Blueberries are not only the wild blueberries that occur in this country, but also the cultivated blueberries. However, the black-blue fruits are often referred to as blueberries.
What is the difference between blueberries and blueberries?
The difference between blueberries and blueberries is mainly their origin and their pulp: blueberries (wild blueberries) are smaller, European wild fruits with blue flesh and coloring juice, while blueberries (cultivated blueberries) are larger, North American varieties with white or greenish flesh without coloring juice are.
Local wild blueberries and cultivated blueberries for the garden
Wild forms of blueberries such as the wild blueberry Vaccinium myrtillus, which bears fruit from July onwards, are only very distantly botanically related to the cultivated blueberries sold in garden shops today. In the food trade and also in garden plants, cultivated blueberries bred from North American blueberry varieties have now largely replaced wild blueberries. Since the cultivated blueberries have an almost white flesh within the blue skin and no coloring juice, the term blueberry can only be determined by the color of the skin.
The coloring power of wild blueberries
If you discover ripe wild blueberries while walking in the woods in midsummer, you should handle them as gently as possible when picking them. Otherwise, the blue juice from squeezed fruits will quickly stain your fingers with a strong shade of blue. It is therefore advisable to have a cloth or some water with you to clean your fingers when collecting blueberries in the forest. Water you bring with you can also be used to wash the blueberries on site in order to clean them of the sometimes dangerous fox tapeworm pathogens directly from the bush when snacking. If you consume large quantities of wild blueberries, your tongue may turn somewhat blue, but this is completely harmless to your he alth.
Using the coloring effect of blueberries in the kitchen
Some baking recipes and other dishes can be visually spiced up with a certain amount of color. If you don't want to use artificial dyes, you can also use the coloring effect of wild blueberries. You can easily use the juice of fresh wild blueberries to color the following foods:
- Juices
- Cake dough
- Pancakes
- Dessert creams
However, when using blueberry juice as a coloring agent, make sure to reduce any other liquid components in order to achieve the desired consistency of the food.
The many benefits of delicious blueberries
Blueberries have not only been a valued sweet fruit for centuries, but have also always been consumed for he alth purposes thanks to their he althy ingredients. Blueberries generally have a regulating effect on the digestive processes in the stomach and intestinal tract. In addition, dried blueberries tend to have a constipating effect on the digestive system, while a larger intake of fresh blueberries can have a laxative effect.
Tips & Tricks
In principle, all types of blueberries can be used in your own garden. However, the varieties of wild blueberries only produce low yields, require at least a partially shaded location and are suitable as ground cover on fallow land and embankments due to their strong propagation via self-sowing and root runners. Cultivated blueberries such as the popular Bluecrop variety can produce high yields, which can be preserved by freezing or boiling.
