Blueberries for the Family :

Blueberries are available in many forms: fresh, frozen, juice, puree, concentrate and dried. Fresh blueberries should be firm, dry, plump and smooth-skinned. Ripe berries are deep purple blue to blue-black. Stay away from containers of berries with juice stains, or ones that contain moldy, soft, watery or wrinkled fruit.

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Storage: Store covered in the refrigerator for five to seven days. Don’t wash blueberries until to you are ready to use them.

Preparation: Wash fresh or frozen berries before using them.

Freezing fresh blueberries: While blueberries are available year-round, they are least expensive when they are in season in your area. Take advantage of your local crop by freezing blueberries to use later. That’s right, blueberries freeze very well. To freeze blueberries: Do not wash them. Lay a single layer of blueberries on a cookie sheet (or flat pan) and freeze them. Once frozen, packed the berries into containers or freezer storage bags. This method makes it is easy to grab a handful of berries from the freezer for pancakes, smoothies, etc. Wash them before using. Blueberry pancakes: A weekend family favorite. To prevent your batter from turning purple and for easier flipping, add the blueberries as soon as the batter has been poured on the griddle.

Dried blueberries: Available in many stores, dried blueberries are great in scones, banana bread, cookies, trail mix or sprinkled in popcorn or Chex Mix.

Blueberry Relish: This delicious and simple relish is great with grilled chicken breast. It is also wonderful on grilled cheese sandwiches.

Ingredients:

1 cup onions, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 cup sherry
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 cup fresh (or frozen) blueberries
1 cup chopped tomatoes or canned diced tomatoes (drained)
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1.Add olive oil to saucepan over medium heat. Add onions and cook until onions are golden, about 5 to 7 minutes.
2.Add sherry, vinegar, blueberries, tomatoes, salt and pepper.
3.Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and gently simmer 3 to 4 minutes.
4.Remove from heat and transfer relish to a serving bowl. Stays fresh in the refrigerator for five days. Can be frozen for up to two months.

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