Blueberries for Breakfast

This morning for breakfast I served blueberry pancakes with fresh berries from Wise Farms. Yum-yum! What a way to start the day!

The berries sold at Wise Farms are grown at Lewis Farms in Rocky Point, NC, where Mr. Lewis has over 500 acres of blueberry bushes. Buying local yields the most flavor since they are picked ripe and shipped to market the same day. When shopping for blueberries look for plump, dry, firm, well-shaped berries that are true in color. Once home, remove any berries from container that appear too soft or over-ripe and eat them first. Store the rest of the berries in a shallow pan in the refrigerator. Do not wash the berries until you're ready to eat them since the water may make them mushy and moldy. Blueberries will keep up to 10 days when refrigerated.

To freeze blueberries, rinse gently and pat dry with paper towels. Then, place them in a single layer on a sheet pan in the freezer if you don't want them to stick together. Or, you can place them in freezer bags, seal, and freeze. I like to separate the berries into 1/2 cup measurements before putting them in freezer bags. Berries will keep up to 10-12 months when frozen.