and summertime, mid-June through mid-August, is
when they are in season. Our love affair with summer berries has resulted
in a 50% increase in consumption of blueberries during the last 10 years.
Blueberries have been
around for thousands of years and were once called "star berries"
because of the star-shaped calyx on the top of each berry. Explorers made
note of wild blueberries on their explorations. Lewis and Clark found that
Indians in the Northwest Territory smoked wild blueberries to preserve them
for the winter. One of the first meals the two shared with the Indians was
venison that had wild blueberries pounded into the meat and then was smoked
and dried.
History
The cultivation of blueberries
is a recent development. At the turn of the century, a New Jersey botanist,
Frederick Colville, began to cross different varieties of wild blueberries.
He wanted to create an easily -grown blueberry for home gardens and farms.
Today, most cultivated blueberries are highbush plants, growing to 10 to
15 feet for easy hand or machine harvesting.
Types
Wild lowbush blueberries
continue to grow in Maine and Canada. They are picked mostly by hand and
are smaller in size and darker in color than the cultivated blueberries.
Wild blueberries are delicious and have a unique flavor.
About 95 percent of
cultivated blueberries consists of Northern highbush varieties, which grow
primarily in the northern regions of the United States and in British Columbia.
The remaining 5 percent consists of the Rabbiteye varieties, which grow
better in southern regions of the United States. Fruits of highbush blueberry
are blue-black with a powdery, silver-white "bloom" on their surface.
Cultivated blueberry
plants are grown on thousands of farms across the United States. Highbush
blueberry plants grow quickly and produce a lot of berries. They grow best
on moist, well-drained, acidic soils. Rabbiteye blueberry plants grow even
faster than the highbush species and they grow a similar type of blueberry
as the highbush.
Blueberries are grown
in clusters and don't ripen all at the same time. Sometimes the fruit on
the bottom of the cluster may be ripe when some on the top are still green.
It takes about two to five weeks for blueberries to ripen on the bush.
Blueberries have more
to offer than just good looks and good taste. Besides being a good source
of Vitamin C and fiber, they have an exciting nutrition story to tell too!
Let’s check out the facts and look at the nutrition label for blueberries.
One cup of blueberries
equals one serving. And this amount of blueberries has 15% of the Vitamin
C and 14% of the dietary fiber our bodies need every day. That's why blueberries
are good sources of these nutrients. Just like all other fruits, blueberries
contain no cholesterol or fat and are also low in calories. Blueberries
are a great choice when choosing berries this summer!
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Green - Seeds Co., Ltd.
81/10B Ho Van Hue Street, Phu Nhuan District, Ward 9, Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam
Tel: +84 (8) 847 6901 - Fax: +84 (8) 844 1392 - Email: info@green-seeds.com
|
|
|
