A truly American way to celebrate Independence Day on Sunday is to forget the grill and the burgers or hot dogs — and reach for the blueberries, writes Kelly Brant in Wednesday’s Food pages.
Also called star berries because of the star-shaped calyx on their blossom ends, blueberries are one of only a handful of fruits indigenous to North America. They were already being enjoyed year-round by the American Indians when the first Europeans arrived. Dried whole in the sun or ground into a powder, they were used by Indians in a variety of ways including soups, rubs for meat and puddings.
Today’s commercially cultivated berries are the results of Frederick Coville and Elizabeth White’s work in the early 20th century in New Jersey. The pair crossbred several varieties of wild blueberries to create easy-to-pick berries that grow well in a range of conditions.
Read tomorrow's Arkansas Democrat-Gazette for full details.
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