Blueberry Season! – Picking and Freezing

Next to perfectly ripe, fresh figs, blueberries are my favorite food. And, I have to admit, blueberries in large quantities are even better. I know, I know: “be present with each bite, eat consciously, chew fully and you won’t need as much” (as I would say). But for me, blueberries are great, and more blueberries are even greater!

Needless to say, being able to pick my breakfast from a blueberry bush is my idea of heaven!

My dear friend Julie and I went blueberry picking at Tougas Farms in Northboro, MA.

We went without our kids because we were on a serious blueberry mission. We picked for three hours with the intention of picking so much that we would be able to freeze them for the winter. We picked 25 lbs each!

Several days later, however, I’ve realized that I will have to go picking again! I have eaten so many blueberries this week that I was only able to freeze 3 gallon-bags-full for the winter.

Having local, tasty, frozen fruit ready for my smoothies, pancakes, muffins and pies makes preparing food for myself and my family easy and delicious. I love bringing a touch of summer to the chill of winter!

There are a couple of tricks to freezing blueberries:

1. Don’t wash them first. If you wash them, it will add too much moisture, you will get blueberry mush.
2. Lay them out on a cookie sheet on top of parchment paper and then freeze them. Once they are frozen, put them in a freezer bag for long-term freezing. If you don’t lay them out first, they will freeze in a big clump, which is a pain when it comes to pouring out a bit for pancakes or smoothies.

We picked two varieties of blueberries. The ones you see above are great for baking because they are less plump, have less moisture and are a bit smaller. We also picked really lovely fat ones that are just wonderful for nibbling, which I did a lot of.

This week I put blueberries in everything, including my salads!

But really, my preferred way to eat a blueberry is plain.

I’ll be heading back for more picking this weekend…this time with the kids. In addition to Tougas Farms, you can also pick at Indian Head Farm, another family farm in the area. I would love to hear about your favorite picking spots.

2011 update: We went to Indian Head Farm – Lovely picking. They (and Tougas Farms)  are IPM farms (Integrated Pest Management – they are not organic but they work with various methods to reduce the use of insecticides )

2012 update: This year the whole family went to Parlee Farms in Tyngsboro. They are also IPM

2014 update. This year we took our visiting British relatives to Parlee Farms and picked 25 lbs!

If you want to know how I make other summer fruits last through the winter, click here.

 Here are some of my favorite blueberry recipes:

Try this amazing raw blueberry cream pie:

For a lovely blueberry cake check this out.

Here’s where you’ll find a  healthy blueberry cacao fudge

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Nina Manolson, MA, NBC-HWC, board certified Health Coach, Psychology of Eating Coach and Certified Body-Trust Provider, believes that every woman deserves to feel good in her own body.

She helps women create a healthy and positive relationship with their food and body so they can love their body and life! She’s the founder of NinaManolson.com and The Nourished Woman Nation.

She helps busy women feel good in their own body.. She specializes in working with women over 40 who have tried other diets and approaches but are still struggling with their relationship to body and food.

She’s the creator of the BODY-LOVE MAP and the recipient of the prestigious Health Leadership Award from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition.

To get your F.R.E.E. ebook: HOW TO BE A WOMAN AT EASE IN YOUR BODY  click here.