Recipe: Blueberry-Lemon Compote Drizzle

Hi! I’m Blueberry!

"Have you heard the saying, "as American as apple pie?" Well, with no offense to the apple—which is certainly a fine fruit—we blueberries think that classic saying should read, "as American as blueberry pie." Blueberries are one of the few fruits native to North America, and apples aren't (unless you count Pacific crabapples). And don't worry about our powdery coating. It's called epicuticular wax (but you can call it "bloom"), and it protects our skin. I guess you could say we bloom where we're planted!"

History

• Blueberries are a genuinely natural blue food due to a pigment called anthocyanin. Native Americans used blueberries to make dye for textiles and baskets, and colonists made paint out of blueberries by boiling them in milk. 
• Blueberries have impacted the culture, cuisine, and even survival of Americans for centuries. From the times of the earliest indigenous people to the present day, blueberries have been a valued food staple. They've provided enjoyment during times of abundance and have held starvation at bay during times of scarcity. 
• In the 1860s, blueberries were gathered, packaged, and sent to Union troops during the Civil War.
• The Shakers made the traditional blue paint used in their homes from blueberry skins, sage blossoms, indigo, and milk.
• American poet, Robert Frost, wrote a poem called "Blueberries" that may have been inspired by his youth picking or eating blueberries.
• Maine is the leading wild blueberry producer in the United States, and Oregon produces the most cultivated blueberries.
• How official are blueberries? Consider these official state foods: Maine's state fruit is the wild blueberry, and their state dessert is Maine blueberry pie; Minnesota's state muffin is the blueberry muffin; New Jersey's state fruit is the Northern highbush blueberry; and North Carolinas' state berry is the blueberry.
• July is National Blueberry Month because it is the peak of the harvest season.

Anatomy 

• Blueberry plants are woody shrubs. There are lowbush (or wild) and highbush (or cultivated) varieties. Canada grows the most lowbush blueberries in the world, and the United States produces about 40 percent of the highbush variety.
• Native Americans once called blueberries "star berries" because the five points of blueberry blossoms make a star shape. 
• Blueberry plants can be grown in a large container (at least 2 feet deep and wide) if grown in acidic soil with good drainage. Plant them in the Spring and put the container in a sunny spot. They do not produce berries in the first year. It may take about five years for a full harvest.
• How to Pick, Buy, & Eat
• Blueberries turn from reddish-purple to a deep blue when they are ripe. Choose berries that are blue, plump, dry, and somewhat firm. Avoid blueberries that are white or green as they are far from mature. If there are stains on the container, some of the berries may be bruised. They may have a light dusting of grayish powder (or bloom) on their skin, which is normal. 
• Do not wash your blueberries before freezing, storing, or eating them. However, you will want to sort through the berries and remove any that are wrinkled or covered in a white fuzzy mold, so they do not spoil the rest. Refrigerate your blueberries with good air circulation and plan to eat them within a week if possible. 
• If you stir some fresh blueberries into your muffin batter, you will have the most popular muffin flavor in the United States. They are also delicious in salads and breakfast cereal, especially oatmeal, juice, pies, jams and jellies, sauces, and syrup. Dried blueberries are also good in cereals and batters. 
• North American indigenous people used blueberries to make "pemmican," a high-energy food consisting of dried meat, often game meat, dried berries, and tallow (rendered animal fat). They would pack it for sustenance on long journeys. European fur traders and explorers adopted it for their travels. Pemmican is still eaten today.
• Blueberries have been valued as a highly nutritional food and for their medicinal properties and even for non-food uses such as making paints and dyes. 

Nutrition

• Blueberries contain more antioxidants than most other fruits or vegetables and may help prevent damage caused by cancer, heart disease, and Alzheimer's. In addition, the anthocyanin present in blueberries is good for eyesight. 
• Blueberries are a great source of many essential nutrients such as vitamin C, manganese, potassium, iron, and many others.
• The calories in blueberries amount to only 80 per cup.
• Blueberry juice had medicinal value for Native Americans and was used to treat persistent coughs and other illnesses.