I have grown Blueberries for 20 years. For the month of July, if I am unavailable, I am out in my patch of 12 bushes, picking, worrying and scaring off birds from my berries. Last year my yield was about 50 pounds. This is not an easy achievement. The birds love blueberries. I grow them organically. I net my bushes, I hang reflective tape, and I fly a huge flag all to deter the birds. It looks like a bad 1980’s disco scene. Each July it is ‘game on’, Haralee versus the Birds.Blueberries have been singled out as a champion antioxidant. Antioxidants are substances that may protect cells from damage caused by free radicals. These free radicals may lead to cancer. We do not want to set these radicals free.
Cancer in birds is not something heard often. Are the birds on to something with their voracious consumption of blueberries and subsequently acquiring lots of antioxidants? Don’t know the answer to that, but I think this is the year when the berries will be mine, all mine!
From a few blogs ago I wrote about the Speedo LZR, take a look at Darra Torres. At 41, she will be at her 5th Olympic Games and the oldest member of the US Women’s Swim Team. Go for it!
2 comments:
Great post about blueberries Haralee. Blueberries are very worthwhile and easy enough to grow organically in your own backyard. We do the netting thing -- although we don't mess with the reflective tape and other apparatus -- hey if the birds are smart enough I figure let them eat too. Here in New England it's been so wet that everything berry is growing just great -- not only do we have our best blueberry crop in several years -- we have these wonderful red and black raspberries growing across a good part of our backyard. I just love to go out in the morning collect a fresh cup of berries and then come in and enjoy them with Organic, plain, fat-free yogurt, and that delicious Berkshire Grain Organic Granola -- yum. Here's a Youtube video of part of our Blueberry patch a couple of years back. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UvJoTBib3tk
BTW, if you're speaking of anti-oxidants -- why not check out Yerba Mate available at most natural food markets, has more anti-oxidants than Green Tea, delicious iced in the summer. Yerba Mate is great, fresh brewed for those that want to give up coffee -- perish the thought right, wouldn't want to get struck down by "Lord Starbux"......lol. Regards, Kevin
Hi Kevin,
Thanks for the comments. Blueberries do love the water.
Thanks, for the info on Yerba Mate, I am going to look into it.
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