Hello, welcome to our blueberry page. We're happy you came to visit us – it's a great place to hang out and we've lots to tell you. We’re a super cool fruit that is so good for you. We are round like a marble and have dark navy-blue to blue-black smooth skin with a cloud of fine silver-white dust on us that we call a ‘bloom’. This bloom is a natural protective coating. Our flesh is blue-green and we have tiny little seeds. We're completely edible – seeds, skin and all. We weight between 1.2g-3.5g each, depending on the variety and are sold in 125g punnets.
Availability
In Australia, we're generally available all year round and best value in October to March.
Did you know?
Varieties
While there are many different varieties of blueberries grown across Australia each suited to the soil and climate, generally blueberries are sold in small containers or punnets but not by type or variety but by size standard and jumbo and brand.
Why Blueberries Are Good To Eat
How They are Grown and Harvested
Our parent plants flower and fruit once a year and lose their leaves each autumn.
Blueberry bushes begin to bear fruit within 12 months after planting and can grow to over 7.5 metres bu. They require long periods of cool weather during the winter to allow the flower buds to grow, then in spring produce white or pink flowers from which blueberries form. We grow in clusters and ripen on the bush which takes between 60 to 120 days after the flowers have reached full bloom.
We're generally harvested by hand because we can be easily damaged. However, if we're to be used to make jams and cakes etc, we're usually picked by machines.
Choosing Blueberries
To pick the best of us select firm, plump berries that have a natural, light silvery-white dust on our skin. This silvery-white blush is a natural protective coating. Avoid any very soft or shrivelled berries.
How to Keep Blueberries
Place us unwashed in a single layer on paper towel on a plate. Cover and refrigerate. Use within 3-4 days.
Prime Growing Areas
History of Blueberries
There are many blueberry-type plants which grow naturally in the USA, Canada and Northern Europe. We began to be produced on a commercial scale in the USA around 1850.
In Australia, we have only been growing commercially for the past 20-30 years. We were originally introduced to Australia in the 1950s when were f imported from North America w. However, there were so many disease problems in those early days.
In the mid-1970s, an Australian called Ridley Bell, saw the potential for us as a crop and blueberry farms started popping up in Australia.
Fun Ways to Cook and Eat Blueberries
We're terrific to eat just as we are for a healthy sweet snack. Make sure you include us in your school lunch box.
Here are a few top blueberry recipes from Sydney Markets you might like to try out: