Explore All Your Options for When Blueberry Season Starts

Florida blueberry season starts in March, the first U.S. berry to hit grocery store shelves.  Plan now to ensure that you can take advantage of Florida blueberries as much as possible. Figure out how many fresh blueberries you’ll need for all your baking, snacking and cooking needs, and then figure out how many berries you’ll “put up” to last once blueberry season is over. Explore all your options for utilizing Florida blueberries below.

Fresh Options for the Upcoming Blueberry Season

There are many different ways to use your Florida blueberries. First, consider all your options for using fresh blueberries. You can buy them from the grocery store or pick themselves at a U-Pick blueberry farm. Find U-Pick options in Central Florida here. When buying blueberries, make sure you look for berries that are “firm, dry, plump and smooth-skinned;” find more buying tips here.

Fresh blueberries can be eaten raw throughout the blueberry season. Enjoy all you want because blueberries are a nutritious food that offer amazing health benefits! You can also use fresh blueberries in a variety of recipes. You can cook them up as part of an appetizer or entrée, they can be a garnish or you can use them in baking. Explore recipes to try all throughout blueberry season on the Fresh from Florida Pinterest recipes boards for blueberry breads, entrees, desserts and more! You can even try blueberries in your favorite drinks!

Options for After Blueberry Season

All good things must come to an end, at least until next year. Florida’s blueberry season usually lasts for about six weeks and ends somewhere in April. You’ll want to “put up” some blueberries to pull out when the weather turns bad or you need a blueberry pick-me-up. You have two options: freezing and canning.

Freezing your blueberries is the easiest option, though it’s recommended you use them within six months. Follow these tips for freezing blueberries. Canning is a bit more work upfront, but your blueberry concoctions will last much longer. You can also plan to make blueberry jam or jelly, which would utilize the same canning method to seal the contents until you’re ready to use it.  Be on the lookout for canning tips, jam and jelly recipes and more on the Blueberries from Florida blog to get you ready for the upcoming Florida blueberry season!

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