I love the blueberries you find in store bought pies and muffins, so I tried to make them myself. First I used fresh blueberries, which turned out to be more sour than sweet. I tried letting them sit until they seemed to almost go bad - no luck, still sour. So after hearing about how frozen fruits are frozen at their peak ripeness, I buy some frozen blueberries. And they're still sour. Do stores treat their berries with sugar or something, or do I just have really horrible luck?
My blueberries never seem to be sweet...
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justplainbill
Executive Chef
Bakeries use sweetened prepared blueberry concoctions that come in 5 gallon buckets.
Fresh blueberries have a certain amount of tartness to them, but at the peak of ripeness you should taste more sweet than tart. Once they are picked, that's it. They won't ripen any further, so you might as well use them right away.
If you have a large batch, you can make a blueberry compote for use in other dishes. Simply crush some of the berries in a sauce pan with some "simple syrup" (sugar water) and simmer for 10-12 minutes, then add a little corn starch slurry (corn starch mixed with a little cold water) to thicken your mixture slightly. Remove from the heat. Add more of the fresh berries and stir. Seal the mixture in a container and refrigerate until needed.
If you have a large batch, you can make a blueberry compote for use in other dishes. Simply crush some of the berries in a sauce pan with some "simple syrup" (sugar water) and simmer for 10-12 minutes, then add a little corn starch slurry (corn starch mixed with a little cold water) to thicken your mixture slightly. Remove from the heat. Add more of the fresh berries and stir. Seal the mixture in a container and refrigerate until needed.
Uncle Bob
Chef Extraordinaire
I was raised eating Huckleberries...a wild tart cousin of the blueberry.
For some reason the wild bushes have gotten scarce... So a a few years ago I was talking with a local blueberry grower, and he told me he could pick blueberries at a stage (red)..allow them to ripen for a day or two on newspapers, and they would taste very similar to the wild huckleberry I was accustomed to eating....I said fine pick me 5 gallons, he did and they tasted great..They had turned purplish, were very tart, and made excellent cobblers. Depending on the stage of ripeness when picked..blueberries will continue to.... Ripen.
For some reason the wild bushes have gotten scarce... So a a few years ago I was talking with a local blueberry grower, and he told me he could pick blueberries at a stage (red)..allow them to ripen for a day or two on newspapers, and they would taste very similar to the wild huckleberry I was accustomed to eating....I said fine pick me 5 gallons, he did and they tasted great..They had turned purplish, were very tart, and made excellent cobblers. Depending on the stage of ripeness when picked..blueberries will continue to.... Ripen.
According to the Missouri State Dept. of Education;
Session 4
I was told by a blueberry rancher that the berry will darken in color after harvest, but the sugar content won't increase after separation from the stem. Other than this, I have no other personal experience one way or the other... except in cobblers and pies!
Session 4
I was told by a blueberry rancher that the berry will darken in color after harvest, but the sugar content won't increase after separation from the stem. Other than this, I have no other personal experience one way or the other... except in cobblers and pies!
Uncle Bob
Chef Extraordinaire
Semantics! ~~~~ "Also, unripe fruit will be high in acids, low in sugar and will lack the aromatic blueberry flavor"..... Whatever. That's what like!!!!!!!!
Later.....
Later.....
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