Blueberry is not the same as the Swedish Blåbär but they are closely related. The wild Bilberry Vaccinium mytillus is the same as Blåbär and it is a low-growing shrub and the wild or cultivated Blueberry Vaccinium corymbosum is a much taller shrub. I took this picture in the woods near my summerhouse, do you know I read somewhere that there are 250 miljon kilos of wild blueberries, bilberries in the Swedish woods each year and only 7% är picked and the rest are left for food to the wild animals or just fall to the ground.
Bilberry, blåbär or blueberry, these close relatives are all very rich in vitamins, antioxidants and minerals they are real Superfruits or perhaps we shall call them Superberries.
We ought to eat a lot of them – they are good for the hole body/system but perhaps mostly for our sight/eyes. It says to the hold back the degenerative diseases of the retina, AMD (age- related macula degeneration) and to give you better night vision and we all need that.
As always the best thing is to eat them fresh and they are so delicious as they are but here are two recipes with blueberries/bilberries.
Blueberry pie
Blueberries/bilberries 6 – 8 dl (about 25 oz)
Sugar 1 dl (3,5 oz)
Flour 2 tablespoons
Roll the berries in sugar and flour blend well and put them in a pie dish
For the dough:
Butter 100gr (3,5 ounces)
Sugar ½ dl
Flour 2 dl (7 oz)
Melt the butter I a saucepan and stir in the sugar and flour. Cover the berries and bake in 200 degrees for 30 minutes. Picture from Systembolaget
The next recipe is a Blueberry Jam with Apples and Cinnamon
1 liter blueberries, 3 apples, 6 dl. sugar with pectin and a cinnamon stick. Peel the apples and cut them into small pieces, add a small amount of water and bring to boil together with the cinnamon stick, stir well and boil until soft, mash the apples and then add the blueberries, boil an additional 5 min. add sugar (after taste) and boil 1 minute. Leave the Jam to rest for a while and then pure them into clean jars. This jam doesn't contain any preservatives so keep it refrigerated.
Now I'm hungry after writing down those recipes....I think I have to get a snack, perhaps a Blueberry smoothie.....
Tyra
Ivanhoe from 1982 with one of my favorite actor Sam Neill, Sam plays 'Brian Guilbert'....very nice. James Mason as 'Isaac of York' and Anthony Andrews as 'Ivanhoe'. Perfect movie on the New Years Day. I think this is the best version though the one that was made 30 years earlier, 1952 with Elisabeth Taylor and Robert Taylor isn't bad either.
