Blueberries at Sam's Club

I have for a few years now questioned whether I really liked blueberries. I thought I liked blueberries -- remembered loving them at one time. But a lot of limp, dry berries without much taste over the last few years had made me wonder if I remembered correctly -- perhaps it was just something that had impressed me before I knew much.

But that was before I picked up a container of Blueberries at Sam's this week. (No brand -- it just says Blueberries -- raised in the U.S./Etats-Unis.) These were the berries I once fell in love with. Fat, juicy, almost crisp in their firmness, big flavor, and immensely sweet. Just fabulous. I plan on going back every couple of days until they're gone -- or until they become dry, limp, and juiceless, whichever comes first.

Pretty soon they'll start showing up in the farmers markets. I buy a ton of them every week. They're on my morning cereal, in my lunch, and a handful is the last thing I eat before I go to bed....all summer long.

Best,
Michael

We buy these Sam's Club blueberries every time we see them and now seems to be the time they roll in. We freeze them if we are buying them faster than we are eating them. Just line a baking sheet with paper towels and spread the berries in a single layer, freeze, then 'decant' the frozen berries into a ziploc bag and they will be ready to eat straight from the freezer.

We are on the grizzly bear diet here -- blueberries and salmon, blueberries and salmon. Just can't seem to get tired of them!

By the way, nice pints of blueberries at Jerry's for a dollar. Also those little half pints of raspberries $1. The raspberries are big and beautiful. Pints of big fat not-woody strawberies $1. Peaches and nectarines were very mediocre. Huge peaches that were woody and mealy at the same time. Fresh figs $3.98 a pint. We like these with Greek yogurt and a drizzle of honey for breakfast. We feel so European. snark snark.

--Joy

Jerry's Fruit & Garden Center
7901 N Milwaukee Ave
Niles, IL 60714
847-967-1440

For some reason I only like the blueberries from Michigan. They seem a little tarter to me. So I hold out every year until the boxes from Michigan show up. If no one else notices a difference maybe I need to get past this.

grits wrote:For some reason I only like the blueberries from Michigan. They seem a little tarter to me. So I hold out every year until the boxes from Michigan show up. If no one else notices a difference maybe I need to get past this.

I agree, but perhaps it's because they're grown locally by smaller producers? I prefer smaller blueberries that don't appear plumped up on steroids.

I seem to remember learning about the difference between "low bush" and ""high bush" blueberries. Could someone please correct me if I have this wrong?

Low bush blueberries are smaller, sometimes quite small. They are prized for their intense flavor and sweetness. They are more expensive not only because they are more desireable but because they are harder to harvest.

High bush blueberries are easier to harvest, more widely available, less expensive. We think that these are the blueberries that Sam's Club sells at that great price. They are large, sometimes getting as large as a small grape but they are not as intensely flavored. Sometimes the inside flesh can be sort of greenish, not the dark purple blue of the low bushies. Not to engage in any bush bashing, you understand. We love all blueberries!

I think this info came from a conversation with one of the farmers at Evanston's Farmers' Market a few seasons ago. Any corrections or amplifications are appreciated! --Joy

Well, the low bush/high bush issue may explain the long dry spell without being impressed. I first fell in love with blueberries as a kid, when I was picking them off those low bushes myself while at camp in northern Wisconsin.

I also sometimes pick lowbush blueberries, which grow wild near our place in Northern Wisconsin, and they definitely have a more intense flavor. I'm wondering now if the wild blueberries you sometimes see frozen are these same lowbush blueberries.

grits wrote:For some reason I only like the blueberries from Michigan. They seem a little tarter to me. So I hold out every year until the boxes from Michigan show up. If no one else notices a difference maybe I need to get past this.

FYI, the Farmer's Market is knee deep in blueberries right now!
Jamie

aschie30 wrote:

grits wrote:For some reason I only like the blueberries from Michigan. They seem a little tarter to me.

I prefer smaller blueberries that don't appear plumped up on steroids.

Yep, I only like the small ones. I actually look for boxes with berries that are small and sort of unripe looking. After these replies, now I don't feel so alone.