Blueberries are one of my favorite fruits. The following is from Alice Water's book Chez Panisse Fruit:
"Wild blueberries were tamed by Elizabeth White, a cranberry grower's daughter from the pinelands of southern New Jersey, who selected local wild plants with desirable qualities and, with the help of a plant breeder, developed the first cultivated varieties in the early 1900s. Since then cultivated blueberries have become enormously popular. North America is the largest producer by far."
"Blueberries were an important source of food for Native Americans. They were eaten fresh, to be sure, but much of the summer harvest was laid out and dried in the sun, then stored for winter use. The dried berries were pounded to a powder and added to stews and porridge."
Cultivated varieties only since the early 1900s? Pounding dried blueberries to a powder for stew? Who knew? Funny what a little research'll get ya... I'm now going to keep my eye out for blueberry powder.
I like putting blueberries on my cereal, especially in the summer when they are in season. I also add some sweetened almonds.
