Blueberries Year-round

January 2012/Prepared Foods -- Blueberries add fruit identity, texture, color and flavor excitement to sauces, marinades, salsas, etc., by bringing out the best in the foods they “dress.” Blueberries meld beautifully with savory, salty, hot and sweet ingredients. They also offer great flexibility—formats are available from fresh, frozen and dried to juice, shelf-stable puree and sugar-infused. Some of the trendy blueberry inclusions range from ketchups, mustards and seafood sauces to honey-based drizzles and Asian sauces. Recent innovative new products include bottled sauces made with picante-spiced blueberries, cinnamon-and-honey blueberry spread, amaretto blueberry glaze and blueberry ginger sauce, to name just a few. U. S. Highbush Blueberry Council, www.blueberry.org pf