10 Fun Facts About Blueberries

Sweet, juicy blueberries are abundant in the summer, and whether you prefer them baked into a pie, plopped into an icy drink or just on their own, the fruit is easily one of the most versatile.

Some of our favorite recipes featuring blueberries include Blueberry Mint Refresher, Blueberries and Cream Waffles, Black and Blueberry Pie, Blueberry Pecan Chicken Salad, Blueberry Drop Cookies, and Blueberry Panna Cotta with Lemon Curd. 

Georgia is one of the top five blueberry-growing states in the U.S., providing the berries we need to make the tasty recipes mentioned above.

And although we like to celebrate blueberries throughout the summer, July is actually National Blueberry Month. Be prepared for the occasion with fun blueberry facts below.

Fun Facts About Blueberries

1. There are two types of blueberries, highbush and lowbush.
2. Highbush blueberries are the types you commonly find at grocery stores and farmers markets.
3. Lowbush blueberries are smaller, sweeter blueberries often used for processing into juices, jams, blueberry muffin mixes and so on.
4. Ten states grow 98 percent of U.S. blueberries: California, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon and Washington.
   READ MORE: Did you know Florida grows 17 million pounds of blueberries each year?
5. North American highbush blueberry production has increased by more than 500 million pounds in the past 20 years.
6. Peak blueberry season in most of the country runs from mid-June to mid-August. However, Florida blueberries have their peak production season in March and April.
7. Blueberries freeze in just 4 minutes.
8. One cup of blueberries contains 80 calories, 3.6 grams of fiber and 25 percent of the recommended daily amount of vitamin C.
9. Blueberries have high levels of antioxidants, such as anthocyanins – the compounds that color blueberries blue.
10. Fresh blueberry consumption per person more than doubled between 2007 and 2012, from 0.5 to 1.2 pounds. So check out these blueberry recipes, and eat up!

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