Growers Hunt for New Uses To Head Off Blueberry Glut

THE WALL STREET JOURNAL ^ | April 23, 2003 | BARBARA CARTON

[Carpet Kitten]

At the University of Maine, food science professor Al Bushway is three years into a study, partly funded by the blueberry industry, to see whether mixing wild blueberry puree into precooked burgers will prevent the off-taste of reheated meat.

Roughly 500 test hamburgers and chickenburgers later, there's hope, he reports -- so long as blueberries are kept to less than 3% of the ingredients. "We went up to 7%," Dr. Bushway says, "but you got a color effect that people may not want to see." By that he means bluish chicken.

[Catspaw]

I planted two low bushes last summer in NY, and they never flowered. Is the NYC area climate OK for them?

Check the pH of your soil. Blueberries like an acid soil. I think Miracle Gro has a soil acidifier you can purchase.

[Carpet Kitten]

I wonder why nobody has ever marketed bluberry juice. I bet it's delicious.

[rainingred]

LOL. Personally, I'd prefer to kill the deer.

[firebrand]

We had them on Fire Island. Tiny little things full of flavor, not like the washed-out supermarket ones. One pie a season was all we got, but French-style (all butter). Memories . . .

[firebrand]

They have it in health food stores.

[MrNeutron1962]

"I planted two low bushes last summer in NY, and they never flowered. Is the NYC area climate OK for them? "

It may be too warm for them, I live in Southeastern CT, and I've never seen low bush varities much south of lower new hampshire/Southern Vermont.

[Carpet Kitten]

Would if I could, but it is not legal where I live.

[js1138]

I've seen them for $2.00 a half pint in season. Now the "in" berry is rasberry, and it's moving on to blackberry.

Are blueberries considered berries in the Atkins diet?

[M-cubed]

Hell No!...dont kill the bait!..Kill the deer!..send the the venison to Washington county residents!..(Where their once thriving trophy deer herd has been decimated...most probably due to Velpar.. but that study has been put on the back burner)...They'll top off that traditional meal with hot blueberry pie a-la-mode...(they'll steal the bluberries off the Canadian Indians that own all the bluberry land now)..All things considered...It don't get much better then that!

[goodnesswins]

Probably, yes...but soooo what!!!!....blueberries are probably the BEST, most nutritious food, besides broccoli, you can eat.

[M-cubed]

""Believe it or not, the largest Blueberry farm is in Southern New Jersey!""...Farm?.. I'll take that bet!..."Wild is the opereative word here.. http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Geyser/2053/cherryindex.html

[rainingred]

Same here.
Last year, I woke up to the most horrendous screeching sounds in my yard. Upon inspection I found four dogs encircling and tormenting a baby deer. The dogs were obviously going in for the kill. Armed with nothing more than my PJs, my voice, and a few rocks I scared the dogs off. I then went looking for the mother.
The screeching noise that had woken me up was coming from her. Her leg was tangled in the fence behind my shed. I enlisted the help of my neighbor and we cut her free. We had a rifle , just in case her leg was broken. We reasoned, that we could legally shoot her if she was lame. She was able to stand, jumped the fence and ran off with her baby.
We were feeling quite proud of our humanitarian ways until we trekked back to the house and I noticed my grapes had been eaten down to the roots.
In hindsight, I've often wondered if she was screeching so loud just to keep me distracted from seeing the grapes before I saved her life.

[M-cubed]

""Believe it or not, the largest Blueberry farm is in Southern New Jersey!""...Farm?.. I'll take that bet!..."Wild is the opereative word here.. http://www.geocities.com/Yosemite/Geyser/2053/cherryindex.html

[Carpet Kitten]

blueberries are probably the BEST, most nutritious food, besides broccoli

Were you referring to broccoli as "BEST" or just "nutricious?" (yuck)

[Carpet Kitten]

Actually I am allowed to crossbow hunt. Trouble is I can't hit a house with a crossbow.

[dirtboy]

I wonder why nobody has ever marketed bluberry juice. I bet it's delicious.

I've bought it in health food stores - for six dollars for a 48 oz bottle. My wife loves the stuff, but only gets it as a treat at that price. This glut may bring the price down.

[Revolting cat!]

Has anybody thought of using blueberries as fuel to power automobile engines? That would be one way to deal with our dependency on OPEC!

[goodnesswins]

NUTRITIOUS.....although I like it steamed, then topped with pine nuts and parmesan cheese....

[carlo3b]

French-style (all butter). Memories . . .

I think I have that recipe somewhere in my files, but this is a real winner as well...

OUT OF THE BLUEBERRY SOUR CREAM PIE

• 2 cups sour cream
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 (9 inch) graham cracker crust (unbaked)
• 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 2 cups fresh blueberries
Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
1) Combine sour cream, flour and brown sugar; add egg and beat well.
2) Place one half of the mixture into the graham cracker crust.
3) Mix blueberries and 1/2 cup brown sugar together, then spread over sour cream mixture. Cover berries with remaining cream mixture.
Bake for 25 minutes.
Chill and serve!

[CFW]

Hmm. That sounds delicious. And, it calls for an egg. I'll fix anything that uses eggs.

My hens are laying like crazy and I'm getting about a dozen a day (if you visit my house, don't leave your car unlock or you'll find a carton of eggs on the seat when you go to leave).