Power through July, aka National Blueberry Month, with super fruit

As we celebrate National Blueberry Month in July, a University of Florida dietitian says the fruit could be called “power berries.”

“Blueberries have fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, manganese and potassium, and they have some of the highest antioxidant levels of all the common fruits and vegetables,” said Andrea Nikolai, the family and consumer sciences agent for UF/IFAS Extension Polk County. “Consuming blueberries has also been linked to improved memory and slower rates of cognitive decline.”

It’s important to consume a variety of colors of fruits and vegetables to help you get a rainbow of nutrients, but if you don’t already have blueberries in your diet, Nikolai encourages you to see if you can eat them.

“They are great for your mind and your heart,” Nikolai said. “They go great in oatmeal, quinoa bowls and yogurt but can also be included in lunch and dinner. Try blueberry chili, cornbread, balsamic chicken wrap and one of my favorites, mixed berry salad with walnuts, feta and poppyseed vinegarette.”

Although Florida’s blueberry season has come to an end with most U-pick farms closed, you can get your blueberries at the grocery store.

Of course, like all fruits and vegetables, blueberries don’t come out of thin air. They grow from the ground. For about 75 years, UF/IFAS scientists have been toiling in fields and labs to find the genetic traits for farmers to grow blueberries that are firm, flavorful, and resist pests and diseases.

This season – which concluded in May — the ‘Sentinel,’ ‘Arcadia,’ ‘Optimus’ and ‘Farthing’ berries (as well as other UF cultivars) performed very well, said Doug Phillips, statewide blueberry Extension coordinator. Growers are planting ‘Sentinel’ most frequently, because it yields a lot of fruit, it tastes good and it’s machine harvestable, Phillips said.

UF/IFAS blueberry breeder Patricio Muñoz always looks for varieties that will please consumers and growers. The two newest UF blueberry releases — available to growers starting in October 2024 — are ‘Falcon’ and ‘FL19-006.’‘Falcon’ and ‘FL19-006’ both received high flavor scores among taste panes at the UF Sensory Lab in Gainesville.