Berry Season Is Here!
/The new moon is here, welcoming the first harvest, the chilly nights that herald fall, and an opportunity to plant a second round of beets, kale, and carrots for the autumn harvest.
Remember that this is berry season! Berries are rich in antioxidants, which neutralize free radical damage to human cells and tissues, thereby helping to prevent cataracts, glaucoma, varicose veins, hemorrhoids, peptic ulcers, heart disease and cancer. The Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry recently published a study demonstrating that a serving of blueberries offers 38% more cardio-protective antioxidants than a glass of red wine.
If you would like to pick some blueberries to freeze or jam for the winter, now is the time to visit your local pick-your-own berry operation. Owl's Head Blueberry Farm in Richmond, Vermont, boasts live music once a week for pickers. Families and friends scrutinize bushes for the ripest berries while listening to live performances, from bluegrass banjo and harmonica to Irish bagpipes and flute.
Adam's Berrry Farm in Burlington,Vermont is part of a 24-member farm collective, The Intervale Food Hub, which cultivates once-abandoned land near the Winooski River and offers shares of fruit, vegetables, meat and eggs for purchase from May through October. Berries nourish damaged land: in partnership with a compost operation that creates fertile dirt with the help of chickens, Adam's Berry Farm has been able to restore soil nutrients at the Intervale so that crops can flourish.
In fact, the Deerfield Valley in southern Vermont hosts an entire festival in honor of these delectable treats. I am honored to announce that my food article on this very subject just got published in a fine dining journal online.
Here is the link:
http://www.finedininglovers.com/contents/articles/blueberries_in_vermont.aspx
I encourage you to try some of the recipes I added to the article, which include:
>>Grilled salmon with wild rice and blueberry compote
>>Easy (and sugar-free) blueberry jam
>>Blueberry Maple Crumble