Blueberries

Years ago we drove past our neighbors' house and saw a sign that read 'blueberries for sale.' We knew the grower and his wife only to speak to and we still just see them at blueberry time but for that one month or so in the summer we visit often and have some great conversations. At first he had a regular woman customer and any people who saw the sign. Our first year he took down the sign when he realized that the woman, and Tom and I would buy all his berries. I'm not sure what happened to the woman but now we are his only customers. It is like having our own personal grower. He'll call and leave a message, always identifying himself, and saying, "I've got some berries if you want them." And we always do.

This year for the first time, we kept track of how many we bought. I'm going to jot the amounts down here so I'll have a record.

July 27 - 5 quarts
July 29 - 4 quarts
August 1 - 6 quarts
August 4 - 7 quarts
August 7 - 9 quarts
August 9 - 6 quarts
August 12 - 6 quarts
August 15 - 9 quarts
August 19 - 4 quarts
August 24 - 3 quarts
August 28 - 2 quarts

61 quarts in all, at $5.50 per quart equals $335.50. That may sound like a lot of money but if I were to buy blueberries in the store, either fresh or frozen, the cost would be a lot greater. Plus, these are local, unsprayed, and frozen as fresh as can be.

They go on cookie sheets in the freezer for a few hours, and then I put them in freezer bags.

One day the grower and Tom had a talk about blueberries. Tom said that blueberries are very good for you, with lots of antioxidants. And the man paused a bit, wondering about this because he has had esophageal cancer. And then his eyes lit up, and he said maybe that's why he is cancer-free now because of eating so many blueberries.

From The Guardian:

Blueberries are a rich source of anthocyanins, flavonoids and phenols, such as chlorogenic acid, quercetin, lutein and kaempferol. These are anti-inflammatories and antioxidants which strengthen the body's defences against free radicals. So eating blueberries could help protect against cancer, heart disease and age-related degenerative diseases. Their store of vitamin C also boosts the immune system.
In a 2008 study, tests of New Jersey blueberries found that organically grown ones had significantly more phenolic and anthocyanin antioxidants, and a significantly higher antioxidant capacity, than the conventionally grown equivalent.

We eat them in our yogurt or kefir every single morning, so here's hoping.

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