Blueberries are not only used to describe the forest blueberries that occur wild in this country, but also cultivated cultivated blueberries. However, the blue-black fruits are popularly referred to as blueberries.

Local forest blueberries and cultivated blueberries for the garden

Wild forms of the blueberry, such as the wild blueberry Vaccinium myrtillus, which bears fruit from July, are botanically only very distantly related to the cultivated blueberries that are sold in garden shops today. In the food trade and also in garden plants, cultivated blueberries from North American blueberry varieties have now largely replaced wild blueberries. Since cultivated blueberries have an almost white flesh inside the blue skin and no coloring juice, the term blueberry can only be identified by the color of the skin.

The coloring power of wild blueberries

If you discover ripe forest blueberries on a walk in the woods in midsummer, you should pick them as gently as possible. Otherwise, the blue juice from squeezed fruit will quickly stain your fingers with a strong shade of blue. It is therefore advisable to have a cloth or some water with you to clean your fingers when collecting the blueberries in the forest. You can also use the water you bring with you to wash the blueberries on site, in order to clean them of the sometimes dangerous fox tapeworm pathogens when you snack on them directly from the bush. If you eat large amounts of wild blueberries, your tongue may turn blue, but this is completely harmless to your health.

Use the coloring effect of blueberries in the kitchen

Some baking recipes and other dishes can be optically spiced up with a certain amount of colour. If you don't want to use artificial coloring, you can also use the coloring effect of wild blueberries. You can easily use the juice of fresh forest blueberries to color the following foods:

  • juices
  • cake batter
  • pancakes
  • dessert creams

However, when using the blueberry juice as a coloring agent, make sure to reduce any other liquid components with regard to the desired consistency of the food.

The many benefits of delicious blueberries

Blueberries have not only been a prized sweet fruit for centuries, but have also always been consumed for health purposes thanks to their healthy ingredients. Blueberries generally have a regulating effect on the digestive processes in the gastrointestinal tract. Also, dried blueberries tend to be more constipating on the digestive system, while higher intakes of fresh blueberries can be more laxative.

tips and tricks

In principle, all blueberry varieties can be used for your own garden. However, the varieties of forest blueberries only bring low yields, need at least a semi-shady location and are suitable as ground cover on fallow land and embankments due to the strong propagation via self-sowing and root runners. Cultivated blueberries, such as the popular Bluecrop variety, can produce high yields that can be preserved by freezing or canning.

Category:

Vegetable garden