July is National Blueberry Month. But by buying, picking, freezing, drying, every month can be Blueberry Month! These juicy, highly nutritious, delicious treasures can be enjoyed all through the year.
Members of the blueberry family are found throughout Europe, Asia, Australia, and Southern Canada, as well as England where are grown a distant cousin called bilberries. More than 40 varieties of blueberries are native to North America.
Among the first to appreciate these succulent fruits were Native Americans who consumed them fresh, cooked and dried, adding berries to winter soups and stews. In addition, they used them in dyes, food preservatives and medicines, made a tea from the leaves or bark to ease labor pains, as a tonic after miscarriage, or blueberry syrup as a remedy for coughs and diarrhea. They gave blueberries to the new settlers, enabling them to make it through their first winter. Indians held the blueberry sacred because of its five-pointed star-shaped crown. They believed blueberries were a gift of God to feed their starving children.
“Blueberries provide us with two unique anti-inflammatory and antioxidant phytonutrients belonging to the group of compounds known as stilbenoids. These two members of the stilbenoid family are resveratrol and pterostilbene. … What has been most exciting in recent studies has been the discovery of better bioavailability of pterostilbene than resveratrol in some foods, including blueberries. One study has shown that once absorbed pterostilbene spends as much as five times longer in our body before being metabolized into other compounds. This longer-lasting nature of pterostilbene may give it more time to provide us with its many health benefits. And since few commonly eaten foods are as rich in pterostilbene as blueberries, we may be looking at a fruit that is even more unique than previously believed in terms of its ability to support our health.” www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=8
Quinoa Porridge with Warm Blueberry Sauce
Ingredients
½ cup quinoa
½ cup water
½ cup dairy free milk
1 star anise or 1/2 tsp. anise seeds, crushed
3 green cardamom pods or 1/8 tsp. ground cardamom
1 pinch salt
2 Tbsp. almonds, chopped
2 Tbsp. dried apricots, sliced
2/3 cup blueberries, fresh or frozen
coconut flakes for garnish
Process
Rinse quinoa. Bring quinoa, water, and milk to a boil.
Add anise, cardamom, salt, almonds and apricots.
Simmer 20 minutes until liquid is absorbed.
Remove pods and star (if using).
In separate pan, simmer blueberries until thickened, about 5 minutes.
Spoon quinoa into bowl or glass.
Pour on milk and blueberry sauce.
Sprinkle with more almonds and apricots; add coconut flakes.