Although blueberries are indigenous to American soil and were one of the first fruits encountered by early settlers, the blueberry industry was still a relative newcomer to Washington and Oregon agribusiness in the 1990′s when I first wrote about it in Pacific Northwest Palate: Four Seasons of Great Cooking. At that time, the industry was 25-30 years young by most accounts.

However, the industry has grown remarkably over the years to keep pace with consumer demand. The humble blueberry is now America’s number two favorite berry, right behind the strawberry in popularity. Forty million pounds were harvested in Oregon in 2007, twice the amount from a decade earlier. Michigan, New Jersey, Oregon, Washington, and California are the largest producers of cultivated highbush blueberries in the United States, while Maine is the largest producer of wild blueberries.

One of the factors driving the growth in the blueberry industry is the newly discovered and evangelized health benefits of this berry. Blueberries are high in vitamin C and antioxidants. They are claimed to enhance memory, control weight, cleanse arteries, defend against viruses and bacteria, delay the aging process, and improve vision. It almost seems a bonus that they taste so good, and nearly everyone loves them.

Blueberries are a natural convenience food–no pitting, no peeling, no coring. They are ready to use just as they are–whether popped into the mouth one by one, served with cream, or added to any number of baked goodies. Their color is unusual in the fruit world and ravishing; the deep purple-black displays irresistibly against strawberries, raspberries, and melon. Their distinctive flavor also pairs beautifully with a host of flavor partners.

Season

From early-July through September.

Early varieties arrive in late June and include Bluetta and Earliblue (medium in size, firm, deeply colored, sweet) and Spartan (large in size, brilliantly colored, gorgeous flavor). Berkeley, Bluecrop, and Elliot are mid- to late-season varieties and are typically available through August.

Selection

Blueberries can be light or dark blue with a silvery sheen, but they should have no reddish tinge when they are fully ripe. Size is not a factor, as different varieties come in different sizes. They must be fully ripe before picking; they will not continue to ripen on their own at home.

Look for a silver bloom on blueberries, that powdery substance on the surface. Heavy bloom indicates that the berries are fresh. Shiny berries are likely not as fresh as berries with a soft powdery surface.

Berries should appear clean and dry. Avoid berries that are soft, watery, dull in color, shriveled or mushy.

The flavor of blueberries is critically tied to acidic soil and cool summers; the Northwest region has plenty of both. There are more than 50 varieties of blueberries grown in the Northwest today, each one possessing unique characteristics of size, aroma, flavor, acidity, and harvest time. Be sure to sample a blueberry or two before deciding which to buy.

Some of the available varieties include Berkeley, Bluecrop, Bluegold, Bluejay, Bluetta, Brigitta, Chandler, Collins, Coville, Darrow, Duke, Earliblue, Elizabeth, Elliott, Hardyblue, Jersey, Lateblue, Legacy, Nelson, Powder Blue, and Spartan.

Storage

Always refrigerate blueberries, unwashed, and well sealed with plastic wrap. If they are very fresh, they can actually last for 7-14 days.

Preparation

Nothing to do but rinse.

Cooking

Now here is a berry that I personally enjoy much more when it’s flavor is released by a little heat. Most berries suffer with cooking, but not the blueberry. It becomes another entity altogether–richer, fuller, more complex. So by all means, cook it. Throw it into your favorite muffin, pancake, or quick bread recipe; or make a sauce, pudding, jam, or pie of it. It is one very versatile berry.

Great Partners

Allspice, almonds, apple mint, apples, apricots, bananas, basil, blackberries, black pepper, brandy, brown sugar, burnt sugar, butter, buttermilk, Calvados, caramel, cinnamon, cinnamon basil, cloves, cognac, cornmeal, cream, cream cheese, crème de cassis, crème fraîche, currants, custard, egg yolk, ginger (fresh, candied, and powdered), Grand Marnier, hazelnuts, honey, Kirsch, lavender, lemon, lemon thyme, lemon balm, lemon verbena, lime, mace, mangoes, maple syrup, mascarpone, melon, mint, molasses, nectarines, nutmeg, oatmeal, oranges, peaches, pears, pecans, persimmon, pineapple, pine nuts, port, raspberries, rhubarb, ricotta cheese, rose geranium, rose petal, rum, salmon, sour cream, strawberries, thyme, triple sec, vanilla, walnuts, watermelon, white chocolate, yogurt.

Additional Pairings

Food Pairing

Khymos

Culinary Artistry

The Flavor Bible

LunaCafe Recipes

Blueberry, Lime & Rose Petal Cheesecake (coming soon)

Blueberry Caramel Sauce (coming soon)

Blueberry Lime Sauce with Variations (coming soon)

Blueberry Limeade with Lemon Verbena & Mint (coming soon)

Blueberry Lavender Spritzer with Lemon-Lime Ice Cream (coming soon)

Toasted Hazelnut Blueberry Crumble (PNP)
Blueberry Lemon Gratin (PNP)
Blueberry Ginger Cheesecake (PNP)

NOTE PNP = Pacific Northwest Palate: Four Seasons of Great Cooking

Resources

Oregon Blueberries

Oregon Blueberry Growers Association

Washington Blueberry Commission

BC Blueberry Council
Michigan Blueberry Growers Association
North American Blueberry Council
US Highbush Blueberry Council

Blueberries: Washington’s Blue Gold

NorthWestBerries: The Berry Industry of the Pacific Northwest, Washington and Oregon

Northwest Berry and Grape

Canter-Berry Farms (products available at Pike Place Market)

Pick Your Own: All States

Pick Your Own: Washington

Pick Your Own: Oregon

Your Produce Man

California Blueberries Continue to Rise in Visibility and Popularity

I have loved rhubarb for as long as I can remember. As kids, my brother, Daniel, and I would pilfer it from between the pickets of the deteriorating white fence that separated our yard from the neighbor’s. We thought of it as “high crime,” stealing if you will, but as I look back on our shenanigans now, I realize that no one but us gave a darn about that forgotten patch of rhubarb.

Because it was stolen, the only way we were able to eat it (without being found out) was raw and behind a prickly mass of bushes to boot. No one I knew made rhubarb pie when I was growing up, and they certainly didn’t make rhubarb mousse, rhubarb parfait, rhubarb crisp, or rhubarb-strawberry daiquiris. Those were the bad-ole-days.

Even though I have a lot of enthusiasm for this highly acidic fruit cum vegetable (the U.S. customs court of Buffalo, New York officially declared rhubarb to be a fruit, not a vegetable, on July 17, 1947 because of the way it is used in American households), I realize others among you may have to be led gently to the trough.

Perhaps I can arouse your local pride by telling you that Washington State produces 90% of the nation’s supply of hothouse rhubarb and over 50% of the fresh field rhubarb. Sumner, Washington is the rhubarb capitol of the U.S, for quantity but also for quality. The prized Crimson Red and Johnson Red varieties are grown only in Washington.

However, rhubarb production is on the decline, with only 2000 acres of the crimson beauty planted around the country. If demand and corresponding prices don’t increase in coming years, we may see this lovely vegetable fade into oblivion. For now though, most local farmers markets in Washington and Oregon are overflowing with fresh rhubarb. I buy an armload each week and am discovering many wonderful ways to use it, from Rhubarb-Infused Tequila (makes fabulous Rhubarb Margaritas) to Spring Rhubarb & Apple Crisp with Toasted Hazelnut Streusel (next post). I don’t want rhubarb season to end!

…

Season

Rhubarb is one of the first fresh crops of the Northwest spring. Hothouse rhubarb begins appearing in February, while the field crop arrives in late April. Local rhubarb used to be available through June only, but availability depends on when the summer heat hits. Last year (2008) for instance, you could find fresh rhubarb in the farmers markets all the way into September.

Selection

Fresh rhubarb should be firm, crisp and tender. It will snap crisply if bent; it should not be limp or flabby. Rhubarb is at its best when young and slender, no more than 1-inch thick; by the time the stalks are green and humongous the fruit has developed a lot of coarseness and too much acidity.

Fresh rhubarb will keep, wrapped in a plastic bag, for several days in the refrigerator.

Preparation

Cooking

Think of rhubarb as an incredibly versatile cooking fruit; its special tartness is a perfect foil for all forms of sugar.

When you are creating your own rhubarb recipes, keep in mind that the fruit contains a good deal of liquid. Cut the rhubarb into chunks or dice and cook it, covered, over very low heat without any water at all for 10 to 20 minutes, depending on whether you want some chunkiness or a mush. This fruit disintegrates all too easily.

Another thing to consider, especially if you are developing new recipes, is that the gorgeous color you see when you buy rhubarb may pale when you cook it, and especially if you combine the cooked rhubarb with a lot of cream, egg whites, and so forth, which will also dilute the color. Rhubarb soufflé is a ghastly muddy-pink, though it tastes wonderful; rhubarb mousse is a barely there shell-pink. This frustrates me considerably.

The best bet is to use rhubarb sauce, which is brilliant-red, over and around the other ingredients. Otherwise, you must compensate with some other coloring agent, strawberries perhaps, or in a savory sauce, tomato paste, brown sauce, or even a bit of caramelized sugar. No, you may not use red food coloring; that’s cheating. J

Great Partners

I particularly like rhubarb with maple syrup (another spring crop, from Vermont and Canada), brown sugar, and honey. It also has a natural affinity for many of natures other fruity-spicy flavors, such as strawberry, mango, apricot, peaches, raisins, orange, lemon, grapefruit, fresh ginger, cardamom, cloves, juniper, saffron, and anise. And also for anything toasty (such as wheat germ, hazelnuts, walnuts, and oatmeal), anything creamy (such as ice cream, cheesecake, and custard), anything caramel (such as caramel, burnt sugar, and brown sugar), and cinnamon, especially cinnamon-hot (as in those little red candies that are so addictive). Add to these the floral elements of rose, lavender, and vanilla, and the herbal elements of rosemary, thyme, and bay leaf. And we can’t forget almonds, especially toasted almonds.

It is effective as an ingredient in sauces and chutneys meant to accompany “sweet” meats, such as pork, ham, and sausage, and also turkey, chicken, and yes, even lamb and game meats. It is also an efective foil for oilyu fish, such as mackeral. With all this going for it, why don’t we eat more of it?

Who’s to say; perhaps cooks just don’t know what to do with rhubarb after they’ve made the 1 or 2 obligatory pies. This I would like to remedy. Armed with this fresh primer and a bevy of soon-to-be-published recipes, your own rhubarb horizons will hopefully be expanded. Try it, you’ll like it!

Food Pairing
Khymos
Culinary Artistry
The Flavor Bible

LunaCafe Recipes

Rhubarb Cardamom Lime Muffins

Spring Rhubarb & Apple Crisp with Toasted Hazelnut Streusel

Apple-Cider-Brined Tenderloin of Pork with Rhubarb Deglazing Sauce

Goat Cheese Panna Cotta with Rhubarb Syrup & Basil Syrup (coming later)
Rhubarb Margarita with Rhubarb-Infused Silver Tequila (coming later)
Rhubarb Lemon-Lime Cooler (coming later)
Rhubarb Strawberry Sorbet with Candied Orange Zest (coming later)
Rhubarb Ginger Sauce (coming later)
Rhubarb, Ginger, & Chile Chutney (coming later)
Rhubarb & Strawberry Swirl Cheesecake (coming later)
Rhubarb Lemon-Lime Cooler (coming later)
Crimson Rhubarb Mouse with Strawberry Gin Sauce (PNP)
Crumpets with Ricotta and Rhubarb Sauce (PNP)
Grilled Lamb Chops with Fresh Thyme and Rhubarb Chutney (PNP)
Hazelnut-Maple Cheesecake with Rhubarb-Cinnamon Hot Sauce (PNP)
Rhubarb-Cinnamon Hot Sauce (PNP)
Rhubarb Honey Sauce (PNP)
Rhubarb Mint Sauce (PNP)
Rhubarb-Oatmeal Bar Cookies (PNP)
Rhubarb Sorbet (PNP)
Rhubarb Strawberry Parfait (PNP)
Rhubarb Syrup (PNP)
Roast Tenderloin of Pork with Rhubarb Sauce (PNP)
Souffled Omelet with Rhubarb-Cinnamon Hot Sauce (PNP)
Rhubarb Cobbler (PNP)
Rhubarb Crisp (PNP)
NOTE PNP = Pacific Northwest Palate: Four Seasons of Great Cooking

Washington Rhubarb Growers Association
Rhubarb Hunts a Place Beyond the Pie
Rhubarb Paper
Little Tastes of the Dahlia: Rhubarb
Lousy Weather is Good for Rhubarb