Blueberries

Find suppliers of blueberries to keep your restaurant or bakery stocked all year

Blueberries are a delicious snack and an excellent antioxidant to aid in the fight against cancer. A half cup of blueberries provides as many antioxidants as four servings of other vegetables or fruits. The USDA has also found that the high antioxidant and nutritional value stays the same, whether the blueberry is fresh, dried or frozen.

Purchasing blueberry bushes is an excellent way to ensure that your business always has a fresh supply of berries. If growing blueberries yourself isn't possible, the next best alternative is to find blueberry distributors who supply blueberries year round. You can use the fruit on salads or cereal, or cook them into waffles, muffins or pies. The recipe ideas are only limited by the availability of the berries.

When preparing to stock your store with blueberries, consider the following:

1. Decide whether fresh, frozen or dried blueberries suit your business best.

2. Choose between wild or domestic blueberries.

3. Purchase blueberry plants to ensure hearty crops of blueberries every year.

 

Choose between fresh or frozen blueberries

Buy blueberries fresh if you will use the fruit within the next two weeks. After that time, the berries will get soft and lose their taste. You can keep blueberries in the freezer for several weeks, which allows your business to have a ready supply of berries year round.
Try: Stateline Blueberries sells large, quarter-sized blueberries in bulk, picking the berries as the orders are received. Russell's Blueberry Farm & Nursery offers frozen blueberries in convenient 5-pound bags.

Decide whether to purchase wild or domestic blueberries

Domestic blueberries, commonly found in grocery stores, are plump, dark purple berries; they're available throughout the year. Wild blueberries are smaller and much sweeter than their domestic counterpart. Delicious wild berries are only available for a few weeks, starting in late August.
Try: G. M. Allen & Son, Inc. sells wild blueberries that are delicious and sweet. Hurst's Berry Farm provides domestic berries in 6-ounce, 1-pint and 2.5-pound packages.

Locate nurseries that provide blueberry plants

Instead of relying on finding blueberries for sale throughout the year, plant your own crop of blueberry plants. You will have ready access to fresh blueberries when they're in season, and you can freeze the rest of the crop to ensure berries through out the year.
Try: TyTy Nursery offers a variety of guaranteed blueberry plants; they'll replace any plants that do not produce a crop of berries. J.R.T. Nurseries Inc. will provide ongoing expert advice on how to successfully grow their blueberry plants.

 

• Before purchasing your first blueberries, online contact via email or a call to your blueberry distributor to find out if there is a minimum order required might save you time. Do not purchase an excessive amount of blueberries at one time, unless you can use them all within a few weeks.

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