National Blueberry Pie Day is observed each year on April 28. It honors one of America’s favorite desserts.
Blueberry Pie:
- Has been enjoyed since the early American settlers
- Is the official state dessert of Maine
- Was documented in the Appledore Cook Book in 1872
Blueberries:
- One of the healthiest fruits on the market
- Inhibit cancer development
- Can help prevent urinary tract disease
- Assist in maintaining normal blood pressure
- Helps reduce blood sugar and symptoms of depression
- Enhance memory
- Blueberries are one of the only natural foods that are truly blue in color.
- A blueberry extract diet improves balance, coordination, and short-term memory in aging rats.
- Blueberries are the official berries of Nova Scotia, Canada.
- The anthocyanin present in blueberries is good for eyesight.
- The U.S. is the world’s largest producer of blueberries, harvesting a total of 564.4 million pounds of cultivated and wild blueberries in 2012.
- Blueberries are the fruits of a shrub that belong to the heath (Ericaceae) family whose other members include the cranberry and bilberry as well as the azalea, mountain laurel and rhododendron.
- Blueberries grow in clusters and range in size from that of a small pea to a marble.
- Blueberries are native to North America where they grow throughout the woods and mountainous regions in the United States and Canada. This fruit is rarely found growing in Europe and has only been recently introduced in Australia.
- There are approximately 30 different species of blueberries with different ones growing throughout various regions.
- Michigan is the number one state in highbush blueberry production with growers producing over 100 million pounds of blueberries every year.
- Blueberries are literally bursting with nutrients and flavor, yet very low in calories. Recently, researchers at Tufts University analyzed 60 fruits and vegetables for their antioxidant capability. Blueberries came out on top, rating highest in their capacity to destroy free radicals.
- The white, powdery substance on blueberries is called “bloom.” Bloom indicates fresh berries.
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