FRESH OR FROZEN BC Blueberries ARE ABSOLUTELY FABULOUS

Pull those frozen blueberries out of the freezer or pick up a few bags of locally grown from the grocery store.  It’s time to liven up meal time with one of B.C.’s best crops.  Frozen blueberries are perfect for quick breads, pancakes and desserts. They also add depth, colour and flavour to savory entrées. Beautiful blueberry sauces, spreads, marinades and chutneys present all kinds of meal options.

Mix up a batch of moist and seemingly decadent pumpkin blueberry loaf.  Consider a blueberry chutney, brie and grilled chicken sandwich – hearty, healthy and soooo delicious.  Warm up and fill up the family with blueberry-onion pork tenderloin.    Top the evening off with a classic blueberry betty or put a blue twist on an old favourite with blueberry rice pudding parfait.    Visit the B.C. Blueberry website for these, and many more, great recipes.

It’s pretty hard to top the ease and health benefits of cooking with B.C. blueberries – fresh or frozen.  Every half-cup serving represents one of the seven to ten recommended daily servings of fruit and vegetables by the Canada Food Guide.

Considered one of the leading “Superfruits” by North American researchers, the known health benefits of these little beauties continue to grow.  Absolutely loaded with antioxidants and bursting with tannins, eating blueberries is extremely beneficial – helping to stave off cancer, aging, heart disease, urinary tract infections and more.

British Columbians can feel good about BC blueberries for so many reasons.  Buying local means supporting over 700 Lower Mainland farmers who proudly represent one of the world’s largest blueberry growing regions as the rest of the planet continues to discover the “taste good-feel good” effects of BC blueberries.

About the British Columbia Blueberry Council

The British Columbia Blueberry Council represents over 700 blueberry growers, located in some of Canada’s most rich and fertile farmland. Plantings of premium quality high bush blueberries top 8,100 hectares in British Columbia and produce upwards of 40 million kilograms of blueberries annually. With more than $1 billion in sales in the past five years, Canada is the third largest producer of sweet and juicy highbush blueberries in the world. Available fresh in BC from July through October, delicious BC blueberries are also frozen, dried, juiced, pureed and powdered, available for year round-distribution throughout Canada and around the world.

BLUEBERRY-ONION SAUCED PORK TENDERLOIN

Serves 4

Ingredients:

3/4 to 1 pound pork tenderloin

2 tablespoons butter, divided

2 medium onions, sliced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup port wine or sweet sherry
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1 cup chopped cherry tomatoes

Directions:

Preheat broiler.
Broil pork, turning occasionally, until cooked through, about 20 minutes.
Remove to a platter, cover to keep warm.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter.
Add onions, salt and pepper; cook until onions are golden, about 10 minutes.
Add sugar; cook until onions are caramelized, 3 minutes longer
Add port wine or sherry, balsamic, blueberries and tomatoes, bring to a boil.
Remove from heat.
Thinly slice pork and serve with sauce.

 

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