Notice all the blueberries in the market? Boxes and boxes of them! The bins are overflowing.

That’s probably because more blueberries are being grown these days, according to this article in the Fruit Growers News. And that’s because blueberries are more popular than ever, probably because of their reputation as a healthy food.

That’s good. That blueberries are healthy. Because they are so good, especially when they’re slightly tart. Mmmm, I remember many a summer night when my Mom served me blueberries and sour cream (sprinkled with sugar) for dinner. Haven’t had that in years. These days it’s more like blueberries and plain, non-fat Greek style yogurt. No fat. And surely no sugar. 

But during winter it’s more likely that I’ll use blueberries in pancakes. Or even better, muffins, which I can freeze and then have one whenever I want.

Lemon-Blueberry Muffins

1/2 cup butter

2 cups all-purpose flour

2/3 cup sugar

1 tablespoon grated lemon peel

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup whole or 2% milk

1 large egg

1 large egg yolk

2 tablespoons lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup blueberries

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease 10-12 muffin tin cups. Melt the butter and set aside to cool. Mix the flour, sugar, lemon peel, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Stir to combine ingredients thoroughly. In a second bowl mix the milk, egg, egg yolk and melted butter and stir to combine ingredients throughly. Stir in the lemon juice and vanilla extract. Pour the liquid mixture into the flour mixture and mix just to combine ingredients (it will be very thick). Fold in the blueberries. Spoon into the muffin tins, about 2/3 the way up. Bake for 20-23 minutes or until browned and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Makes 10-12

I’ve been in a blueberry mood lately. It’s a summer thing and not just because blueberries are the juiciest, sweetest and tastiest in the summer but also because they remind me of some good old things in the good old days.

Like my parents’ blueberry bush. My Dad planted that bush and every day, year after year, from about May through August, when my Dad came home from work he would go out to the garden and watch the berries grow from tiny green pebbles to goldenish-greenish little nuggets to rich, navy blue rounds that looked as if they were about to burst open. It made him so happy to see those berries thrive, as if he were watching his children.

It was only the one bush though so there weren’t that many berries. When our harvest came in we would eat them within the hour, usually with sour cream and a sprinkle of sugar.

Oh yum, I could eat a bowl of that now.

Even the best store or market bought berries don’t have that just picked taste of the ones from a bush in your own garden. But I don’t have a blueberry bush, so summer market blueberries are the best I can do. I eat them now with yogurt (non-fat Greek style) because sour cream has too much fat.

And no sugar. Because, well, you know.

How the mighty have fallen.

I usually buy boxes and boxes of berries when the price is right, and I make a pie or three to freeze. 

But the price isn’t pie-buying yet. I only bought 2 boxes this week. I made some soup with some (see my post for the recipe) and this tea bread, which I made for the Tea for cancer patients and their caregivers that our local Hadassah holds every two weeks. 

It is fabulously moist and has a distinct but gentle flavor of orange. It makes a terrific snack with tea or coffee.

Orange Blueberry Tea Bread

5 tablespoons butter or margarine

3/4 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 tablespoon finely grated orange peel

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

3/4 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup milk

1/3 cup orange juice

1 cup fresh blueberries

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9”x5”x3” loaf pan (or 8-1/2”x4-1/2”x2-1/2”) and set aside. In the bowl of a mixer set at medium speed, beat the butter and sugar together for 1-2 minutes or until well combined. Add the eggs and orange peel and beat them in thoroughly. Mix the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a bowl. Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture in thirds, alternating with the milk and orange juice and beat ingredients to blend them thoroughly. Fold in the blueberries. Spoon the batter into the loaf pan. Bake for 50-60 minutes (depending on the size of the pan) or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes then invert onto a cake rack to cool completely. Makes one bread

Deception wins. Or so it seems. If you tell people something often enough they might eventually come to believe it’s true, even if it isn’t. At least that what some of the food companies think.

I just watched this video which shows that those blueberries pictured on boxes of various products of General Mills, Kellogg’s, Target and Betty Crocker boxes have no real blueberries at all, or barely any. What they do have is red and blue food dye, hydrogenated oil and lots of sugar.

See for yourself. Read the labels.

But anyway, why would anyone pay extra in the first place for sugared cereal with fake blueberries? If you like sugared cereal with blueberries why not get plain cereal, add your own sugar and fresh blueberries?

I don’t know if it would be cheaper. But it would be better.

I remember, as a kid, when one of my favorite cereals had a new variety — with strawberries! I made my mother buy the box and was really really disappointed when there were no real strawberries inside. Had my mother warned me? Did she ask me how it could be possible to put fresh fruit in a box?

I don’t remember.

But I am even more disappointed today when we know so much about deception in the food industry and we buy this crap anyway.

I don’t know about anyone else but I feel that if I buy this stuff I am actually paying the food industry to lie to me. I resent that. 

If you agree, please reblog this post so people you know can at least think about not buying (and paying for) fake food and encouraging food manufacturers to keep deceiving us.

Fresh blueberries are out there in abundance folks! Now is the time. You can’t get them in a box that’s been on the shelf for ages and ages. Blueberries in your cereal. Blueberries in muffins and pie. Fresh, juicy, tart-sweet blueberries. Even in soup. Like the recipe below, which makes a good first course for summer dinner on a hot day. You can’t make this with fake food.

Blueberry Soup

2 cups blueberries

1-1/2 cups water

2 tablespoons maple syrup. honey or agave

2” piece cinnamon stick

2 whole cloves

2-inch strip lemon peel

1-2 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar

slices of lemon, optional

Combine all but 2 tablespoons of the blueberries, the water, maple syrup, cinnamon stick, cloves and lemon peel in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, lower the heat and simmer for about 12 minutes. Remove and discard the cinnamon, cloves and lemon peel. Puree the ingredients and refrigerate until cold. Add the yogurt and Balsamic vinegar and whisk ingredients until thoroughly blended. Serve topped with lemon slices and reserved blueberries (a mint sprig if you have one). Makes 4 servings