It's National Blueberry Month...

And time to celebrate my favorite berry! I consume so many blueberries every month that I often wonder why they haven't tinted my skintone. ;)

Did you know that much of the power of the blueberry lies in it's color and they have the highest antioxidant capacity of all fresh fruit? The deep blue color is a by product of flavonoids, a natural compound that protects the brain's memory cells (neurons) from the damaging effects of oxidation and inflammation. This magical berry also neutralizes free radicals which can affect disease and aging in the body, aids in reducing belly fat, helps promote urinary tract health, has been proven to preserve vision, is good for brain health, heart disease, constipation and digestion, and cancer. Blueberries, like other berries, also have a high water content, which makes them hydrating for your skin and other cells of the body.

Native Americans used blueberries for medicinal purposes and they may have influenced European thinking about the bilberry, which has been used as a food plant since the sixteenth century. The Ojibwa tribe dried flowers of the low bush blueberry over hot coals and inhaled the fumes to treat "madness." They also took the leaf decoction to "purify the blood," possibly a way to lower blood sugar. The Algonquians used a blueberry leaf tea for colic, labor in childbirth, and following miscarriages. Various Native American tribes often added blueberry leaves to their smoking mixes.

Did you realize that early American colonists made grey paint by boiling blueberries in milk? The blue paint used to paint the woodwork in Shaker houses was made from sage blossoms, indigo and blueberry skins, mixed in milk.

The first colonists added blueberries to traditional English fruit and dough puddings and renamed them buckle, grunt and slump, and during the civil war of the 1860s, blueberries were collected, packaged and sent to Union troops for use as a food staple.

Fresh blueberries are available year round but are least expensive from May through September. Look for berries that are dark blue, with a frosty bloom. You can store fresh berries in your refrigerator for up to two weeks, just wash them before you use them; otherwise, they'll get mushy. I freeze some of mine right away and rinse them as I take them out to use. They stay perfect this way and do not freeze together in one large lump.